BORDEAUX, FRANCE

8/17/2023

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner last night, starting with canapés, followed by dinner. Hotel Director Scott joined us.  Senior Head Butler Rao organized everything.  A big thank you to our penthouse attendant Priscila.

As we dined, we had breathtaking scenery as we sailed into Bordeaux. There was so much to see.  This continued after dinner as we went out onto the verandah to watch until we were docked right in downtown Bordeaux.

Given the height of Serenity we had to arrive when the tides were low, and it was interesting to watch as we spun around as part of the approach to where we would dock.  Many cruise ships cannot spin around as Serenity can and we also had a little assist with by a tug-boat.

Later in the night was White Dress Party at 10:00 PM.

We wanted to mention how nice our room attendant is; Priscilla. We posted the photo above but wanted to mention Priscilla again.

We are asked if there is still a Catholic Priest on-board and the answer is yes with Catholic Mass held each morning. Unhosted Sabbath Eve Services are held every Friday at 5:30 PM as they always have been. On the World Cruise and on Jewish Holidays such as the high holy days, on Passover and on the Holiday Cruise the plan is to have a Rabbi on board.

Bordeaux looks very much like other cities in France which the beautiful architecture of its buildings. It is second to Paris as the country’s most densely populated city. Today, it is best known for its chateaux’s, wonderful cuisine and the wines produced in this region. In fact, over 3,000 wineries are located in relatively short proximity to the city of Bordeaux.

We had thought today we had a private tour which included a visit to a Chateaux. Thank goodness Keith looked at the website of the restaurant we were to eat at and saw it was closed on Thursdays for lunch. When Keith spoke with the Shore Excursion Manager, Keith realized the tour was Friday rather than Thursday which was the day we requested. Somehow, Keith had mistakenly added it to our excel spreadsheet for today. Glad this was all sorted out yesterday since our tour doesn't begin until 10:30 AM. LOL.

We walked for several miles around the down area of Bordeaux retracing some of the steps we took on our first visit on the 2007 Crystal Serenity World Cruise. That visit was a Sunday when very few people were out and about in the morning. We had a wonderful time in this special city.