Blog Special Edition - La Reserve

 Saturday, Sept. 25th - La Reserve, the bacchanalia of wine and food.  The feast consists of seven courses each paired with a different wine.

 All I can say is that the food was great and the wine pairings perfect.  However it was way too much of a good thing.  When we were done we agreed that just maybe we aren't cut out to eat and drink like that.  But, then again, we might change our mind the next time the opportunity presents itself.

 

  

Bordeaux - It's Not Just for Wine Anymore

 It's Wednesday afternoon and we are sailing back down the Gironde after our second day in Bordeaux.  This was our third visit to that wonderful city.

Our sail-in yesterday was lovely.

Our original plan was to catch a train to Saint Emilion to wander around that old city.  However, the ship was just late enough docking in Bordeaux that we could not make the train so, being flexible as we tend to be, we decided to just wander Bordeaux.  Not such a bad thing, is it?  It is really great that they are able to bring the ship right into Bordeaux.  You step off and you're in the middle of the city.

Eventually, our wandering took us past a cafe that had Duck Parmentier on their menu du jour.  Now, I won't claim to be an expert on Duck Parmentier, maybe just an aficionado.  Anyway, for me, there are two extremes when it comes to the dish.  At the top of the list, is the Duck Parmentier at our favorite restaurant in Barcelona, Sensi Tapas.  It is incredible.  Sadly, at the bottom of the list is the Duck Parmentier on Jacques aboard the Marina.  Happily, the Duck Parmentier at Lux in Bordeaux was solidly in the center of the range.

After our lunch, we continued our wander before returning to the ship.  Our wander included a stop for a Canele, a small pastry which originated in Bordeaux.

We did have dinner in Jacques in the evening.  No, I did not have the Duck Parmentier.  We indulged in our favorite dish there - sharing the Bar en Croute et Sauce Beurrre Blanc.  It is so good!

 Today, the ship was scheduled to sail down the river to Le Verdon for a short stop to pick passengers who were on all day excursions.  The timing of the navigation of the river and estuary is dictated by the tides. First thing in the morning, I went for a bit of a jog along the waterfront.  It started raining just as I left the ship, but it had been so long since I'd run on land that I did not let it deter me.   The morning was interesting as the rain came and went and brought a rainbow over the city.

I know that, by now, I sound like a broken record, but we hustled off the ship after a quick breakfast to wander a bit more in Bordeaux.  Part of the reason that we hustled is that an announcement was made that they would soon be moving the location of the gangway (due to the rising tide) and we wanted to get off without delay.  And so we wandered, stopping for a coffee along the waterfront and at a pastry shop for the local version called a Kouing Bordelaise.

After our wander in mostly sunny weather, the rain came again and then cleared up for our sail away from Bordeaux.  It was beautiful way to leave and we thanked our weather fairy for being mostly cooperative.

We will now be leaving France and sailing to Spain.  Next port - Bilbao.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

Brest and Orient

 It was another 2 days in France and it was a mixed bag.  Sunday we were in Brest and we were less than impressed with the city.  Lorient yesterday was much better.

As we sailed into Brest, we discovered that the Queen Mary 2 was just completing a dry dock adjacent to our pier.  We then watched her sail away.

We started the day off the ship by going to the Oceanopolis which was an excellent aquarium.  We spent a couple of hours there.

We then headed into Brest proper and that's where the disappointment set in.  The city did not have much to offer and it was dead, maybe because it was a Sunday.  

After yet another lunch of mussels, it was time to go back to the ship.

Lorient on Monday was a big improvement.  The only disappointment was the tower which, of course, we hoped to climb.  Apparently, the season for climbing the tower concludes at the end of August.

So then the serious walking began.  We walked through the 'old town' which the man in the tourist info center had told us did not offer much and he was right.  We then went to the 'new town' with its park and shopping.  A stop for coffee and a muffin energized us to carry on until we had our lunch of sandwiches in the park.  It was nice to see the park crowded with young people who we assumed were university students.

Then it was off to an area called Lorient La Base.  We had a bit of a diversion along the way to wander through a cemetery.  The last photo of a family plot told a story including the mother who lived to 102.

We eventuality made to La Base which was the site of a former Nazi submarine base.  The area now has museums and restaurants and it quickly became obvious that Lorient is a big center for sailing.

By the time we returned to the ship, we figured that we had walked about 8 miles.

This morning as I write this we are sailing up the Gironde River on our way to Bordeaux.  We'll be there overnight.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry