Highlights of A Visit to Bordeaux
When one hears the word”Bordeaux”, it immediately calls to mind French wine and all its pleasant associations. Bordeaux is actually both a region and a city in France where one finds the vineyards, the grapes and the wineries that produce this distinctive wine named for the region in which it is grown. Anne-Marie Gaudet, owner of Cruise Holidays of Metro East, was fortunate to escort a group of eager visitors to this area on a wine-themed river cruise. These are her photographs.
Wine has been produced in Bordeaux for nearly a thousand years. There are about 10,000 wine châteaux or estates currently producing wine with 300,00 acres of grapes. That’s a lot of wine!
Bordeaux the city is the capital of the Aquitane region and its older sections are a UNESCO world heritage site. It is situated on the Garonne river.
The wine industry here adds 29 billion dollars annually to the economy. On a river cruise you can visit vinyards and the wineries attached, often headquartered in old French châteaux.Be prepared to sample the product!
Of course Bordeaux is more than just its famous product. It is a stunning and visually appealing area of France – pastoral, agricultural peace abounds. It is sectioned by three rivers which flow through the area: the Garonne, the Dordogne, and the Gironde. That is what makes it so ideal for river cruising.
Another city well worth the visit is Saint Emilion, and this quaint place is a “port” of call on many river cruise itineraries. The weather worn buildings spread out below the spire of the church. Alley ways and streets wind their way between the buildings and if you find your way to the top of the hill, you can get a wonderful panoramic photo of this old city below. The region of Saint Emilion also has its own special wine as do the regions of Graves_Medoc and Pomerol.
Bergerac is another city visited on a Bordeaux river cruise. It is the centre of the most exquisite wine producing area and produces some of the best wines of this region. For visitors it offers museums, dining, and a wine exhibition. It is most unusual for having not one but two different statues to Cyrano de Bergerac found in different squares. The unusual part is that the Cyrano in the play was fictional and never lived in this city!
If you are interested in visiting this area of France, a river cruise is perhaps the best way to experience all it has to offer. Contact Ann-Marie or any one of the other cruise professionals at Cruise Holidays of Metro East. They have first hand experience in not only river cruises, but the varied destinations offered by all the major river cruise lines.
Opposite are more photos Ann-Marie took on her journey through Bordeaux.
