We again headed southwest and took the train to Bordeaux (one of the world’s best wine regions). The city itself was unimpressive, a Paris wannabe but lacking the maintenance and care. It was a pity, the architecture of the buildings were actually lovely however their dilapidated states were not too attractive. There is not much to see in the city, all I can say is that it has an extensive tram network, it felt unsafe and it sells the best baguette I have tasted so far. (I’m becoming quite fussy with baguettes, now I understand why the French would walk a distance just to go to a decent boulangerie /bakery…even if there is one quite close to them). But of course, the many reasons why tourist would flock to this region is for the wines and vineyard tours. Unfortunately, on the days that we were scheduled at Bordeaux, all the tours were fully booked! (Oh well, we’ll just have to wait for the Burgundy region).
But another reason why we’re in this region is its close proximity to Sarlat-La-Caneda, a very well preserved medieval town located east of Bordeaux (2.5hrs by train). Surprisingly the train ride itself was enjoyable, seeing & stopping at the many villages (and vineyards…one of which is the famous Saint Emillion). We were also very fortunate to have met a very friendly old French couple sharing some information about Bordeaux region and its well known wines (Petrus, Cheval Blanc and Angelus). James and I may be able to share a sip of these wines, or we may need to mortgage the unit in order to buy a bottle of these wines.
We had a great time in Sarlat. It was the most relaxed I’ve been while in France. Maybe it was the bottle of Clos de Verdots cabernet sauvignon (from Bergerac) that we had at lunch, with foie gras, cassoulet (traditional cuisine –duck, sausage & white beans cooked as a rich casserole), strawberries, glace (ice cream) & café espresso to top off. Oh yes back to Sarlat…it is a beautifully preserved medieval city with cobbled stones lanes and elegantly restored buildings. What is amazing is that people live in this ‘cite’. Life goes on!
