France
Saint-Émilion

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    • Day 18

      Saint Emilion

      May 9, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

      Ziezo, zit nu buiten op een terras van een leuk restaurantje en ben klaar om verslag te doen van de dag....
      Ik had gezegd dat ik slecht had geslapen, ik had een stacaravan toegewezen gekregen..... hoeft niet verkeerd te zijn natuurlijk maar deze wel. Erg koud ook...en geen ontbijt. 1,5 km verderop, op de route,lag een plaatsje waar alles te krijgen was volgens de verhuurder. En het was zo, eerst maar eens een dubbele espresso en de eerste regen van me afschuddend. Daarna naar de drogist die ik open zag gaan vanuit mijn espresso lokatie. Product, (anti schaafwond) aangeschaft en ik zag een boulangerie waar je kon zitten, daar heb ik het broodje zalm gekocht, was ontzettend goed gevuld en lekker, van genoten en toen de regen in... ik zag een bordje Dordogne, ik herkende het als een gebied wat ik inreed van school uit, de hele ochtend regen regen regen en Jan maar gewoon doorfietsen, schuilen was geen optie, kostte tijd, te kostbaar.. enfin, rond 12.00 uur reed ik een plaatsje in en aan de rotonde zag ik een boulangerie liggen. Binnen gekomen eerst maar eens een plaatsje uitgekozen en wat uit gedaan. Ik bestelde iets warms met wat te drinken en merkte dat ik wat rillerig was. Schone shirts gepakt en en dat voelde weer behaaglijk om na de lunch weer de regen in te gaan. Ik reed door natuurparken..... stilte, geen auto's in uren... ik koesterde de stilte e-ner-gie... e-ner-gie...het gaf me focus, concentratie, het hielp me!! Het stopte met regenen en zag dat ik inmiddels temidden van de wijnranken aan het fietsen was, niet één maar de hele omgeving en het ene na het andere chateau kwam aan me voorbij......er was redelijk wat activiteit op de velden maar ik moest verder..
      En toen gelukkig Saint Emilion in beeld. Ik had iets weten te huren en na alles te drogen te hebben gehangen en een heerlijke douche nu op een terrasje, bijkomen van de dag... ik zit er ontspannen bij al zeg ik het zelf. Ik had ook wel de behoefte om de wijn te proberen natuurlijk en die smaakt bij het voorgerecht al meer dan lekker..
      Enfin, terugkijkend op de dag was ik erg bezig met mijn energie, hoe ermee om te gaan, een focus dus... op het traptempo e-ner-gie ..e-ner-gie en zo door, niet bij de afdaling, maar bij het bestijgen van de helling. Het heeft me heel goed gedaan.. en met een gebalde vuist van 'I did it' reed ik Saint Emilion binnen...
      De toeristen-bussen maar ook de toeristen-treintjes reden al dus let the season do its work! Tot morgen!
      Nog even dit... ik vind het ontzettend fijn om jullie reacties te lezen, ze doen me goed en geven me weer kracht om verder te gaan..... houden jullie het ook vol??
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    • Day 4

      Bordeaux 2 - Saint-Emilion

      April 8, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      Simply wonderful afternoon spent visiting two wine making Chateaux, and the BEAUTIFUL village of Saint-Emilion. Oh, and we were forced to sample a few glasses of Grand Cru Saint-Emilion wine as well. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.Read more

    • Day 208

      Saint-Emilion, France

      December 2, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Saint-Emilion was amazing! Besides being one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux, the architecture of the town is amazing! The region is actually along the French portion of the Camino de Santiago so there are many monasteries and churches along this route 11th century onwards. In this area, limestone is abundant and most of the houses in the old town are built with limestone bricks. It appeared to us as though the limestone seeing the age. In many places the buildings are starting weather very significantly. Also, we could see many workers doing repairs and one house was even getting propped up by a hydraulic lift while we were strolling through town.

      The primary grapes 🍇 grown in this region are the Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but some Cabernet Sauvignon is also grown. Wine from St. Emilion is 80% Merlot and 20% Cab Franc. Grape vines were first introduced to this region by the Romans in the 2nd Century.

      The town is named after a Breton monk, Émilion, who sought asylum here in the 8th century. He led an eremitic life in a cave and according to legend he performed many miracles and thus developed a large following. His followers are responsible for creating the monolithic church shown in the pictures.

      We did a tasting while in town at Chateaux Gadet sampling there 2011 and 2015 vintage. The wine was good but the tour especially through the cellar was outstanding. The cellar which you had to use a large step ladder to get into resembled a vast tunnel system with 5 or 6 rooms that were accessed by snaking large hallways. It was impressive and amazing how it ran under the entire length of the chateau and then popped up again in our tasting room which we started in. We ended up purchasing a half bottle of their 2009 bordeaux which was a particularly good year for vineyards out here. It did not disappoint. Even if wine from Saint Emilion is not your fancy we recommend coming to this iconic town for a leisurely stroll and some lunch it was indeed very besutiful.
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    • Day 85

      Saint-Emilion

      June 21, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      Die riesige Wanderdüne Dune du Pyla besuchen wir vom Panorama Campingplatz aus. Danach fahren wir durch die Weingebiete des Bordeaux. In St. Émilion übernachten wir auf dem Weingut mit Degustation des edlen Tropfens.Read more

    • Day 5

      Weltkulturerbe Saint-Émilion

      May 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Heute früh ist der Himmel wolkenverhangen. Es ist kühler aber trocken. Wir verabschieden uns von unseren netten Gastgebern und fahren über kleinste Straße nach Saint Emilion. Die Fahrt ist so ganz nach unserem Geschmack. Wir sehen schöne Châteaus, Esel die die Erde per Pflug(?) zwischen den Reben aufreißen. Die Weinberge sehen hier so wahnsinnig gepflegt aus. Es liegen keine angeschnittenen Äste am Boden. Wie aus dem Bilderbuch. So habe ich mir das Bordeaux auch vorgestellt.
      Wir sind früh genug dran und bekommen tatsächlich noch einen Parkplatz.
      Ein wunderbares Dorf empfängt uns. Eine tolle Geschichte die sich dahinter verbirgt.
      Das tollste, neben den vielen Kirchen ist aber die eine,,,die Felsenkirche. Leider nur mit Führung zu besichtigen. Wir bekommen noch Platz in einer französischen Gruppe. Auch eine Beschreibung auf Deutsch hat man uns in die Hand gedrückt.
      Wir sehen die Wohnhöhle des Eremiten, die Kirche welche in Stein gehauen wurde. Alles beeindruckend. Leider durfte man keine Fotos machen.
      Der Ort ist empfehlenswert… wunderschön anzusehen.
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    • Day 27

      Saint Emilion

      September 25, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Hello from Saint Emilion - where it’s never too early for wine tasting.
      Mike and I happily returned our rental car without incident on Monday. There was a moment where we took a wrong lane, and ended up doing a u- turn on a 4 lane bridge… but … deep breaths… no one got hurt.
      After rendezvousing with my sister Helen we had a full day of seeing the sights in Bordeaux. First we chose a small wine museum where we got lots of information about the wine industry in Bordeaux and got to sample a few of the region’s wines. Next we visited an old German World War II submarine base. The huge, concrete building still stands where it was built in 1940 and it was amazing to see the huge bays where the U- boats were stored. Evidently, the allies tried to bomb it repeatedly but had no luck because it was so thick. The building currently serves as a rather unique place for art installations.
      Tuesday night we met our cycle group led by our friend Marg Kavanagh. The group includes two of Marg’s brothers - Tim and John , one spouse Beth and three other biking friends. It’s Marg’s 70th birthday this month and this was how she wanted to celebrate and we were happy to join in the fun. The Kavanagh gang have already completed loops cycling in Champagne and the Loire, and Helen, Mike and I joined in for the last 6 day Bordeaux loop. On Tuesday the group treated us to some great Champagne that had travelled with them from that region but wasn’t going any further in bike panniers. Tough job but we did it.
      On Wednesday the gang of 10 biked out of Bordeaux to Langdon. The geography got less flat as we travelled along and the group of 10 quickly split into 2 groups. A number in Marg’s group are more serious cyclist and can pound up the hills so their pace of riding is much faster. Helen and Mike are on hybrids without the “e bike” assist so the 3 of us have taken the cycling at a more “leisurely” pace. I’m on an e-bike which I’ve been very glad of over the last few days of ups and downs. Not quite as extreme as our Dordogne biking trip but pretty close! Helen and Mike have been real troopers tackling the hills. Hats off to them.
      In Langdon - our first stop - our hotel stay included dinner at their Michelin star restaurant. It was a culinary treat although a couple of folks in our group whose tastes run more to “ 1 meat, 2 veg “ struggled with the exotic choices. Helen and Tim had the sweetbreads which were reportedly sublime. I wasn’t as adventuresome and settled for the duck as my main. You know you’re at a really fancy restaurant when a server fully attired in black appears beside your table to “announce” each course - an explanation that often includes phrases like “essence of….” and “ infused with” …… and “ complimented by”….. All good stuff and I know I was very full at the end of it all.
      Our second cycling day took us to the hilltop castle town of Duras. The castle has been fully refurbished and so touring it was fun. We managed to snag some excellent pizzas in Duras so the non- foodies in the group were finally happy. Our 3rd cycling day was a loop out of Duras and included many ups and downs. I was even more glad to have an ebike that day. The countryside is a sea of vineyards, old churches and château’s. One big drawback, On this trip we have been a bit hard pressed to find places for morning coffee.
      We are now in Saint Emilion. The Romans planted grapes in this region as early as the 2nd century and in the late 1800s the local wine producers formed the first wine growers union in France. The town is very old ( medieval??) and chock a block full of tourists and wine shops selling wine at eye- watering prices. Who buys this stuff and when they do , do they actually drink it???

      A few of us decided to take a day off the bikes and headed out this morning for a long walk around the town and through the surrounding countryside. Along the way , we happened across a winery busy with production of this year’s wine ( we are told it will be an excellent year due to the intense heat) and the staff invited us in for a “ dégustation “ or tasting. Only 11 in the morning but it would have been rude to say no. The reds we tasted are very typical of the Bordeaux reds being a combination of merlot, Cabernet franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes . Lovely and dry!!
      Our big adventure ends tomorrow with a 50 km, relatively flat ride back to Bordeaux. It’s also Helen’s birthday so we’ll stop along the way for lunch.
      It’s all been loads of fun biking with this gang but it’s time to get back to Canada and swear off the baguettes and wine for awhile.

      Hope our fellow traveller friends out there are having fun. Unfortunately, Fiona and Jiggs are coming back from the maritimes early having been caught up in Fiona’s namesake hurricane!

      That’s all the news from here. Thanks for traveling with us and we’ll see some of you shortly after KLM whisks us back to Canada on Wednesday.

      Hugs from France,
      Mom/ Heather
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    • Day 12

      Saint Emilion

      September 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Heute morgen hat es bis 11 Uhr geregnet. Vom Stellplatz bin ich mit dem Velo nach Saint Emilion gefahren
      Das waren nur 3 bis 4 km weit. Zuerst besuchte ich den Tour Du Roy. Er wurde im 13.Jahrhundert gebaut hat innen 118 Stufen . Weitere Sehenswürdigkeiten waren die Eglise monolithe et son clocher. Der Turm entstand im 12. Jahrhundert. Er war im Mittelalter einer der höchsten Türme in Europa. In den alten Klostergängen sind heute verschiedene Souvenir Läden und Boutiquen eingerichtet. Dann die Eglise collegiale et son cloitre. Hier befinden sich Bilder und Zeichnungen. Eine weitere Sehenswürdigkeit ist das Cloitre de Cordeliers. In diesem Kloster und Kirche sind die verschiedenste Geschäfte und Weinhandlungen vorhanden. Ganz gut gemacht. Saint Emilion ist kpl. auf Verkauf von Wein und Tourismus eingestellt. Es gibt preislich eine Riesespanne von Weinen zu kaufen. Von 10 Euro bis 10000 Euro pro Flasche.Read more

    • Day 11

      Saint Emilion

      September 21, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

      Heute war ein Regentag. Deshalb bin ich direkt nach St. Emilion gefahren. Auf dem Weingut Chateau Arnaud de Jaquemeau gibt es einen großen Stellplatz. War überrascht wieviel Reisemobile sich am Sbend hier rinfanden. Um 19.30 Uhr gibt es eine Führung in Deutsch mit Wein Degustation und natürlich mit Kaufmöglichkeiten. Die Weinlese ist zur Zeit im vollen Gange.Read more

    • Day 6

      Saint Emilion 🥖✨🪵✨🥖

      July 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      Big adventure navigating the busses to get here but Saint Emilion is stunning 🤩 it is a UNESCO heritage listed 'Cultural Landscape' with lots of Jesus tributes and wine 🍷 We went up to the top of the Kings Keep and down into the Catacombs and the largest monolithic church in Europe! But the best but was witnessing American's get roasted by a French man for asking if they could get Champagne in Bordeaux 🤠Read more

    • Day 25

      The Village of Saint-Émilion

      October 8, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      After lunch, Julie drove us to the old town of Saint-Émilion, a beautiful village which has been well cared for over the years. It is very picturesque and we would have liked to spend more time there. It has some very impressive wine stores. Julie gave us a tour of Saint-Émilion, which started at the old gate and meandered through the narrow streets heading up towards the clock tower, then down to an old church which is located below it. On the way, we stopped at a bar that used to be a Cloister and had a glass of Cremant de Bordeaux under a shady tree - this is the local equivalent of Champagne, but uses different grape varieties. We then had some free time to roam around the village before heading off for our last tasting.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Saint-Émilion, Saint-Emilion, Sent Milion, Saint Emilion, Emilion-la-Montagne, סנט-אמיליון, Saint-Émilion hegyközség, サン=テミリオン, სენტ-ემილიონი, Сент-Емильйон, 33330, Сент-Эмильон, แซ็งเตมีลียง, Сент-Емільйон, سینٹ-عملوں, 圣埃米利翁

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