Today’s the day! Each city has its own famous landmarks or to-do activities, but being in Bordeaux, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Well of course the wine tour!
The day starts very well; we stop by at a boulangerie (that’s bakery for you English folks) to have the famous French patisserie (pastry) Pain au chocolat (Chocolate croissant)! Ok am I speaking too much French? Can’t help it but the vibe here makes me do it! Anyhow, we take the bus to the city center and the first problem arises; we have no coins! We only have big cash and the bus driver won’t take it so… seeing that we are clearly tourists (and possibly the only Asians in the whole city) he lets us take the ride for free! Cheers to you Monsieur Chauffeur!
Along the way to Bordeaux Tourism office, we happen to want more snacks and see these cute cotton candy and churros, so alluring that we can’t help but walk straight to the kiosk.
At Bordeaux Tourism office, originally wanting to book wine tour to St. Emilion, however it is fully booked, the people in front of us just take the last seats! We have no choice but to take other tours instead. So tips for you here… always book your wine tour prior to the day! The tour that is available is the half-day tour to Graves and Sauternes in which the meeting time for departure is not until couple of hours. Well what to do other than eat before taking the wine tour. You know what they say about consuming alcohol with empty belly…
Not a long walk from the Bordeaux Tourism Office, we see this restaurant with a long queue line that we can’t resist, L‘Entrecote.’ But that line, and the time, nah-uh., ain’t happening. We walk further and end up having a delightful lunch at Comptoir cuisine with a gorgeous view of Place de la comedie alongside with the Grand Theatre of Bordeaux.
Always have desserts after a meal, and what’s better than having some authentic French macarons! Before we can decide what to get for desserts, oh boy this candy shop Maison Georges Larnicol is sooo lustful.
The time is here! Time for sipping wine and learn the process of grape-to-glass. We hop on to the bus to our first destination of the wine tour at Château Guiraud to have a taste of white sweet wine. ( The people in the tour group are mostly middle aged, we sure stand out from the crowd…again)
It’s time for some red wine at Château Plantat.
So to conclude the stages of ‘grape-to-glass’
Vineyard –> Crushing –> Juice –> Fermentation –> Pressings –> Complete Fermentation –> Clarification –> Maturation –> Blending –> Bottling –> Aging
Back in town by the evening leaves plenty of time to diner. But where? So let’s set the criteria for what we want.
- French food is a must obviously
- Nice settings, good view
- Outdoor to enjoy the Bordeaux ambience
- Crowded but not too busy (‘cause that means it must be good’),
Last but not least… the most important factor of all… (prepare for eyes roll)..
- A cool French restaurant name.
Tadaaa.. finally.. we find this restaurant L’ombriere that fits all the criteria.
After our belly is happy, the sun is still up, well why not take a stroll along the shopping street Rue Sainte Catherine. In case we find some snacks ;p
The next day we have a chance to eat at another restaurant Chez Yuri near the river Garonne, where we meet another couple of tourists. Seeing that we are young asians, they approach us and we start to talk and exchange trip ideas. This is another wonderful side of traveling, you get to meet new people, exchange stories and culture, sometimes you get tips that you may not know by just google.
Well well… let’s tick off the checklist for the trip
Wine ✓
Food ✓
Desserts ✓
Attractions ✓
Use some French words with French people and they understand what you’re saying..kind of ✓
C’est bien! Now let’s pack our bags and head out for the most romantic city in the world!
