Day One Hundred Fifty-Five June 9

I have combined our two days in Bordeaux under one blog.

Safely back on the ship we arrive in Le Verdon France where one ship tour is available "Medoc Vineyards & Bordeaux". Anyone interested is this tour would get off the ship and meet Insignia later that day in Bordeaux. This tour was not for us.

Except for a few passengers, Insignia was moored in Le Verdon until our 11:45 departure. This I assume was due to the low tide preventing the ship from cruising towards Bordeaux. From the ship we could see the countryside and the fertile lands that are so important to the wine production.

On our way we see a cruise ship coming in the opposite direction. It is our sister ship the Sirena. Although it is the same size as ours, you can see that she has way more passengers than we have on the Insignia.

Our cruise down the Garonne River is approximately five hours as we are scheduled to dock at 16:30.

As we approach the city of Bordeaux, we pass under the Le Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas. Its unique feature allows the central span to lift vertically allowing passing ships through.

What looks like a big boot near the city center is a Wine Museum. Although there is free admission we did not visit.

Our ship docks directly on the main road where the passengers from the tour are anxiously waiting to board. There was difficulty with the gangway provided by the port, so our ship's gangway needed to be used. All this was a problem as the second Around the World event was scheduled tonight with the buses leaving at 18:30.

Bordeaux is situated on the Garonne River and is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. The city is considered the world's major wine industry capital and home to the world's main wine fair called Vinexpo.

In fact, while we were in port workers were quickly installing fencing and creating market stalls in the adjacent park. "Le week-end des Grands Crus, 17-19 Juin Bordeaux 2022" was to be held, too bad Insignia came a week too early.

We are off to Chateau Giscours for our second ATW event, a winery in the Margaux district of the Bordeaux region. We are greeted by four people on stilts as well as the hosts of the Chateau.

Off to the garden for beverages and hors d' oeuvres before we sit at one of the three long tables for dinner in an outside gazebo.

The set menu includes the following:

· Main Course - Veal Loin stuffed with Bell Pepper, Local Cheese, and Sage. Served with Vegetable Mousse and Au Jus Sauce. Janice did not choose the Veal and her substitute was a Veggie Burger

· Cheese Plate- Cheese Platter contains Goat, Sheep and Cow Cheese Selection with Country French Bread

· Dessert - Raspberry served in a Chocolate Shell

· Wines - Haut-Medoc Giscours 2014 - AOC Haut-Medoc (magnum), Sirene de Giscours 2013- AOC Margaux, Chateau Giscours 2011-Grand Cru Classe AOC Margaux and Les Clauzots 2019-AOC Graves blanc

A four-person band plays soft dinner style music. Near the end of the night Janice and Ilona leave for a private tour of the winery. Upon their return it's back on the bus for the trip back to Insignia.

Day One Hundred Fifty-Six June 10

Happy birthday to me!

Our second day in Bordeaux was originally to be shorter as the scheduled departure time was 15:00. However due to inclement weather, our next port, Biarritz (Saint - Jean - de-Luz) was cancelled with a revised departure 04:30am on June 11 and another seaday.

Today was a leisurely stroll around the city to see some of the sights. Two river boat cruises were docked closed to us with one sponsored by the Globe and Mail (our National News and Business Newspaper in Canada). We learned later that it was advertised in the paper at some point during the past year.

A boardwalk in front of Insignia allowed inhabitants and tourists to walk along the Garonne River past restaurants and shops. This was a good start to the morning.

Like most European cities, Bordeaux has a Tram system that moves people around the city in a quick fashion.

Nearing noon it was time to find a bakery for a baguette and beverage which we ate at a nearby park.

Janice's wine supply had been dwindling so we needed to find a place to buy wine. Janice had searched out a wine tasting place which we went to but unfortunately, they did not sell any wine.

Several bottles were purchased though in a wine store which Janice was hoping would be good. The reason we are buying wine off ship is that the pinot grigio by the glass is horrible and she refuses to pay $75.00US for a bottle of Santa Margarita.

Dinner plans tonight were at the Polo Steakhouse Restaurant. I was a little bit surprised as I did not want to have any fuss made on my birthday but after dinner the waiters arrived with a BD cake and wanted to sing to me. I appreciated the cake but graciously declined their birthday song.