As the wide fields of grain gave way to vineyards we knew we were on the right track heading for Cognac. Midday temperature of 27 degrees, clear blue sky and no wind. Speaking of sky, as I look out the window I can count 7 jet streams as airplanes crisscross the sky. We are trying for another This is now the third time I have tried to continue this blog. Each time. I get several paragraphs written, go to save it and the signal goes and I lose all that I have done!! Anyway off again ... Along our way to Cognac was the city of Saintes so we stopped there for some lovely patisserie and coffee. Roman architecture was present on the side of the river and we found a building full of edifices most dating back to the 1st century before heading off to Cognac where we visited the Hennessy house of Cognac. We took in the guided tour which included a small boat ride to the other side of the river before tasting and ten buying some of their rather nice Cognac. Our campsite for the night was at another France Passion site just 10km west of Cognac in a very little village called Salignac sur Charente. Under the trees in a quiet lane beside a small cognac house owned by Madame and Messieur Goyon who were the forth generation owners, we set up camp and prepared for happy hour. Mandy has a reasonable grasp of French which has been wonderful and together with my very limited vocabulary we get by pretty well. The owners of the vineyard were lovely people and after we asked what they made they offered us a tasting which was most enjoyable and we bought some cognac and some of their gorgeous Pineau. As they are farmers and have 200 hectares of grain as we'll there was an immediate hook up with Leicester and although neither could speak each other's language there was communication flowing with hand movements etc and soon they were both up in the combined harvester with the engine running and things moving up and down. I think they really enjoyed the contact and after we bought some of their produce she threw in a bottle of Rose because she enjoyed our company. The next morning we were up pretty early again and hit the road to Bordeaux. We were all struck by the wonderful countryside with miles and miles of crop and vineyards as far as the eye can see interspersed with little villages each with their own church and spire. We found a Park and ride and took the tram into the city. A market all along the river took our eye and we wandered along with the crowd. There seemed to be many more Muslims here than previous places and most of the restaurants along the river reflected this. After a lunch of breads and meats we meandered into the little squares and lanes fascinated by the architecture and the number of people enjoying meals on this very hot 32degree day. Apparently now Bordeaux is classed as a world heritage site and all the buildings within its 18km reflect this with heaps of walkways and state of the art transport system. Leaving Bordeaux we had a short trip to the next France Passion site, this time a vineyard specialising in Bordeaux wines. These French Passion sites are wonderful as they are often tucked away in the middle of nowhere. Trouble is they are often not easy to find even with GPS. The ones rr we are at tonight we found by accident as we were heading for one further down the road and asked for directions. They said we should stay with them as theirs was better! The house was 300 years old and looked so picturesque. We did the obligatory tasting and ended up sharing a case between us. The campsite was free but the wine cost about $6 a bottle each couple! Not bad especially with the view, the quiet, the friendly hosts and in this case toilets which get a 5 out of 5 as they have a toilet seat, toilet paper, water to wash your hands, soap and paper towels.....luxury!!! It has been a learning experience here in France - mostly no paper, frequently no seat and almost always no soap and towels!