Day 1: We spent the day getting settled in our stateroom and enjoyed a lovely lunch. We won't take our first excursion until day 2. The first evening we enjoyed walking along the Gironde River.

Day 2: Our first excursion (in the rain) was upstream to the small town of Cadillac and its towering castle. After exploring Cadillac we went to Sauternes where we toured Chateau De Myrat and tasted the wines.

Day 3: We sailed to Libourne. We decided to explore this 13th century town on our own that day.

Day 4: We walked back to Libourne and explored the local market. In the afternoon we went to Saint-Emilion for a guided walking tour and tasted our first right bank red wines. After dinner, we participated in the Couple's Game with 4 other couples and we won!

Day 5: After arriving in Blaye, we went on the walking tour of The Citadel. Next was our excursion to Cognac ... the day we've been waiting for. Need we say more? We are bringing home two bottles of our special blends to share with our special friends after the three month suggested waiting time.

Day 6: Before leaving Blaye, we explored the town a little more on our own and revisted The Citadel. We then went on a wine tasting bus tour of the Medoc region, finishing in Margaux at the Chateau Giscours. We finished our day with an amazing dinner at Chateau Kirwan also in Margaux.

Day 7: Back in Bordeaux. We enjoyed a wonderful farewell dinner with our new friends, Terri (from Detroit/Atlanta, a member of the Grand Canyon Association) and Greg & Katherine (from Adalaide, Austrailia). Not to mention Dorel "The Cognac Man" and bartender!

All-in-all, Our Viking cruise was everything we hoped it would be. It was a good feeling to wish we just had a few more days and to look forward to seeing some of our boatmates again some day.