A day to play so off we go to Saint Emillion one of the principal red wine areas of Bordeaux - Pascal is highly excited today visiting all these vines!! The history of Saint Emillions goes back to prehistoric times and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so I am expecting good times for my camera!!  There are Romanesque churches & ruins stretching along steep and narrow streets. The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Emillion as early as the 2nd century. The town was named after the monk Emillion a travelling confessor who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.

So what did we get up to..... we wandered through the town with picture postcard views around every corner. We had been told of a restaurant just outside of town that locals ate at so off we went and what a lunch or should I say feast, I was so pleased I only had a tiny breakfast. It started off with vege soup just like mama makes, then terrine, radishes & tuna salad, then turkey, a le puy lentils dish, ratatouille & couscous and of course there was cheese, and wait creme brulee - would you like cafe oh and did I mention a bottle of local unlabeled red wine could this be right all this for NZD22 per head. Pascal behaved badly as you can see and flopped himself on the table at the end stating he couldn't move. Stuffed is the best word to describe how we felt but the food was fantastic home cooked  &really tasty - delicious!!! A true french country experience. This restaurant was established 10 years ago as a way of feeding the workers of the vineyards and has grown into a locals restaurant as from what we could see if was frequented by a lot of trademen today - how do they get work done after a massive meal like that - but as the French say - "Life is all about the Food."

The bikes were in the car so out they can and lets get pedaling otherwise I'm gonna fall asleep, we had a wonderful ride through small villages and endless roads full of vines, the photo's tell the tale and the lunch was worked off - well that's what I hope anyway.