France and England, October 2022: Part 1 — Bordeaux
I didn’t keep a blog for this trip, but below is the itinerary and a slideshow of the best bits.
The first part of the trip took us to Bordeaux, a long trip that I would do somewhat differently on reflection. Some of the challenges of the trip came down to the ongoing effects of COVID; others were to do with the unsettled state of Western Europe, as we had to cope with industrial action and travel disruptions.
We wanted to fly premium economy, and finding a reasonably priced itinerary meant we were travelling on four different airlines After flying out of Sydney on Singapore Air A380, we flew Lufthansa on a rather clapped-out A340, so that was a bit disappointing. We took the train to Caen as soon as we arrived in Paris (from Frankfurt!) and picked up a car the next day to drive for four hours at high speed to Bordeaux. Next time we would take the train (at even faster speed) to Bordeaux and drive out to Port-Sainte-Foy.
We were amazed at the Bordeaux countryside and reveled in the food from the market and the chance to drink (quite and lot) of Bordeaux Blanc et Rouge. It took us a little while to adapt to the tasting culture of wineries — especially the chateaux. The city was interesting, but the countryside was beautiful.
| Date | Travel and Activities | Accommodation and Meals |
| Tue, 4 Oct | 11:55 am AEDTCanberra (Kingston) Station → Sydney | Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney |
| Wed, 5 Oct | 4:00 pm AEDTSYD → SIN SQ 222 (Singapore Airlines) | |
| Thu, 6 Oct | 8:30 am GMT+2FRA → CDG LH 1028 (Lufthansa), Terminal 19:45 am GMT+2Arrive Paris (CDG) Terminal 2B1:56 pm GMT+2SNCF TER3357 – Gare St Lazare → Gare Caen | Campanile Caen Centre Gare Dinner at Saint Andrew’s9 Quai de Juillet, Caen |
| Fri, 7 Oct | 4:00 pm GMT+2A Little Gem on the Banks of the River Dordogne, 14 Rue de la Rouquette, Port-Sainte-Foy-et-Ponchapt | Staying at A Little Gem |
| Sat, 8 Oct | 10:30 am GMT+2Bordeaux Walking Tour | Staying at A Little GemDinner at Brasserie du Boucher1 Rue Onésime Reclus, 33220 Port-Sainte-Foy-et-Ponchapt |
| Sunday 9 Oct | Visit Sainte EmilionWalking along the Dordogne | Staying at A Little Gem |
| Mon, 10 Oct | 9:00 am GMT+2Bordeaux In 15 Steps13 Rue des Faussets, 33000 Bordeau | Staying at A Little Gem |
| Tue, 11 Oct | Wine Tasting and Tour at Chateau Monestier La Tour | Staying at A Little Gem |
| Wed, 12 Oct | Self Guided walk Of BergeracVisite & dégustation, – Château La Croizille, Balado | Panier Pique-nique, Château La Croizille |
