Chateau Lamothe du Prince Noir
The largest bathroom I have ever seen...
Le très jolie lit
Ahh... Bordeaux.
One of the most beautiful cities and areas that I have ever visited. Last weekend, Freddie and I took a most relaxing and romantic getaway to Bordeaux, France.. just the two of us!! It was the first time in five and a half years and it was FABULOUS! My sweet Mom has been in France for the past three weeks and she graciously cared for and entertained our three little ones while we traveled to the wine capital of the world - only three hours west of Clermont-Ferrand.
I felt like a princess while sleeping and dining with my prince in the Chateau Lamothe du Prince Noir complete with towers and a moat. The home dated back to the 11th century and was the perfect mixture of something old and something new. We had all of the charm of antiquity and all of the comfort of modern conveniences like air conditioning and wifi. Each morning we were served a traditional french breakfast of charcuterie, bread, jam, cheese, fresh fruit and melt-in-your-mouth croissants and pain au chocolat. All weekend long, we ate and we ate and we ate some more while enjoying every last fat laden morsel. I am still doing my own informal research on how the french stay so thin with 3 courses at many meals with bread and cheese seemingly being the primary food groups.
The first night in Bordeaux we followed a recommendation from our good friends, Kim and Matthew Cabe, and ate at La Tupina which was featured in the Bon Appetit! magazine. Following our delicious dinner, we walked along the Garonne River and took in the sights of Bordeaux, a beautifully restored city in France. The next day we ate lunch in the adorable village of Saint Emilion after our informative vineyard tour and wine tasting with Bruno Delmas of BD Wine Tours of Bordeaux. Dinner that night was at a random restaurant in a strip mall.. nevertheless, it was magnifique! On Saturday we drove to Cap Ferret, France which is a little over an hour west of Bordeaux. It is a charmingly sleepy seaside town on the tip of a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic and creating a nice bay on one side while being bordered by the Dune du Pyla.. the largest sand dune in Europe. Breathtakingly beautiful... over and over again on our voyages around Europe I stand, constantly, in awe of God's gorgeous creation.
"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." - Romans 1:20
"Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Cute building...
La Grosse Cloche
Place de la Bourse
Pont de Pierre
La Tupina
Goodnight Bordeaux
Vineyard in Saint Emilion, France
One of the many chateaus and vineyards in Saint Emilion, France. This one is owned by an American family.
Looking out over the Dordogne Valley.
Rose bushes were placed at the end of each vine to help detect disease. The roses are susceptible to the same disease as the grape vines and are usually attacked first. If they were affected, the vineyard owners would know to start treating the vines. Now, they have more sophisticated methods to detect and prevent disease but the roses remain as tradition and a pretty decoration.
The chateau where we had our wine tasting - Beau Sejour Becot
Bottles of wine stored in the wine cellar of the Beau Sejour chateau... one of the bottles on the right was from the 1800s.
Path to Saint Emilion village seen in the distance.
Streets of Saint Emilion
View as we walked out of Saint Emilion after lunch.
Cap Ferret, France - Dune du Pyla in the distance.
Freddie's entree (appetizer) of crab with mayonnaise sauce. Little did we know we would get the entire crab... eyes and all. We weren't sure what to do with all of that stuff in the middle... actually, what IS that stuff in the middle? It made an interesting picture, and memory, though...
After lunch the clouds parted completely and the tide went out and the beach was beautiful! Loved Cap Ferret, France.
"Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
We ate lunch at a restaurant on the water while we waited for the clouds to part. I indulged in crème brûlée for the second time that weekend and it was oh so good! Finally, the sun started to peek through the clouds and we found a spot on the sugar fine sand and soaked in the sunshine and the sights and peaceful sounds of the ocean as we enjoyed the last day of our delightful weekend in Bordeaux, France.
Bustling street full of boutiques and restaurants in downtown Bordeaux
Cute building...
La Grosse Cloche
Place de la Bourse
Pont de Pierre
La Tupina
Goodnight Bordeaux
Vineyard in Saint Emilion, France
One of the many chateaus and vineyards in Saint Emilion, France. This one is owned by an American family.
Looking out over the Dordogne Valley.
Rose bushes were placed at the end of each vine to help detect disease. The roses are susceptible to the same disease as the grape vines and are usually attacked first. If they were affected, the vineyard owners would know to start treating the vines. Now, they have more sophisticated methods to detect and prevent disease but the roses remain as tradition and a pretty decoration.
The chateau where we had our wine tasting - Beau Sejour Becot
Bottles of wine stored in the wine cellar of the Beau Sejour chateau... one of the bottles on the right was from the 1800s.
Path to Saint Emilion village seen in the distance.
Streets of Saint Emilion
View as we walked out of Saint Emilion after lunch.
Cap Ferret, France - Dune du Pyla in the distance.
Freddie's entree (appetizer) of crab with mayonnaise sauce. Little did we know we would get the entire crab... eyes and all. We weren't sure what to do with all of that stuff in the middle... actually, what IS that stuff in the middle? It made an interesting picture, and memory, though...
After lunch the clouds parted completely and the tide went out and the beach was beautiful! Loved Cap Ferret, France.
1 comment:
Wow, I feel like I'm reading People magazine about the lives of the rich and famous--ha! All of that is absolutely gorgeous. Very "French" (at least what I think of when I think of France). You guys are making some amazing memories!
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