The mascaret is a tidal surge phenomenon that occurs on the Dordogne River at certain times in the area of Libourne. It was supposed to happen between 6:45 and 7:45 pm on our 4th night of cruising. Our ship had to be freed from the dock and had to sail in the middle of the river because sometimes the surge is 3-4 feet high and it comes in successive waves. A docked ship can be thrown against the dock, damaging both the ship and the dock. Sometimes it's big enough for people to surf on! The surge flows in the opposite direction of the river current, so you actually see the water in the river change direction.
We all went up to the sun deck and enjoyed some beverages waiting for the mascaret to come. Finally the captain blew the horn once to let us know it was starting toward us. We waited and watched and then finally we could see the surface of the water starting to turn up into waves.
As we watched, a zodiac boat shot out across the river and dropped a surfer in the water. The waves grew increasingly bigger and more frequent. The surfer managed to have a pretty good ride while the guys in the zodiac got bounced around pretty well. The waves of the mascaret broke against the shores and the prow of the boat. It was fun to watch and something none of us had ever seen before.
It happened again the next morning early, about 6:30 so we stood outside our room and watched it in the fog and semi-darkness. It was a little different this time because we couldn't see it coming due to the fog but we could hear it coming. That was a little eerie actually.
Friday, September 22, 2017
Riverboat cruise France - day 3 & 4
Citadel of Blaye was our first stop today. It was a fortified city built in the 17th century. The outer and inner walls mostly remain, as well as the gunpowder storage house and a building that was used sometimes as a jail and sometimes as a hospital. The walls facing away from the river are built in star shapes to allow for covering all angles of possible attack.
We then sailed on toward our next destination. The day was warm and sunny so we sat on the sun deck in chaise lounges. We were on the lookout for a ship that was sunk by the Germans in WWII. We finally cruised past the shipwreck and the water level was low enough to give us a decent look at the boat as we passed by.
Next up was the village of Bourg but we were there around 2pm so everything in town except the church was closed for the lunchtime break. Oh well, it was pretty small anyway so not much to see or do there. It wasn't really worth a stop in my opinion but, when you're on a cruise, you don't get to decide where you stop. C'est la vie, as the French would say. Actually they say voila a whole lot, more often than I ever realized.
Day 4 was nice and sunny and we docked in Libourne for a visit to Saint-Emilion. The original town was established by the Romans in the 2nd century.The origin of the current name of the town has to do with a Benedictine monk named Emilion who went to live as a recluse in a small grotto in the area in the 8th century.. His simple life and word of miracles associated with him, brought many other people to the area.
We were able to see Emilion's grotto, along with the spring of water that is located there. In the 12th century, a monolithic church was carved from the rock over a period of two years. So this whole church and its catacombs are completely underground. This place is huge and awesome and there are still some surviving carvings and paintings on the walls. In the 12th to 15th century, a solid limestone belltower was constructed. We were able to climb to the top for views of the city, the nearby vineyards and the countryside. In order to climb to the top of the bell tower, we had to go to the tourism office, leave them our ID as a deposit for the old metal key and pay our €4. We climbed the 200 or so spiral steps to the top and enjoyed the views across the vineyards and Dordogne Valley, then spotted our friends sitting at a table in the square below us. After the belltower it was time for a yummy lunch in the square and then we headed for the king's tower, intent on climbing that as well. Unfortunately it didn't open until 2 pm and it was only 1 pm, so we decided to go see the ruined cloisters and chapel instead. We sampled some of the local macarons as well, which are not like the macaroons in Paris. These are made from an original recipe made by nuns and are just a single cookie, no filling inside. We walked around a bit, just enjoying the charming little town, and then took the shuttle back to the riverboat.
We then sailed on toward our next destination. The day was warm and sunny so we sat on the sun deck in chaise lounges. We were on the lookout for a ship that was sunk by the Germans in WWII. We finally cruised past the shipwreck and the water level was low enough to give us a decent look at the boat as we passed by.
Next up was the village of Bourg but we were there around 2pm so everything in town except the church was closed for the lunchtime break. Oh well, it was pretty small anyway so not much to see or do there. It wasn't really worth a stop in my opinion but, when you're on a cruise, you don't get to decide where you stop. C'est la vie, as the French would say. Actually they say voila a whole lot, more often than I ever realized.
Day 4 was nice and sunny and we docked in Libourne for a visit to Saint-Emilion. The original town was established by the Romans in the 2nd century.The origin of the current name of the town has to do with a Benedictine monk named Emilion who went to live as a recluse in a small grotto in the area in the 8th century.. His simple life and word of miracles associated with him, brought many other people to the area.
We were able to see Emilion's grotto, along with the spring of water that is located there. In the 12th century, a monolithic church was carved from the rock over a period of two years. So this whole church and its catacombs are completely underground. This place is huge and awesome and there are still some surviving carvings and paintings on the walls. In the 12th to 15th century, a solid limestone belltower was constructed. We were able to climb to the top for views of the city, the nearby vineyards and the countryside. In order to climb to the top of the bell tower, we had to go to the tourism office, leave them our ID as a deposit for the old metal key and pay our €4. We climbed the 200 or so spiral steps to the top and enjoyed the views across the vineyards and Dordogne Valley, then spotted our friends sitting at a table in the square below us. After the belltower it was time for a yummy lunch in the square and then we headed for the king's tower, intent on climbing that as well. Unfortunately it didn't open until 2 pm and it was only 1 pm, so we decided to go see the ruined cloisters and chapel instead. We sampled some of the local macarons as well, which are not like the macaroons in Paris. These are made from an original recipe made by nuns and are just a single cookie, no filling inside. We walked around a bit, just enjoying the charming little town, and then took the shuttle back to the riverboat.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Riverboat cruise France - day 1 & 2
We boarded our riverboat and met up with another pair of our friends for a weeklong cruise in the Bordeaux wine region.
Our first day started with a visit to Chateau de Cazaneuve where we were greeted by the count and countess of the castle. We had a brief tour of the chateau, then were treated to a sumptuous lunch with wine pairing. This area near Cadillac is known for Sauternes which are sweet white wines. Sweet wine is not something I enjoy but the lunch was very good, especially dessert!
Our next stop was Chateau Myrat where we again had a brief tour of part of the chateau, then met with one of the owners. Her family has been making wine since the 1500's! She showed us a pressing room where they still had the wooden vats where people would stomp on the grapes to extract the juice. The ceiling beams in the pressing room and in the wine cellar were huge and looked like they were probably 500 years old. We saw two river otters in the small stream that runs along their back garden :-)
Our second day began with sailing on the river, passing many lovely houses and cute little fishing huts called carrelet. The carrelet is perched up on stilts due to the high and low tides and each has a fishing net hanging from the back. The weather was nice so it was pleasant sailing too.
In the afternoon we stopped at Fort Medoc which looked like a really cool place but we had little time to look around because we had to board the buses for a winery tour. Our group was going to the winery of La Tour Carnet. We had a very nice lady who guided us through part of the chateau and did a tasting as well. I have to say that I was very embarrassed by the behavior of one of the ladies on our tour group. We were shown into the study which held a very old desk which had equally old books and ledgers on it. One woman decided to flip through the pages of two of the books! These things looked like they could fall apart if you weren't careful. I couldn't believe it when she decided to open the second one, but she got taught a lesson because a big moth flew out of the book and scared her. It serves her right for messing around with valuable old things that didn't belong to her!
Our second day began with sailing on the river, passing many lovely houses and cute little fishing huts called carrelet. The carrelet is perched up on stilts due to the high and low tides and each has a fishing net hanging from the back. The weather was nice so it was pleasant sailing too.
In the afternoon we stopped at Fort Medoc which looked like a really cool place but we had little time to look around because we had to board the buses for a winery tour. Our group was going to the winery of La Tour Carnet. We had a very nice lady who guided us through part of the chateau and did a tasting as well. I have to say that I was very embarrassed by the behavior of one of the ladies on our tour group. We were shown into the study which held a very old desk which had equally old books and ledgers on it. One woman decided to flip through the pages of two of the books! These things looked like they could fall apart if you weren't careful. I couldn't believe it when she decided to open the second one, but she got taught a lesson because a big moth flew out of the book and scared her. It serves her right for messing around with valuable old things that didn't belong to her!
Bordeaux -- first impressions
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Loire Valley, France (9/11/17 - 9/16/17)
After leaving Paris and stopping at Chartres, we journeyed on to our next destination the Loire Valley. We stayed just outside of Amboise in a chateau from the 1700's that was remodeled in the 1800's, and occupied by the Nazis in the 1940's. Quite an interesting place, especially since part of the chateau was built into the rock of the hillside.
We came here to see some of the famous chateaux in the area and started with one that would become our favorite, Chenonceau. This is a beautiful castle that spans across a river with a series of arches. Beautiful from the outside and also with very pretty gardens, it was extremely well done on the inside as well. The written guide was easy to follow and the progression through the rooms was marked well. Since it is September we also didn't have to fight the summer crowds, which was great. The rooms are furnished quite nicely and there were beautiful flower arrangements in each of the rooms too.
From Chenonceau, we went to Chambord which is basically the big granddaddy of them all. Chambord is very impressive from the outside but we were a bit disappointed with the inside. The double helix stairway is cool and there are nice views from the rooftop terrace, but it just wasn't as well decorated or organized as Chenonceau.
The next morning was rainy so we took some time to find a warm jacket for one of our friends, then spent time in the afternoon at Amboise's castle. The ramparts provided a nice view over the river and we went into the little chapel to see the grave of Leonardo da Vinci who lived the last years of his life at Clos Luce nearby.
The next morning we went to Clos Luce to see the former home of da Vinci. We all agreed that this site was really, really good. The house showed da Vinci's rooms including his workshop which displayed some of his paintings and drawings and some of the things he used to create his masterpieces. The most fascinating thing was the collection of small models that a team of IBM experts had made from some of his drawings. They then created actual size inventions and those were located outside on the grounds of the estate. It was amazing to see the number of things he had actually designed, and so many of them worked exactly as he thought they would.
In the afternoon, we visited Chateau Villandry. Everyone raves about the gardens and rightfully so, but the inside of the house was interesting too. The family that owns the chateau has spent a lot of money restoring it and especially caring for the gardens. The gardens are truly beautiful, some of the best I've seen in Europe thus far. There were watergardens, ornamental gardens, love knot gardens, and vegetable and fruit gardens that were honestly just as pretty as the flower gardens because they were so well done. It was a beautiful place and a bargain price compared to some of the other chateau.
In the afternoon, we visited Chateau Villandry. Everyone raves about the gardens and rightfully so, but the inside of the house was interesting too. The family that owns the chateau has spent a lot of money restoring it and especially caring for the gardens. The gardens are truly beautiful, some of the best I've seen in Europe thus far. There were watergardens, ornamental gardens, love knot gardens, and vegetable and fruit gardens that were honestly just as pretty as the flower gardens because they were so well done. It was a beautiful place and a bargain price compared to some of the other chateau.
We also visited a troglodyte site. Troglodyte means people carved out caves and homes from the limestone prevalent in the area. It was interesting but the air inside was a bit too dusty for me.
We're moving on to Cognac for one night, then to Bordeaux.
Chenonceau
Villandry
Chambord
We're moving on to Cognac for one night, then to Bordeaux.
Villandry
Da Vinci personal items
Chartres Cathedral (9/11/17)
The Notre Dame Cathedral at Chartres began being constructed in the 12th century. You can see the spires rising above the town from quite a distance away. I knew from my research on Tripadvisor that an English tour would be given at noon by Malcolm Miller. Mr. Miller is probably the foremost authority in the world in this cathedral so we were lucky enough to arrive on time, despite our troubles in leaving Paris.
I worried that the guys would be a little bored by a 90 minute talk by an 85 year old expert, but they both said they found it fascinating. We actually have never had anyone explain how to interpret stained glass windows before, especially in terms of some of the symbolism involved. We all agreed it was one of the best tours we have heard. The cathedral itself is being cleaned inside and the lightness is wonderful compared to the usual gray dingy color in most Gothic cathedrals. It would be fascinating to return in a few years and see the changes.
I worried that the guys would be a little bored by a 90 minute talk by an 85 year old expert, but they both said they found it fascinating. We actually have never had anyone explain how to interpret stained glass windows before, especially in terms of some of the symbolism involved. We all agreed it was one of the best tours we have heard. The cathedral itself is being cleaned inside and the lightness is wonderful compared to the usual gray dingy color in most Gothic cathedrals. It would be fascinating to return in a few years and see the changes.
Driving the Arc de Triomphe
Unfortunately, one of our friends left his camera bag in the back of the tour van on the day we went to Giverny, so we needed to pick it up from the tour office after picking up our car as we were leaving Paris. We entered the address in the GPS and set off. Soon we had the dreadful realization that we would need to drive the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe! Now the Arc's roundabout consists of about 7 lanes of traffic. I say "about" because there are no lines on the road at all and the whole thing seems like a giant free-for-all. We managed to get through it with a lot of watching out for other cars and then we ended up on the Champs-Elysees! So it was quite a morning just trying to get out of Paris.
Verdun (9/10/17)
We hired a private guide for a trip to Verdun from Paris. Verdun is the site of a 300 day battle in World War I. I read about it while researching last year's trip and we wanted to include it this year. Mike and I both love history so we were really looking forward to this. I actually wish we had stayed closer, possibly in Reims, so we could have had more time. It was a 12 hour day as it was, and we could have spent another few hours for sure.
Neither side really attained victory here, but the French Army's tenacity really kept the German forces at Verdun engaged so they couldn't be re-directed to other battlefronts. There was also really no other line of defense between the Germans and Paris.
We stopped off at a monument in the countryside and as we drove away we saw a poor abandoned dog with a muzzle on. The poor thing looked like it was half-starved and I couldn't imagine what sort of monster would abandon a dog without any means of eating! We stopped and tried to coax it to us but it was too afraid to come near. Another car had also stopped and the lady had called the local police who were coming out to see if they could catch the dog and free it from the muzzle. We couldn't wait for the police but the people in the other car were going to stay until they came. The thought of that poor dog haunted me the rest of the day.
We drove on and visited the Verdun Memorial which was an excellent presentation of information about the battle, the soldiers and the aftermath. There was so much shelling that several small towns were completely obliterated. Blown off the face of the earth forever. The unexplored ordinance was still being found pretty regularly as little as 20 years ago. The area is still full of trenches and shell craters though the grass and trees were replanted and it is green there now. Photos after the war show it looking like the surface of the moon- no trees or anything, just the craters. There were pictures of the soldiers and some video showing the shell shock that affected so many of them. Very, very sad.
Next stop was the Ossuary. The collected bone fragments of approximately 130,000 soldiers are enclosed in the Ossuary and another 70,000 soldiers are buried out in front of the monument. There is an area inside dedicated to the soldiers from each surrounding area with their names inscribed.
Fort Douaumont was next. One of the few defensive forts in the area, it was at times occupied by the French or the Germans, and sometimes by both at the same time! The fort itself was almost completely buried by the dirt being thrown up by the thousands of shells exploding around it.
We also managed to find a small section of the remaining trenches nearby.
All in all, it was a sobering but truly interesting day. Definitely something we will always remember.
Fort Douaumont
Verdun Ossuary
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
France 2017 - Paris
We took off without a hitch from Sac Metro Airport and landed in Salt Lake City 15 minutes early - great! A 1 hour layover, just the right amount of time. Around the time we should have started boarding, they announced a delay of one hour due to a mechanical problem with the plane. One hour turned into two, then three, then three and a half. Finally they gave the word that we would be boarding, but we had to be very quick about it as the flight crew was about to time-out and then we would have a big problem and another delay. Well we all managed to get on the plane and push off from the gate with just minutes to spare. Whew!
We had a good flight and arrived in Paris without incident, but now it was late afternoon and so our plans changed to basically dinner and bed instead of doing a little sightseeing after landing. The next morning, we woke up and had a nice breakfast of French pastry then decided to walk around a bit. We walked through the Tullieries gardens and over to the Grande Palais and then the Eiffel Tower.
In the afternoon, we had arranged to go to Monet's home and gardens at Giverny with a small group tour. The gardens were very nice and still showing a lot of color, it did rain a little bit on us but we enjoyed the gardens and looking inside the house. We enjoyed a good dinner and took ourselves off to bed as we had an early start for Verdun the next day.
Monet's garden
We had a good flight and arrived in Paris without incident, but now it was late afternoon and so our plans changed to basically dinner and bed instead of doing a little sightseeing after landing. The next morning, we woke up and had a nice breakfast of French pastry then decided to walk around a bit. We walked through the Tullieries gardens and over to the Grande Palais and then the Eiffel Tower.
In the afternoon, we had arranged to go to Monet's home and gardens at Giverny with a small group tour. The gardens were very nice and still showing a lot of color, it did rain a little bit on us but we enjoyed the gardens and looking inside the house. We enjoyed a good dinner and took ourselves off to bed as we had an early start for Verdun the next day.
France 2017
Back to France! I've been planning our return for several months now, almost since returning from our last visit. When we went to France last year, we realized there was so much more to see and we decided to go again this year!
We decided to spend 3 weeks - the first week with two of our friends to see Verdun and Giverny, and a little more time in Paris. After that, we would travel to the Loire Valley to see some of the big chateau. The second week we would all meet up with two more friends and the six of us would take a riverboat cruise from Bordeaux. The third week would be just Mike and I exploring the Dordogne region.
So a lot of planning had to go into this trip because the three different weeks are so diverse and so different from each other. I feel as though I haven't done as much research in some areas as I should have, so we'll see how it all turns out. :-)
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