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.
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