Mombrier July 5

Stuart got up fairly early? I slept in until almost 10. It was a slow start for me. I'm fine, just tired. I need a day of complete day to just "do nothing" at all. Maybe that will be tomorrow, it is supposed to rain overnight and be much cooler tomorrow. We do plan to go to Blaye for the big Farmer's Market but if the weather is bad we won't go. It ended up being nice today in the low 80's. The two loads of wash dried quickly in the sun! After I finally got my act together we drove into Bourg for a late lunch and grocery shopping. We had a couple stops to eat but both places were closed. We drove around a little and even ended up at the dock where we were moored here on the cruise. This was where we went to the fun wine festival and walked back to the ship. Good old Google did not fail us. We finally found a funky little cafe and had lunch. A glass of wine each and Stuart had croque monsieur and I had chicken with pasta. It was fine. 

On to Carrefour. We got the things we forgot yesterday and a few more things were added to our list. All that got put away and we played cards. Stuart fixed Rumaki (bacon wrapped scallops) and I fixed baby romaine halves. It was a delicious dinner! There was an appetizer as well, and delicious!

A splash of Grand Marnier before bedtime! Perfect ending of a wonderful, relaxing day here in Mombrier!

Taste of Bordeaux to Mombrier July 4

Today is the day we disembark our cruise and head to Mombrier. We are excited. It is necessary to be out of our cabin by 9a. A small breakfast is served in the lounge and we are welcome to stay there as long as needed. We had time to say goodbye to George and a few other friends we met on this journey. It was a lovely river cruise, even if it was colder than anticipated. The staff was fantastic as was the service, food, and beverages. 

We stayed until about 10a. Of course, it is sprinkling now and we are waiting for our Uber to the train station to pick up our car. Our driver got us right to the train station but we didn't readily find the Dollar Rental Desk. I waited in one place with our luggage and Stuart did the search. It was easily found and we got the car in no time. 

I will admit I was a bit nervous when I realized it was 45 minutes north of Bordeaux. I thought it was closer. The gal at the desk suggested we pair our phone to the GPS in the car and that worked beautifully. It was freeway driving once we were out of the center city of Bordeaux. I was thankful Stuart wanted to drive! I recalled driving in France in 2000, with my Mom, sister, and daughter... some memories don't want to be repeated!!! Of course, we had no GPS then. It was really fantastic and would even tell us which exit in any oncoming round about. By the way, we ACED the round abouts!!! Half way there (off the freeway by now) I saw a Burger King. I suggested for fun we try it for lunch! It was nothing like home, very disappointing, not even close to photos I'd seen. But we tried it, and I did want to do that. 

On we go with roads getting smaller and smaller, yet the GPS was very good and told us exactly what to do. Soon we were in Mombrier. It is a very small place! We were too early to check in so we drove around a bit in hopes of finding a market. That didn't happen. We resorted to Google and found a Carrefour (main grocery store in Europe and other countries) in the nearby town of Bourg. In fact, it was a place we stopped for the wine festival on the river cruise. In just 10 minutes were were shopping from our list and getting almost everything we needed, and more. 

That took us to check in time, so back to our lovely abode! This is our view from the front and the front of the farmhouse. So happy to be here. We had a G&T, put away groceries, unpacked, and before you know, we are exhausted but so happy to finally be here. Dinner was a simple salad and precooked ribs from the market. They only had to be heated in the oven for 15 minutes. It was all we needed. 

We were frequent contact with Paul and Fanny, our hosts, and we had the directions below for checking in. They were busy but did stop by later and explain a few things. 

From Paul and Fanny: You can check in after 15h00. In case we are not there (we live in the large house opposite), we will leave the front door open and the keys on the kitchen table. In addition, bed and bath linen are provided as well as everyday things (salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, dishwashing product, toilet paper, shampoo...) We have a filter coffee machine. WIFI is free to access and therefore does not have any password. We hope you enjoy your stay at La Tenotte!!!

See you soon, Paul and Fanny! Check-in guide: The house is located on a bute. It's part of a set of red shutters If we are not there when you arrive, we leave the cottage door open with the keys on the dining room table.

Taste of Bordeaux July 2

No baby this moring... but soon. Noah Lee Wakeman was born July 2, 2024 @4:48a weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz. Welcome to the world! This was 1:48p my time. T

Dragan, the cruise manager had the bar open a bottle of champagne for us! Even the bartender George toasted with us. Welcome Noah! I got hugs and well wishes all day. What a great day it is!!!

Now a bit about the rivers we have been sailing: Gironde, Dordogne, and the Garonne. The tides of the rivers have been very interesting. The Garonne is one of the few rivers in the workd that exhibit a tidal bore. The Garonne rises in the Pyrenees and drains a large part of the Aquitaine basin. It is navigable as a tidal river, and also in two short sections. It has been quite the experience adjusting our sailing each day due to the tides. Today we had to go back to Bordeaux and take tours bussed to Cadillac. The ship waited until the opportune time to go under a couple specific bridges. We were able to come back on the right tide, back to Bordeaux as scheduled in the evening. Why is the river brown? By converging with the Dordogne and Garonne Rivers to create Europe's largest estuary, the salty Atlantic seawater turns the tides on the river's clay sediment to create a cloudy ochre-colored appearance. 

Along the way we saw a lot of signs of preparation for the Olympics. The Tour de France will come through Bordeaux. 

Dinner, as always was enjoyable. We ate with Colin and Mary, a fun couple from the UK. They have lived many places and are interesting to talk to. Alana came in and joined us. She is traveling alone, a non-stop talker who is a bit hard to be around. She has some weird habits but it all went well. 

Music, drinks, dancing ... all to access tonight (Celebrating, right?) So happy Noah is here and all are well and happy. By the way, he is a beautiful baby but no posting on social media and I completely understand!

Taste of Bordeaux July 1

We awoke in Fort Medoc. Skipped the excursion, rain in the forecast and why bother? We had a nice lunch and then explored the Fort, which was right off the ship. Everything is so well preserved, of course made of stone!

We had a great music duo on board tonight. The Sunshine Brothers played and sang all sorts of popular songs. Fun dancing and also playing cards. 

I have not been able to get Sierra off my mind all day. A few minutes after 6p my time I got a message from her! They are at the hospital!!! She said "Baby Noah coming soon" and I wondered ... It was a long night and evening into the wee hours ... Still no news. It's a terribly long time for Sierra and all I can do is pray!