Day 4 – Bordeaux to Bergerac

September 22^nd, 2002

do something, go to the bathroom!

We had planned to leave Bordeaux and take a train to Libourne, to start our biking tour. Our train left at 7:46 am. We woke up at 7:44 am…needless to say, we didn’t make it. Spiros woke up in a panic, the first thing he said to me was “Quick, do something, go to the bathroom!” Luckily, we had packed the night before, so we still had a chance to catch the 8:36 am train. By 8:03 we had gotten dressed, checked out, loaded our bikes and were blazing down the streets of Bordeaux. Spiros must have memorized the route the night before, because he navigated through the streets at top speed with absolutely no hesitation. Usually, I find my husband’s preoccupation with detail simply amusing, but I have to admit, I was quite grateful that day. Thankfully, we made it.

Twenty minutes later, we hopped off the train, and officially started our bike tour. It felt absolutely great! It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and we were riding along some of the most expensive vineyards in the world. After a short 8 km ride, we got to the medieval village of St-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage site. All I can say is that it was breathtaking, one of the prettiest villages we’ve seen in France. Though I’m quite sure that St-Émilion can be quite tourist infested in peak season, the amount of camera-toting, loud-speaking foreigners (yes, us being two of them) was quite bearable when we visited in late September. We carried on, biking through gorgeous scenery, finally hitting the Dordogne River. The last 20km took us inland, to the beautiful Château Monbazillac. A fairytale looking castle perched up on hill, overlooking the valley. Very pretty. You can also indulge in a little wine tasting at the Monbazillac Cooperative headquarters. The entrance ticket to the chateau also includes wine tasting. We then cycled downhill for the last few km to Bergerac and set up camp.