France Trip Day 4: Discovering the Médoc

Sunday, June 11: Sun Deck Yoga, First Day of Sailing, Château Laffitte Carcasset

I used our second cabin for my morning workout and then took advantage of the river boat sun deck for yoga, enjoying lovely views of the city as well as a close-up view of the river boat docked next to us (a common occurrence in these ports).

Mr. E and I joined up with his mom for breakfast, with a fabulous DIY egg poacher set-up that we took advantage of every morning for the entire trip. Other offerings included fresh fruit, cereals, various types of bread and pastries, meats, cheeses, and of course our Americanos.

The ship started sailing around 9:00am, and we all headed up to the sun deck to watch the city scenery slide by as we glided along the River Garonne.

The morning activities included a lecture on the history of Bordeaux and its wine, presented first in English at 9:30am and then in French at 10:30am. All three of us attended the English presentation, and I returned for the French session as well, which of course was slightly different because of the different audience and questions.

Lunch was at 12pm, and then we gathered at the two tour buses around 2pm for our afternoon excursion to Château Laffitte Carcasset in Saint-Estèphe. Mr. E's mom decided to sit this one out and just stay on the boat to relax for the rest of the day. Mr. E and I enjoyed our tour of the winery, learning about the different strategies they utilize for their wine-making that are a combination of tradition and innovation and also learning about how the type of soil in the region prohibits the building of typical wine cellars so that winemakers instead need to store and age wine in a "chai" or attic-like area.

We returned to the boat in the early evening and gathered in the large salon for an overview of the next day's schedule before heading to dinner around 7:30pm. Mr. E and his mom hung out a bit in the evening after dinner and attended the entertainment in the lounge bar while I headed to our cabin to read and relax before going to bed.