So...I have returned home.  Sadly I had to leave Bordeaux and all my lovely haunts, and of course, the wine.  Let's not forget the wine!

Whilst I was there, I ate at several cafés.  I had a variety of different meals, from simple crèpe au nutella, to fish. From sandwiches to hors d'oeuvres.  On several of my wine tours, we had lunch or hors d'oeuvres with some of the wines.  One thing I learnt is that you are not limited to certain wines with specific meals.  You simply need to find the right complemetary taste.  For example, upon visiting a vinyard dedicated to sweet white wine, we had a lunch of duck different forms as well as several cheeses, foie gras and rillettes.  to drink we started with a dry white, and then moved to the sweet whites.  In all, we had three different wines, from different vintages, all having unique flavours, and each went with our meal.
At one of our other vinyard visits, we had a selection of three red wines.  We had lamb for the plat du jour, or main course, and for dessert, we had fruit.  during this visit, we had a "wine education" class.  We were given four scents, unknowns, and were asked to try to determine what flavours they were.  This is what vintners do every time they taste a wine.  They smell various flavours in the wine.  These flavours are not infused into the wine.  They are a natural part of the environment, they come from the soil itself, and some of the flavours also come to the wine during the ageing process.  At La Cité du Vin, there are several tables dedicated to flavours and aromas.  You would be surprised at the amazng things you would never expect to be a part of a simple glass of wine.  Things such as manure, all types of flowers, berries, cinnamon, nutmeg, berries, oak (because they use French Oak for the ageing), caramel, chocolate, etc.  These flavours and aromas are not added!  Different varieties of berries and flowers and grasses grow naturally all over the countryside, so the soil is rich from their roots.  The woody flavours, chocolate, caramel, etc, come from the barrelling.  The barrels are burnt to varying degrees...light toasted, medium toasted and dark toasted.  Most of the vinyards use their barrels once or twice, on occasion three times, before selling them to whiskey makers, and purchasing new.  Some vinyards only use them one time.  But the ones that use them multiple times may get even more flavours in their wines.  After three uses, however, the barrels seem to lose that woody flavour.

Each plot is brought in individually, so the grapes are all kept separate.  This insures that each flavour is coaxed out.  Each plot is then put into it's own vat for the fermentation process.  Again, each vinyard is different in their technique.  Some use stainless steel, others use concrete, and some even still maintain wooden vats.  Before the grapes are put into the vats, they are gently pressed and not squashed.  This is to release some of the juice without compromising the grape.  A lot of the vinyards fill the vats by gravity, to reduce the stress to the grapes.  Winemaking, from what I've learnt, seems to be very stressful for so humble a fruit.  I never even would have thought this.  This is one reason the harvest is done by hand, and even some of the pruning is done by hand....all to ensure a stress-free life for the grapes!

well...let's see now.  it's been a very long time since my last visit, and I have done an awful lot of things.

my most recent adventure took me to Bordeaux, France for a fourth visit.  I love Bordeaux area.  Sun and Wine seem to agree with me a great deal.  I took this much needed holiday after recently losing my job of eighteen years. I also started a brand ne and much better job.  There is that saying, "when one door closes, GOD always leaves another open somewhere".  I was truly hurt by the loss of my job, having been loyal to my boss for so long, but I was able to come to terms and move on.  I love my current job.

So, back to my holiday.  I left for Paris on 9/7/16.  So excited to be returning to France again.  I have been to other parts of France, but Bordeaux just seems to call to me.  And, it is really not that far from a lot of places, so I could feasibly travel about a good portion of the country if I had the time.  This visit was especially special because I had the opportunity to visit quite a few vinyards.  I think I truly want to go back there and stay.  The vinyards I visited were in just about every corner of Bordeaux area, from the Medoc region, to Entre-deux-Mers, from Blaye et Bourg, to Grave, Lagnon and Sauternes and also St Emillion!  I have been to St Emillion once before but I was happy to go back.

I learnt quite a lot this visit, and am almost, but not quite, a true vintner.  haha!  I found out how difficult it is to actually "taste" wines!  I visited La Cité du Vin, which is not "Wine Wonderland" as it is translated in English....rather the opposite.  It is a cultural medium, a museum, dedicated to the culture of wine.  Simply put, anything you want to know about wine you can find here.  I learnt that there is more to wine than just the grape.  And there are many varieties, which all grow in different types of soil and weather conditions, to give us all our varieties of wine.  In addition, there is the fermentation and ageing process, and each Château, as ALL vinyards are known in Bordeaux region, has it's own process.  But most, if not all, do the pruning and harvesting by hand, regardless.  Some even do the initial sorting by hand.  It is a painstaking process, and yet no matter the yearly conditions, we always get wonderful wines.  Some years, like 2009 and 2010, we get spectacular vintages which can be stored for 10-20 years before drinking (or may be drunk immediately)  it depends on your taste, and other vintages which are better drunk immediately.  A lot, possibly all the Châteaux, create 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd label wines.  The first label is usually from the younger vines (from what most of the Châteaux create).  As the vines can produce well into 100 years, it is impossible to only replant at one time.  Therefore, each vinyard always has plots of older vines alongside those of younger vines, and prior to replanting new vines in an entire plot, they leave the ground fallow or plant flowers, which are then ploughed back into the ground to add the nutrients to the soil.  The second label is from the older vines (30 years or more).  And the third label, if they create one is usually totally different.  Such instances occur when a vinyard creates red and white wine varieties, which is rare.  They usually do one or the other, but not both, and this is because of the soil.


I also had the opportunity to go to Paris for a couple days.  I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to meet Mark Pryor, one of my most favourite authors, and to win his latest book "The Paris Librarian"!  Pre-published date!

I also visited Château de Versailles and La Tour Eiffel again.  And later in my trip, I visited La Grande Dune du Pilat.  the largest Dune in Europe anyway.  and I climbed up the sand to the top, rather than taking the easy way up the provided stairway!

The difference between Château de Versailles and the Châteaux de Bordeaux, is that Versailles is a Royal Palace, a summer residence, whereas, the Châteaux de Bordeaux were given the title "Château" in order to create wines.  you will find that not all the Châteaux de Bordeaux are actually palatial.  some are quite ordinary houses, whilst others are big 14th-18th century mansions, and still others just encompass the working part of the vinyard...the plots, the vats, and the cellars.


I'll be back...enjoy your short ride for now.

David Burke's Writers in Paris Walking Tours: Samuel Beckett - Résistant

David Burke's Writers in Paris Walking Tours: Samuel Beckett - Résistant: In a corner of Paris not known at all for its literary figures, a plaque here commemorates one of the greatest writers of the 20th cen...

so..here we are ...after much time has passed!  I have had a whirlwind year!  between work, and my few holidays....

last year..I ventured to France again....I went to Marseille to visit with a penpal...and we drove along the coast(on the cliff's edge..no less)...and also to Monaco!  next stop was Venice...where I went to Murano..to see glass being hand made!  exciting!  I knew nothing of Venice except about what I have read in my historical novels...and Murano was the only place really mentioned!  so I learnt a  lot..but there is so much more to see!  Then I returned to Bordeaux for another visit...


 I just wish I had more money!!!  if I could only win the lottery!  I could  travel so much more!  but...I take what I can get!

Can't wait to plan my next holiday!  There is so much out there...I just don't know where to begin!  :)

So...it's been a long time since I have posted anything here.
I am very sad today...my life just stinks....I keep trying to make it better, and it is just simply not working in my favour.  I am so alone....I just want someone in mty life...why doesn't anyone want to be with me?  I don't know what it is that apparently is making me un-loveable....I keep getting my heart broken over and over....and it just seems to be my fault..every time...I just don't understand it.  I am sure I will recover from this, but I may never be the same.....I don't think I can go through this anymore.... I really am a hopeless romatic..it's sad...
why is it that good, nice men are so hard to find?  a couple of the ones I know are really good, and nice, but of course...they don't want me...that has to mean something is wrong with me..doesn't it?  I mean....honestly... where is my good fortune?  where is my rainbow?  where is my pot of gold?  when do I get what I want?  at this rate..apparently NEVER!
what have I done wrong in this life to deserve this?  I am always nice, and always helpful to others, and always giving of myself....I rarely ask for anything in return....where is my happiness?

so...I went on holiday to Europe! had a great time, although it was not nearly long enough! went to Dijon, Bordeaux (ooh la la), Enschede, and Amsterdam, Hamburg, Chemnitz and Halle(Saale). took the train everywhere. was very tempted to go straight back to Bordeaux! trying to figure out a way to get back there now! I am going through withdrawal.

I had such a good time there. got to meet one of my penpals, who was absolutely wonderful. he showed me around the city, and we went to eat out a couple times. walked along the Garonne, and looked up at the stars! I even saw a satelite! found Casseopaeia. he said he saw the north star!

ever the hopeless romantic, I think I have gotten carried away with emotion! want to recapture it all...and never let it go!

for all you European holiday planners...take the train! it is so relaxing and enjoyable. everyone was extremely helpful in every respect. it is definitely much better than spending half your trip in airports!

Ok...what to do....I am not giving up on the man front yet... I have high hopes for someone I met last year. it is hard enough to start a relationship when you live near each other...at least 10 times that when you are across an ocean!! I wish he would talk to me... why do men not like to talk feelings, yet, they want you to pour out your heart and soul to them. I am concentrating on my crochet...it is a really good distraction. however, I am a true hopeless romantic..and everytime I think of him, my heart starts to flutter. every romantic novel I read...he is the man and I am the woman..in the story. it is just so hard.... I haven't had any type of relationship for such a long time. I don't want my poor heart to get trampled. I know I could get through it, but would I be able to pick up the pieces and start over!!!