Bordeaux - Paris - to Dubai - Thursday 7 September

We were lucky we didn't have the early start on our final morning that some people did (ie 3:30am)! We enjoyed our breakfast and farewelled our lovely waiter, Nicolai.



Then we did our final packing, with suitcases needing to be outside our cabin and our cabin vacated by 9am. We then waited in the lounge with other departing passengers, for our taxi to arrive at the appointed time of 10:40am. We farewelled the Barrows when they left for the airport at 9:45am and to pick up their rental car for their independent travel. Our taxi was nearly 15 minutes late and the trip to Bordeaux St Jean railway station was slow in the traffic, but the driver was very nice. We arrived around 40 minutes before our train was due to leave, and along with some fellow passengers from the boat who happened to be on the same train AND the same Emirates flight out of Paris, panicked a little about how to get our big suitcases to the right platform (sometimes requiring the use of stairs) and onto the train in the 20 minutes time you have between the notification of platform, rushing to that platform (there are so many) and the train leaving. We were upstairs on the train, in First Class, but left our big cases below, but some people lugged bags up the narrow stairs to the top. Actually we were very grateful for the assistance (three times) from SNCF train staff directing us to the right place even before the train arrival platform was announced, and assisting to get one of our cases up the stairs to the platform (no ramp etc where we were at the time).

The train was a lot more comfortable than the one we'd travelled on from Paris a week earlier. Also, this time I was able to charge my iPad, and the wifi actually worked! We dined on a banana each (scrounged for us by Nickolai) and I enjoyed a couple of GF muesli bars that I'd carried all the way from New Zealand. We also had a few leftover chocolates that were left on our pillows each evening, and that we hadn't eaten.





The train arrived 20 minute late at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and we had four minutes to get ourselves and our luggage off before the train continued on, all this while others were trying to board the train with their luggage!

We thought we were in for a long wait from 4pm till 6:50pm before being able to check in, so headed to a McDonalds for some sustenance. But then discovered that check-in now commenced four hours before the flight, not the three hours as listed on our tickets. After queuing for 20 minutes (with my cpap machine, we're not allowed to do online check-in), we finally got to the counter, only to wait another 20 minutes while the person fluffed around trying to get someone to look at my cpap medical paperwork (on the Emirates template), even though I'd been told by Emirates staff at home that they'd noted everything on my file and there'd be no problems at counters. A senior staff member eventually came along, barely glanced at the letter, didn't look at the cpap or its lithium battery, and waved me through. Then it was on to passport control, where one person was checking through EU passports, and one was checking everyone else. We kept getting held up by what seemed to be Chinese people getting in the EU queue, and being escorted down to our person, whereby they were able to jump the queue, Sheesh... oh well, it didn't mean we got on the plane any later or sooner, I just hate standing in queues with my knee. Keeping moving isn't so bad.

As it was, our flight was delayed 30 minutes due to the late arrival of the incoming flight. Eventually we were under way, and it was nice to find that there was an unoccupied next to me in our centre row of four seats. There was someone on the other end, but this seat gave us both more comfort. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep on the 6 hour 50 minute flight from Paris - without using the cpap - a miracle, but it was effectively the middle of the night so my body clock was ready. I didn't bother to photograph the GF dinner as I was too tired and the meal was not a good one - another of those everything-free meals. Very dense, dry fish with tomato paste, some poorly made mashed potato, two tiny circles of carrot, two soft sugar-snaps, an inedible bread roll, and a friand. I'm over GF aeroplane food, compared to the good meals I see David getting.

Bordeaux - Wednesday 6 September

We were spending our final tour day in Bordeaux, the largest city in Aquitaine with approximately 245,000 inhabitants. The city has been a major port since pre-Roman times and for centuries a hub of European trade. Around 300BC the Celts established a small village named Burdigala that was later taken by the Romans. After the fall of the Roman Empire chaos reigned until the 12th century when Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine married the English King Henry II. Thus the region as under English control and prospered greatly with merchants making huge fortunes due to its wine trade especially to England). After the Hundred Years War the city and region came under French rule. Peace didn't return again until the 18th century, and Bordeaux experienced another golden age, trading also with the Americas. This is when many of the elegant buildings along the waterfront were developed, with wine warehousing on the ground floor and wealthy merchants' homes on the upper floors.

More recently the city has been developed even further, with old warehouses being demolished to make way for the amazing esplanade along the river (for walkers, cyclists and the excellent tram system), and the blackened limestone facades of the buildings have been cleaned and restored to their white/yellow colour.

Our city tour was a combination of bus and walking, and took us through a new residential apartment area, including around an area that used to be a submarine base for the Germans in World War II. Then we visited the central city Triangle d'Or area, driving past or stopping at the Cathedrale St-André and its Pey-Berland Tower, the Opera House, the Rue St Cathérine (a long pedestrianised street), the awarding Public, the Palais de la Bourse and Miroir D'eau, the Monument Des Girondists, Pont de Pierre, Porte de la Monnaie, and Porte de Bourgogne.











We actually ended up abandoning the tour after an hour or so because couldn't see things from our side of the bus, and when we were doing walking sections the guide was too fast and not giving time or good positioning for photos. So we went on our own way and walked about 7km, mostly along the esplanade area and in the direction of our boat, so we could see things properly and I could get some decent photos of the sights in Bordeaux. It was a beautiful morning, and not too hot for walking.

We got back the to boat around 12:30pm for lunch followed by a brief rest. Then we headed out in the other direction from the boat to see some outlet stores nearby at the Quai des Marques where we did just little shopping. Then it was back to boat for a shower and to begin packing for tomorrow's long trip home.

At 6:30pm we had the Captain's Farewell cocktails (held at the end of each cruise and at which which we meet all 41 staff members). There was a big cheer for our favourite waiter, Nickolai. We also found out that the youngest passenger on this trip was 45 and the oldest was 91! There were 78 Aussies and 17 Kiwis on this leg of the cruise. We also had some Brits and some Canadians. Next, we all headed down to the restaurant for another amazing dinner. My baked goat cheese brûlée entree and the chicken main course were exceptional! Then it was an early night, to finish packing and to try and get a good sleep under our belts for the journey home.

Libourne (caviar) & cruising to Bordeaux - Tuesday 5 September

We departed at 9am this morning for an hour-long coach ride to the Dordogne district where the Neuvic caviar estate is located. We saw the sturgeon ponds and learnt about the farming techniques including the important fact that it takes seven years before the eggs can be harvested as caviar. We had to wear special booties for our visit.

It actually takes three years before they can even determine what sex the sturgeon are, which is important as of course only the females can produce the eggs. These don't require fertilisation but it takes 3-4 years to develop eggs ready for harvesting, and this can take much longer for some species). In the meantime the males are sent away to be used for their flesh. Eventually, the females undergo an ultrasound to check the stage and size of their eggs, and then they're killed to harvest these. The eggs are processed according to size (2.5mm or bigger) and (dark) colour. The whole process is very labour intensive which results in the very high price.



Some volunteers amongst the group got into waders and had the interesting experience of trying to catch a sturgeon with a net.



We sampled the sturgeon and a small amount of caviar (one sample mixed with herbs, another mixed with butter, and then straight caviar eggs) along with a glass of sparkling wine. The fish was good but caviar is probably not something we will be indulging in often.



We were back at the ship by 1pm for lunch. The afternoon was quiet and relaxing, and I was tired (not having slept well in the previous two nights). I caught up on some blog posts and managed a 30 minute cat-nap. Anja did the talk about tomorrow's tour and the disembarkation coming up on Thursday. During her talk, another tidal bore was coming upstream and in fact this one was one of the biggest the crew had seen this year. It was certainly quite a surge and there were some guys with jet skis making the most of it!

The evening dinner was the usual wonderful affair, and then we moved up to the lounge to await our arrival in Bordeaux, with the anticipated sail-past of the lights and the city all illuminated around 9pm.

Paris to Bordeaux - Thursday 31 August

This morning our bags had to be out by 6:45am as they were being transported separately by truck, all the way to Bordeaux. We said our farewells to Mark and Jill who were finishing the cruise and heading to London and the south of England for a few days. Those of us continuing on to Bordeaux were transported by bus to Montparnasse station to catch our late morning super fast TGV to Bordeaux. This was a train journey that covered the 700km trip in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Mind you, we were in a first class carriage, and it was quite scungie so I don't like to think what second class would be like... we were accompanied all the way by two tour guides, picked up by bus upon our arrival, and driven to our new boat - the AmaDolce, waiting at the Bordeaux dock for us to embark at 1:30pm.

There was a light lunch available, and after 3pm we were able to get into our cabins. We (and the Barrows)have been given an upgrade for this leg of the trip - from category E in the bottom of the boat (small windows at water level) to category B+ on level 3. There is no difference in cabin size or quality, just the appearance of a French balcony (a sliding ranch-slider with a rail to stop you sleepwalking out of your room). Still, the stairs will be a little easier for me, not so much of a curved spiral. I did have to request a better effort on cleaning our room though (and it was done immediately) - it is not impressive when you find someone else's cut fingernails on the floor...

We had a quiet afternoon, choosing from a rather complicated list of tour options for the coming week.

Although we were all going to miss having Janos as our Cruise Director, we were pleased to have Anja as our new Director for this trip. She had been called in as an emergency replacement for the Director we would have had, having toured the Seine with us as a reconnaissance for a cruise she would be directing next year. She is also excellent.