14 & 15-Dec-24 Bordeaux, France

Unbelievably cold. Bit of a windchill, dear reader. You will be hearing a lot about the cold for the next few weeks, dear reader.

Morning brew is taken with a canelé. Bordeaux’s petite patisserie speciality. A small pastry with rum and vanilla and a caramelised outer. Bit moreish, dear reader.

There’s a nice feel to Bordeaux. Would be even better if it was warmer. Architecture is good but there’s a limit to walking about in freezing temperatures so a visit to the Cite du Vin. The museum of wine. For which Bordeaux is famous. All you need to know about wine is here.

Bordeaux as a wine region dates back to Roman times. But it was those pesky British who really put Bordeaux on the map when they developed a thirst after Henry Plantagenet’s (later King Henry II) marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 and trade routes from the Gironde to England opened up. Aquitaine at that time was ruled by the British for over 300 years. Wines are classified into six main families of different colours and styles: red, white, rose, sparkling, sweet and fortified. You’ll be hearing more about fortified wines, dear reader, when we hit Porto!

Cracking views from the top floor Belvedere offering 360 degree views across the city and countryside. Ideal for that all important glass of wine at the end of the tour. Not a bad life eh?

Nearby is the former Nazi submarine base. One of five built along the Atlantic coast in 1941. And from where U-564 sailed from in June 1943. You’re probably wondering why I know so much about a German U-boat.

Well.

It shot down my Great Uncle and his crew.

But more of that to come, dear reader. When we visit Cape Finisterre.

The submarine base now houses an art installation with fantastic projections (see videos below) on the inside of the base. Apparently the world’s largest digital arts centre. And a very immersive experience. One projection is of a submarine entering the base. It’s so real that I have to think if it really is an actual life size model of a sub. The art of Van Gogh, Vermeer and Mondrian is brought to life and the water in the submarine docks provides brilliant reflections.

Well worth a visit.