Today would be another busy day of touring in Aquitaine as we were scheduled to visit another Vauban Fortress almost directly across the wide estuary from Blaye. From there, we would take a scenic drive along the famous Route de la Corniche Fleurie. After lunch on the ship, we would enjoy a leisurely afternoon touring the ancient town of Bourg mostly on our own.
There was yet another option. Almost all Uniworld tours and excursions are included in the cost of the cruise, but they do offer a few special outings from their Masterpiece Collection, which are not included. They are usually not designed for large groups but rather for those who have a special interest or want to go a little farther. Today Uniworld offered a Masterpiece Collection Tour to Chez Remy Martin in Cognac, to, well, learn more cognac of course! The Rambler didn’t sign up as her knowledge and interest in cognac is almost nil. In addition, the tour involved 4 hours in the bus, and cost 65 Euros and the senior Rambler certainly wouldn’t have wanted to go. The small group of cruisers who did reported that they enjoyed it very much, however the Ramblers also enjoyed their afternoon in Bourg and it did not cost extra.
I did look up the Remy Martin tours in the town of Cognac before writing this blog, and I must say they were intriguing. The town itself has many well preserved historic buildings I imagine the drive was very scenic. I was surprised to learn how expensive the Remy Martin tours were, the cheapest over$20, and going up to a thousand dollars for the most expensive and extensive. Since I didn’t know about this tiered structure that day, I didn’t ask any of the participants what kind of tour they enjoyed. Now I am sorry I didn’t, tho can’t imagine it was the thousand dollar one.LOL
The senior Rambler decided he didn’t want to ride the bus to Blaye but would stay on the River Royale while it sailed to Bourg. He happily saw me off as I boarded with the other gentle walkers for a tour of the fortress and the scenic drive that followed.
Sometimes the day’s guide will provide some local information during our travels to the site. We all had our quiet vox listening devices in place so it was easy to hear what was said. Today the information was on the Gironde estuary which we had been sailing on since we left Bordeaux. It is the largest estuary in France, formed by the meeting of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, as well as several smaller tributaries. It was already very wide in spots. On this cruise we would be crossing it several times docking either on the Garonne or the Dordogne side.
Our first stop was the Fortress of Blaye, designed by Vauban to protect the opposite side of the estuary from Medoc.There was also another smaller fort between them in the middle of the river which in conjunction with Medoc and Blaye defended Bordeaux. The small one was called Fort Pate; the three together were called Vauban’s bolt, which he had designed to protect Bordeaux from sea-based attacks by the English and the Dutch, the major sea powers at the time.
Blaye is a much larger fortification than Medoc; it is so large that it holds a small village of artisans inside. The town was wracked by fighting during the Wars of Religion which took place after the Protestant Reformation in largely Catholic France. As a result, King Louis XIII and his ministers decide that the town needed both restoration and improved defenses. Thus the current citadel was designed and built between 1685-1689 and eventually covered 38 hectares (1 hectare = 2.47105 acres) so this is a very large fort.
The Blaye Citadel is open 365 days a year, and for a change, informative signs in English and French, of course, are found throughout the Fort. Guided tours are also available for a modest fee.. If you enter the Citadel by Porte Dauphin, you can climb the stairs to the clocktower and walk around the top of the Fortress walls. From there you will get a marvelous view of the estuary and the area surrounding the Citadel.
However, our group did not climb the stairs to the clocktower but instead were led straight through the Fort and out the other gate. This left me little time for photo ops, particularly as this Rambler has become paranoid about tripping on the aggressive cobblestones found in around historic places in France. This time, the gentle walkers were part of a larger group, and we had to work to keep up. It was interesting to walk past the small houses and shops where people still live and practise their crafts inside the fort. Our group would have enjoying learning more about their work but today there was no time for browsing.
Once outside the Fort, we got to walk through the extensive market that was set up along the avenue next to the Citadel. There you could find anything from food to produce to clothing and souvenirs. Again we didn’t have much time to enjoy the market as we were encouraged to board our busses for the drive to Bourg along the scenic route la Corniche de Fleurie. The word “corniche” simply means “ledge” or “cliff” however this particular cliff road took us along a ledge that faced the Gironde estuary. La fleurie was added because some unusual flowers grow along this route.
In past times, sea captains headquartered in the port of Bordeaux built stone houses along this road and landscaped them with the many exotic plants they brought home from their voyages. If you have a keen eye for identifying plants, you will spot various palm and banana plants and many others that would be at home in Southern California. We also spied several fishing net platforms. They lower the nets when the tide is high to catch some of the variety of fish who live in the chocolate estuary. We were told that there are some 300 species in the river.
Although the Bordeaux cruise is a good one, the Ramblers feel that Uniworld and the other companies who sail this route, have missed a golden opportunity to spend more time on the WWII events that occurred both in and along the estuary. We were actually sailing along the route British Commandos took in December 1942 on the Frankton Raid. A group of twelve daring men paddled up the Gironde estuary to German occupied Bordeaux in frail two man collapsible canoes. Their purpose was to attach limpet mines to the hulls of German occupied ships in Bordeaux harbor. In some ways, the raid was a success as they did attach mines to five ships which suffered varying amounts of damage. However, all but two of them died in the attempt. Although they were supposed to find their way to Spain afterwards, with help from Resistance, only two reached safety in neutral Spain. Two died from hypothermia in the icy waters and the rest were executed by the Germans. A British film, The Cocleshell Heroes, provides a somewhat accurate tale of what many call the most daring commando raid of WWII.
We saw another WWII memorial on the way to Bourg. The British and French had sunk several ships in the Gironde estuary channel to cause problems for German ships. The rusting superstructure of several ships is still visible in the river at low tide, as the French Government decided not to remove the hulks but to leave them as a remembrance of the dark days of the German occupation.
The Route La Cornice de Fleurie did not disappoint. It was a beautiful drive. The Rambler was glad that an experienced driver was piloting our bus as the narrow road took many twists and turns. We were free to enjoy the scenery while our bus driver did all the work. But like all good things, we eventually reached Bourg, to see the River Royale waiting for us. Of course the senior Rambler was also waiting for me to come aboard. As usual, the staff had hot towels and refreshing drinks waiting for us in the lobby. We would stay at Bourg until 7 PM when our ship sailed to Libourne.
After lunch we had a chance to explore the small town of Bourg, population around 2,000 as it was just a short stroll to the lower town from the marina where the River Royale was docked. For a time we watched a group of five or so boys who took turns jumping from the railing of the launching ramp into the mud and water below. It was about 10 or 12 feet down, and they must have enjoyed daring each other to take the plunge. Not much to do on a warm summer afternoon in August in this sleepy town.
Bourg had once been an important port and has been settled for 2000 years but today it is largely forgotten, except as a stop for some of the river cruise lines. The Ramblers were glad Uniworld did stop in Bourg, as it was not crowded with tourists as were most of the more popular stops along the Gironde estuary. The town had two levels, the lower part was easily accessible from the river but to access the upper town from below, it was necessary to climb the 500 steps of the King’s Staircase to the Citadel de Bourg at the top. The Ramblers did not attempt the climb nor did most of our fellow passengers.
We took a leisurely stroll around the lower town, visited the Roman spring and the communal wash-house for which it supplied water. Almost all the buildings in Bourg were constructed of the golden limestone which you see everywhere in this part of France. This is not surprising because it is quarried nearby. Bourg was once a very busy port for barges which carried barrels of wine, salt and the honey colored stones which were used to build the historic buildings of Bordeaux.
Although we couldn’t see them, Bourg is surrounded by vineyards which produce excellent wines and have enjoyed a renaissance in popularity during recent years. The Citadel is easily accessible if you have a car, as a road leads directly to its entrance at the top of the cliff. If you get a chance to visit, the interior is somewhat restored and hosts a museum of 18th and 19th century carriages. It seems that most of the action is in the upper town, and most of the people as well. The map I picked up showed that had one of those ubiquitous little white tourist trains that are found in many towns and cities, but it was nowhere in sight. It would have been fun to get a ride to the top, but we didn’t really miss it.
All to soon it was time to head on board for the nightly talk about next days activities, a soft drink or cocktail and then a leisurely dinner as the River Royale leftfor Libourne at 7:PM for an evening sail to Libourne. After dinner we went to the sundeck and enjoyed a pleasant evening with our South African friends.
