It doesn't matter, because this is Périgueux today!
So Marina's birthday was last week and we celebrated on Thursday evening with a party at her apartment. We kicked her and her boyfriend out of the apartment and hid her presents and some fake presents and then made her search for them.
...which led to photos like this one.
We snacked and had cake and played a board game. It was a lot of fun, we had a good time!
Birthday, birthday, birthday!
On Saturday I was invited to spend the day with Julie, one of the girls I tutor, and her family. I took the train to meet her and her mother (about half an hour from Périgueux) and after seeing their house and a couple tiny towns, we went to Saint-Emilion, a town in the Bordeaux region that is surrounded by dozens (if not hundreds) of vineyards and wineries and is home of some of the best wines in the world. The town itself is really gorgeous and then it's just cool to drive around the vineyards in the countryside.
Old church in a tiny town close to the town, Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, where Julie lives.
Next to the church was this pond. There used to be ponds like this in a lot of little country villages because it was where the women came to do the washing. Clearly it's not in use anymore; in fact, it was full of noisy frogs. It was kind of charming.
Another small church in a town right next to Saint-Emilion.
Saint-Emilion!
Saint-Emilion is full of tourists in the summer and completely dead in the winter, so we were there at the perfect time. There were people in town, but it wasn't too crowded, and the weather was perfect. We had a picnic right outside the old city wall and then wandered around and climbed one of the towers. Julie and her mother were great - and super generous. Her mother thanked me for tutoring Julie by buying me a bracelet and a bottle of wine, and then in town bought me guide to the city, a box of macaroons that are made in Saint-Emilion, and a pair of espadrille shoes that are typiquement français. They were extremely nice and I had a really nice day with them! Julie and her family are going to be in D.C. and NYC this summer, so I'm looking forward to seeing them again!
Our picnic location - just outside the city!
The cloister of an old monastery in Saint-Emilion.
A view of the city and the vineyards in the distance.
The streets of Saint-Emilion + a funny dog with a ponytail.
The city really was gorgeous. It was just a nice, happy place to walk around and observe. There were little flowers growing out of the walls and even on the tower of the main cathedral. It was a very pretty, springy day! Julie and her mom were also a lot of fun to talk to and chat with.
The gardens of another old cloister where you can sit and taste wine.
Corks grow in the trees at Saint-Emilion - that's how much they love wine.
In front of a nice flower garden in the center of town.
There were snails in almost all of the tulips in the flower garden - pretty good little hiding place. Though some of them were too big and the flowers were falling over as a result.
Another one the areas to clean clothes - this one didn't have frogs though.
With Julie at the top of the tower that we climbed.
La tour du roi (the King's Tower) - the tower we climbed to get a view of the city.
Just outside the walls of the city there was this garden with tiny flowers growing all over it. So pretty!
In fact, those tiny flowers are growing all over the place in the countryside. While the vineyards weren't blooming with grapes or leaves, there were thousands of tiny yellow and white flowers growing between the rows of vines, so it was really gorgeous to drive around the vineyards!
In Saint-Emilion, you distinguish the wine by its "château." What this means is that the wine is a Bordeaux wine from Saint-Emilion - and then it's listed by its château which is simply the family/vineyard that grows it. You can just have a little house and still be called a château. So it's not like there are a thousand tiny castles surrounding the city. But it's still really gorgeous!
Walking through one of the vineyards. This one wasn't as full of the tiny flowers as some of the others, but you can still see them! The château is in the distance.
More vineyards.
Vines from 2008 - going to be some expensive (and delicious) wine!
By chance we saw some guys plowing their vineyard with an old-fashioned contraption and a horse. Most vineyards would use machines now, but they still use the old traditions here. I guess that explains why it's some of the best and most expensive wine in the world!
Saint-Emilion was really cool and I highly recommend to anyone who is/will be in the southwestern part of France!
Since it was still really nice today (soooo nice) we went and had a picnic beside the Isle, the river in Périgueux. We spent three hours just snacking and laying around. It was an afternoon well-spent. I also learned while I was shuffling cards that no one in France knows how to do that...Eve, our Argentinian friend could do it, but none of the French or Spanish people could and seemed surprised that we could do it. When I said that I don't think I know anyone my age who can't shuffle, they said they didn't know anyone who could shuffle. Weird cultural difference, right?
Picnic group!
Picnic location!
Flo trying to feed a swan that came over to see what we were doing.
Good weekend! I think it's supposed to be nice in Périgueux this week (hopefully the good weather is here to stay) so we'll probably try to spend a lot more time outside. There were lots of people in the streets today and tons by the river - it's a nice city when it's not dead!
Oof, that was a lot! Have a good Sunday!
No comments:
Post a Comment