September 16, 2014
Saint-Emilion by bike: Riding through the famous vineyards
Yesterday we arrived at our B&B in the tiny hamlet of Puynormand. I must say, we had serious reservations when we pulled up to the place, as it looked a little scary. Never judge a book by its cover....it turned out to be a wonderful experience, and we will have great memories from this stay. The couple who own it were great hosts, and lots of fun. She is very flamboyant, to say the least! He was a doctor, who spent 36 years in Africa, treating sleeping sickness. They also spent sometime living and working in Tahiti. I think when they returned to France, there must have been a least 5 freighters that accompanied them, with all their treasures. The house did not have an inch, which was not occupied by some treasure. We had the Tahiti room. There was another couple there from Kent, and we ate dinner outside with them both nights, dining potluck with what we could find at the one tiny store in the village. There was always bread, wine, cheese, and in this case, fresh figs and walnuts from the property. Bon appetite! The host mapped out a great bike loop for today, going to a wine chateau, past castles, many, many vineyards, and with a lunch stop in Saint Emilion. Saint Emilion, is a very famous area for excellent Bordeaux wine. The town is very beautiful, but extremely touristy. One of those places where you see crowds, after crowds, following some tour guide holding up an umbrella. Not for us! Although we are happy we saw the town, we were glad we had not stayed here. Also on our bike route, we went into a lovely, wine chateau, where we had a very informative, private tour. The chateau, and it's wine is called Puyfromage, and the wine is excellent. They only bottle and sell one red wine, which is a blend. There was a dove house on the property, dating back to the 14th century. Having one of these on your property, gave you prestige. You were taxed on the number of dove holes in the dove house. We returned to our B&B, for relaxation, happy hour, and potluck. Another great day done!
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 1,088 miles (1,751 km)
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