FRANCE: Bourdeaux

Bordeaux is both the port city on the Garonne in Southwestern France and the fabled wine.  Let me start with some geographical info:

• Located 310 miles from Paris.
• Population:  about a quarter million, but 1.2 million in the metropolitan area, a bit smaller than Hawaii's.
• Interesting that inhabitants are called "Bordelais."

• Here is the home of Vinexpo, probably the largest wine fair in the world, coming from May 13-16 this year.
• Bordeaux has been produced here since the 8th century, but wines in general from the mid-first century.

• This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 362 historical monuments.
• Historically
• under Roman rule around 60 BC
• ravaged by Vandals, Visigoths, Franks and others throughout its early history
• gained prominence in the 16th century for distributing sugar and slaves, along with wine
• became the capital of France in the Franco-Prussian, first world and second world wars
• became a submarine base for the Germans in WWII

• 287,000 acres of grapes.
• Sells the most expensive wines in the world.
• Red Bordeaux is called claret in the UK and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere
• White Bourdeaux is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle  
• White Burgandy (from that region) is mostly Chardonnay
• Sauternes are exemplified by the very expensive Chateau d'Yquem, a dessert wine

• The Laser Megajoule, one of the most powerful in the world, is located here.  This is the equivalent of the the inertial confinement fusion effort ongoing at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.  ITER, the magnetic confinement effort, is located in Provence.
• Is a sister city with Los Angeles and Fukuoka.

So today, we bullet-trained from Reims to somewhere to Bordeaux.  It was trying but okay.  

My lunch of salami sandwich with potato chips and Bourdeaux wine was satisfying.  Interesting that we were the only ones having a full meal.  A lady came up to us and said we were talking too loud.  The French are so quiet on the train.

We had to transfer twice to get to Bordeaux, but could at least avoid another encounter with Paris.  On the way from Cognac to Charles de Gaulle Airport, we found a way to again miss Paris.

We actually have a free day tomorrow, so will go to the world famous Musee du Vin et du Negoce.

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Tropical Cyclone Oma is now at Category 2 strength, brought some grief to New Caledonia and does not seem to want to go to New Zealand:

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