Bordeaux, France 3
On Day 3, we made a day trip to Saint-Émilion, a small village located 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Bordeaux. Surrounded by vineyards, it became the first vineyard region globally to earn UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1999 as a "cultural landscape," renowned for its living winemaking history and beautifully preserved architecture. The village was about a 20-minute walk from the nearest station, making for an enjoyable journey with wonderful views of endless vineyards!
We arrived in the south end of the village, where a bakery called La Petite Perdrix was conveniently located for breakfast before we started exploring. I had a pain aux raisins as usual. It was super! J got a croque monsieur. I believe he liked it very much.
Saint-Émilion is one of the most famous wine villages in the world, visited by over a million tourists each year. Despite this, it was wonderfully quiet early in the morning.
Saint-Émilion's geography and history are defined by fresh water springs. The medieval village has been shaped into a natural amphitheater by erosion, while its limestone plateau historically provided underground freshwater and building materials that supported the development of the village and the surrounding vineyards. Two of numerous medieval wells and fountains in the village became public washhouses in the 19th century, where the washerwomen washed the linen or rather rinsed it. This was a smaller one. The water was crystal clear.
La tour du Roy or the King's Keep was just above the washhouse. We climbed a steep slope and a flight of stairs to see the castle tower closer.
Dating back to the 12th or 13th century, the structure's origins are unknown. Historians are divided on whether it was built by King Henry III of England or King Louis VIII of France.
After passing by the medieval keep, we went higher and reached a great viewpoint overlooking the low city from the west side of the high city. Because of its amphitheater-like shape, the village is naturally split into an upper and a lower city.
There were more vineyards behind the viewpoint. The ruined building seen over there was a remnant of the Ursuline convent. Founded by the sisters of the order of Saint-Ursule in 1620 to provide free education to poor girls, the original buildings were mostly dismantled during the French Revolution.
We returned to the low city. Perhaps the Monolithic Church of Saint-Émilion is the most famous landmark in the medieval village. Carved completely from one limestone hill in the 12th century, it is the largest underground church in Europe. We visited it later.
The medieval Market Hall, which was used for the grain trade, was located at the corner of the monolithic church's square.
The steep sloop led us to the east side of the high city. Soon after turning left we found the town hall.
Just a few steps from the town hall was a pastry shop selling traditional French macarons, which were made using the secret recipe of the sisters at the Ursuline convent. Those macarons are considered one of the oldest and most authentic French macarons.
We bought the biggest one to share. It was very light and slightly chewy and tasted purely of almond and sugar - quite different from modern, colorful fancy macarons with various flavors.
We reached the viewpoint on the eastern high city. The King's Keep looked small.
Built in 1200, Porte Brunet was the east gate to the high city - the only remaining out of the town's original seven.
The countryside view just outside the gate was wonderful!
We found another viewpoint on the east side of the high city. Well, it was kinda a middle point between the high and low. Either way, the small town was picturesque from every angle and height.
This could be the steepest slope in the town. The centuries-old cobblestones made the path slippery, too. The handrail in the middle was like a lifesaver.
We arrived at the roof of the Monolithic Church of Saint-Émilion, which is the base of the church's 53-meter-high bell tower. It was a great spot to look down at the church's square and recognieze the amphitheater shape of the town.
The largest landmark on the upper town was the Saint-Émilion Collegial Catholic Church, located right behind the bell tower. Built between the early 12th and 15th centuries, the town's very official church features Romanesque architecture with prominent Gothic elements added during the later expansion.
The cloister served as a spiritual place for prayer as well as a connection between the church and the various buildings of the adjoining convent. The religious community - a college of Canons - lived in those walls from the 12th century to the 18th century, following the Rule of Saint Augustine.
There were even more vineyards outside the church - Saint-Émilion is all about wine, after all.
In fact, dozens of wine stores were found inside the small town. One of them allowed visitors to go deep down and walk around its underground cellar.
The rain suddenly picked up and was pouring. We ran into a wine store for shelter.
It was time to join a guided tour to the Monolithic Church of Saint-Émilion. The tour covered four monuments: the Hermitage of Émilion, Trinity Chapel, the Catacombs, and the Monolithic Church. Because of its private ownership and preservation needs, those underground chambers can only be accessed via guided tours organized by the town's Tourist Office, and photography is strictly prohibited inside the areas.
The Hermitage of Émilion, a natural grotto, is located beneath the Trinity Chapel, which has well-preserved, 14th century frescos. As the name suggests, the Monolithic Church and the town itself were built in honor of a Breton hermit called Emilion who is believed to have arrived to live there in the 8th century and established a religious community in the region. The medieval catacombs, featuring various wall niches and rock-cut tombs, adjoins the western part of the Monolithic Church. The Monolithic Church has a remarkably massive hall inside, which was carved directly into the limestone hillside by medieval builders and Benedictine monks in the 12th century. You really need to see its immense scale in person to realize what human beings can accomplish.
Next to the underground church tour was lunch at Chai Pascal, a charming French restaurant in the town.
J had a glass of red wine from Château Petit Gravet Aîné, one of exclusive, highly rated Saint-Émilion Grand Cru estates. Our starter was home-smoked trout, buckwheat waffle and herb cream, which was nice.
I chose duck breast with potatoes millefeuille as my main. It was so delicious! I could safely say it was my best dish during the trip. J had pressed lamb with buckwheat risotto, balsamic sauce, and almonds, and he liked it very much.
When we left the restaurant, there was a small store specializing in homemade jam nearby. We popped in to see what they had. A young man, who was the jam maker of Atelier Paytra Fouquet, kindly introduced us to his products. We picked three kinds of his jam to take home. The store also had a workshop where he actually produces jam. He was preparing to make strawberry jam and showed us a lot of fresh strawberries.
While we were heading to the station, we walked by the other wash-house - the larger one, called 'The fountain of the King.'
By chance, we found a store selling various handmade soaps along the way. The friendly store owner told us the soaps are olive oil-based and crafted by her husband. Fully convinced, we bought a couple to try.
It was the last chance to say good-bye to the beautiful vineyards of Saint-Émilion!
The train was delayed for almost an hour, which made it seem as if Saint-Émilion didn't want us to go. Anyway, we came back to Bordeaux eventually. We had a quick tea at a cafe near the hotel and wrapped up the active day.
To be continued...
