Our 1200 Euro Day

April 26 - We have our final meal on board.

Lamb chops one last time. 

The cruise director says the train strike is on but that local trains should be fine. We head to the hotel around 9:30 but our room isn't ready so we drop bags and head to the train station. As I'm checking the schedule I realize the next train won't leave until 12:05 and arrive at 12:41. Crap we are supposed to meet between 12:00 and 12:15 for lunch. I guess being a little late will be fine. 

We arrive at the train station and find out all the St Emilion trains are not running the next bus isn't until 2p. I'm trying to find a rental car but my free phone internet is worthless. We decide to walk over to the other train station where the rental cars are. 

Wow they have a National Car. Doh they are out of cars. Hertz has car and I save 10% for being President's Circle. It's still 110 Euros for something that we are going to use for a few hours. I need to drive since it's a manual. I think it's been since the Miata that I drove a stick. It's like riding a bike plus modern clutches are very forgiving. 

We use google maps to navigate as Waze seems to use more data and won't function. At the first around about I miss my turn. I think about pulling a Clark Griswald but decide against it. Maps will get me back on track. We ride for 10-15 in what i think is perpendicular to the direction we were supposed to go. I'm getting a bit concerned but I see signs say St Emilion so I fell better. We arrive about 5 minutes later than scheduled but all is good. 

We head to a local bistro that Vincent described as "a good place for lunch, nice but normal price". Everyone seems to know Vincent. It's a small town. They tease him and ask if he wants his wine. We all order the plat du jour. 

Our amuse bouche comes out. The mushroom bite on the right is great. It's a liquid center so one bite. 

Now Vicent goes on to tell us how this is owned by another winery. Oh yeah, they are working on getting a Michelin star. Now I start wondering about the price here. 

Asparagus soup, egg white foam and yolk. 

Local fish

Pear dessert 

More dessert!

The bill comes and it's only 29 Euros per person plus wine. This is definitely one of the better meals we have had. 

We walk back to winery which is in a house in town. They have to pass the 10 kg grape crates through a window. It's a very efficient setup with a tank for each block. They have a manual grape press. Vincent says he likes this because he is also tasting the juice and adjusting the pressure. We head over to the barrel room. 

On to the cellar!  It's a steep descent down a ladder. It's like the other caves in town other than its not walk in. He has a lift for moving bottles in and out. That's part of the reason to not store barrels down here. It's an impressive collection that goes back decades. That's not even counting their personal stash. They like to be able to offer several years rather than just sell the current vintage. We taste 4 different years and buy a case. That's the majority of the day's cost. 

We decide to head back to Bordeaux to avoid traffic as more people are probably driving due to the strike. It's an easy drive back. Traffic gets thick just as we have to exit. I remember the map and try to find the gas station that was marked. We circle to where we think it is and don't see it. We drive past the rental car place and pull over. I find a gas station on Google maps. I start out but I'm going in opposite direction. I attempt to turn around via a traffic circle but end up on the wrong road. We are back on freeway and off the local road. I'm in the wrong lane and get stuck going over the bridge across the river. What a mess. Google maps has me pull off to go underneath the bridge and back. However I turn off and the road is blocked by three huge stone. This map is not up to date. We get back on the road and I miss the left turn I wanted so I take the next one. I spot a gas station, great. I pull in and try to use my credit card. No go.  Damn I bet I need a chip and pin card. I try out ATM card that has a pin nope. At this point I say screw it and decide to return the car. We head back over the bridge and exit. I'm not sure what lane to be in.  Of course I'm in the wrong lane.  I cut across and to where I need to be. At the stop light, I look up and see Total. How did we drive by this twice. Again I'm in the wrong lane. I look at the Odometer and we have gone less than 100 km. Don't care, I drive by the gas station as I'm not even sure my credit card will work. I think this whole gas fiasco has cost us more time than driving back. We drop the car and get charged 11 euros for gas. Case closed. 

I'm glad to be back in town and walking again. We drop stuff off at the hotel and set out for dinner. Japanese is on the agenda. Aparna remembers walking by an izakaya. We head off in the direction of three Japanese restaurants that we have walked by.  It's not any of these. We try to trace our steps from the Bordeaux tour but don't find it.  We walk by some others we find on the map but it's not it.  There is another place towards the river we haven't past yet so we turnaround and head that way.  As we walk through a square I hear someone call out Paul. There are bunch of Paul's here but hen he calls out April. We turn and see John who we met on the cruise. 

He and his wife are having a drink and appetizer in the square. We join them for a drink. They tell us about their day and how they found an oyster place that they are going to but it was not open yet. We decide to join them there for dinner. After our drinks, we walk a couple of blocks to the oyster restaurant. 

It was a good choice. The local crab is not as sweet as dungeness. 

A bottle of wine, bread and good company. It turns out to be a good evening.