August 4 - Libourne and Saint-Émilion

Tuesday is market day in Libourne so of course we had to visit and were not disappointed. Once again cheese was plentiful as were vegetables, bakeries and fish. There were also butcher stalls selling meats of many parts of many types of animals. I would not know the first thing to do with many of the meats and fish I saw and would love to spend some time here toma, learning and cooking. This market

tomatoes anyone?

is set in a square lined with 16^th century buildings. We learn that apparently a sign of French hospitality when having a dinner party is to cook the meal yourself, but to get dessert from the best ‘patisserie’ (bakery) in town…interesting.

don't think we're bring too many 1945s home

Château Siaurac is where today’s wine lesson and tasting occurs. Beyond tasting and learning we explore the château’s English garden, the château itself, the perfect rows of vines and actually where they make the wine. Lunch was at this château and it was quite as the French like to say ‘gastronomique’. In other words…Chis didn’t over-indulge.

Saint-Émilion, is a medieval tiny town perched on a limestone plateau overlooking vineyards. This was out last stop of the day. We had a formal tour of the church, other landmarks and monuments and were on our own. We shopped a bit and drank wine. The owner’s little boy who was about 5 years old welcomed us with a hearty ‘bon jour