Bordeaux, etc

 I was feeling much better on Tuesday, so into Bordeaux I went to catch my tour of Chateau Margaux. Or at least I thought it would be of Chateau Margaux but it turns out that it was visits to two wineries in the appellation of Margeaux.  And the real irony was that the Chateaux were very close to where I'm staying. I thought about calling and asking if I could just meet them up at the Chateau, but I figured I would miss something that the driver/ guide would be saying on the way there, so I drove into Bordeaux and parked where I had before. Unfortunately had the same problem getting in but I think I finally figured it out. An appellation is an area that identifies its native wines.  Medoc is the larger purple area on this map, but Margeaux is in deep purple.  Every wine that is grown and made in that area can call itself Margeaux.  But put a grape from outside of the area in a wine and it ceases to be a Margeaux.  If it is outside of one of the appellations...

When you travel you are not exempt from the little emergencies that you have to deal with at home.  So it was at the end of last week. I woke up on Saturday with severe back spasms, the kind that make it difficult to get out of bed or walk.  I don't have back problems typically, so I attributed the problems to getting soaked on my walking tour, driving for four hours the next day and being old. The funny thing is, I didn't panic.  I figured it was a temporary situation.  I drove, with some difficulty, to the pharmacy and got an over-the-counter muscle relaxer and a back patch that was nothing like the Icy-hot one I was hoping for. After a couple of hours of not feeling much better, I decided I would have to see a doctor for some drugs.  I went to the office in Margeaux that Angelique had listed in her information about the house.  It was closed, even though the sign on the door indicated it had hours on Saturday.  I looked up a number and called a loca...

 I love anthropology, as long as I don't have to do the research, and I love archeology, as long as I don't have to do any digging.  So I was very excited to go and see the pre-historic cave paintings at Lascaux, about 90 miles from here. Or rather, I was excited to see the replica that has been built to accommodate all the tourists like me. The cave was discovered by a couple of boys chasing after their dog, around 1930.  By 1963, the paintings were decaying because of the humidity brought in by the humans wanting to see them.  I believe there was also a blooming mold problem, so the cave was shuttered. Lucky for us humid humans, the scientists decided to create a replica so people could still see the images.  In fact, the one I saw was the fourth iteration of the model, thus Lascaux IV. Obviously very modern on the outside.  An interesting contrast with the ancient display. I have come to France not knowing the language and really not preparing as much as...

 Coming back from Biarritz the other day, I passed by signs to Bassin d'Archechon.  I remembered it looked like a neat place on the cartoonish map I have, so I decided to drive there yesterday.  It was only 50 miles away but with the one-and-a-half lane roads you have to go on for much of the journey, it still took me an hour and a half. I finally found where all the cool kids go.  It was the most crowded place I have been to, outside of Bordeaux.  A beautiful beach, calm waters and plenty of cafes and restaurants right on the water. Most beaches I have been to in Europe have activities for kids like these jumping whatever they are.  In Biarritz, there was a place where parents could just drop off their kids and have someone else watch them. This is what so many American beaches lack.  Cafes and restaurants right on the water.  I guess we do have some when there is a boardwalk, but that doesn't feel the same somehow. Still, as you can see, the bea...