Day 2: Margaux to Bourg – 36km

Our departure from our hotel in Margaux was early. We had advance tickets for the ferry to cross the river from the west to the east side. We were riding to a schedule – my least favourite thing as it reduces the time to dawdle and take photos.

We each have an understanding of our roles now. Ken leads the crew, on his hybrid peddle bike with a map and the app. Cathy makes sure we are all well – water, snacks, breaks and band aids. I am the official photo journalist and definitely the most likely to holler “Photo op!” Rick sweeps and double checks directions on the app. He also makes sure I am managing with my back, which I appreciate.

Our morning ride to the ferry was relatively short with only one stop for some groceries – snacks and water. This was a good thing as it allowed us to adjust to being back on the bike with a low distance commitment. At first uncomfortable, it did not take long to settle in.

Shuffling onto the ferry was a bit of a thing. Cars must leave their passengers before boarding and pick them up only after making the hard right turn to exit the ferry and proceed up the ramp. This led to a great deal of starting and stopping. We walked on with our bikes about midway through the somewhat confusing process.

The ferry ride to Blaye was short, only about 20 minutes. The skies had been threatening all day and we had a bit of drizzle on the other side but nothing serious.

Once off the ferry, our route seemed to take us straight out of town – not our intention. We were not going to be caught again in the middle of nowhere without a coffee bar in sight! We swung around and ended up in the square right near the medieval fort of La Porte Royale. We enjoyed some coffee and shared a delicious charcuterie.

After a well-deserved rest, we ventured across the moats, through the gates and inside. The views were quite lovely and the fort itself was in impressively good shape complete with a few restaurants and some shops.

We found the public washrooms which cost a Euro – though we made that stretch by holding the door open for each other – silly really. It was one of those washrooms where the entire thing was stone and stainless and it was entirely sprayed and disinfected as soon as we closed the door behind us. In case you are one of those practical curious types – the toilet paper was kept dry behind a stainless section of wall and pulled out in sheets like a wall-mount kleenex box.

Our onward ride was long, but generally comfortable. We passed more chateaux and made a few friends by feeding them clumps of fresh grass though the fence.

I was particularly proud of my self when we tripped along this ruined ship in the river and I was successfully able to translate it’s story from for the rest of the group from the French-only monument.

Actually, overall my French is improving day-by-day. I am able to understand much of what is said to us, and translate back and forth for the group. It may all be at a grade 3 level perhaps, but it works. I am of course increasingly fluent in ‘menu’. However, my greatest challenge lay ahead.

We were staying in a small BnB in this beautiful home, run by an elderly woman, Madame Poissonneuve. She was delightful, probably about 80 years old and tiny but full of energy and spirit. She spoke almost no English, which matched nicely with my very little French, as she showed around her quirky little home. And I mean very quirky.

From the outside, it is a beautiful limestone castle. The rooms were well-appointed with lovely antiques, pieces of art, books, and treasures tucked away in every corner. The rooms had very few electrical outlets, which was a challenge for us as we had to charge bike batteries, phones, laptops and hearing aids.

Our room was on the main floor. We had our own bathroom, but only after some observation did we notice that the bathroom walls did not run fully to the ceiling; it was more of a bath “cabinet” or stall which did not afford a level of privacy that I was comfortable with. We managed.

Madame P directed us to a nearby restaurant where we had been setup for dinner with some advice on where to walk in the town. It was quite a pretty little spot with narrow cobblestone streets and the sun was just setting as we headed out.

Our dinner was only a short walk away. When we arrived the restaurant was virtually empty. Within a half or so it was completely full. It had a very groovy wine bar that allowed you to use a card to select tasting size portions of wine. We opted to share a bottle instead. My least favourite wine so far, it would have been good by most standards if we had not been spoiled by the impressive wines of Pauillac and Margaux.

Our meal included some live entertainment which was surprisingly good! I am beginning to wonder if I should take up the accordion in my retirement….