This is the 3rd installment of the Bordeaux Trip, which consisted mainly of a wine-tasting tour in the Medoc regions of Bordeaux, the wine capital of France.
We visited 2 chateaus, namely Chateau Aney and Chateau Giscones, famous for their wine appellations of Merlot:
Posing with a giant size wine bottle outside the chateau...Every single chateau ard the area seems to have such an icon.
Oak barrels used to mature to wine in. It is believed that barrels made from oak in western europe is the best, followed by eastern europe and finally america and auctions usually take place for possession of wine barrels. First growth (cru) wine growers a.k.a the top wine chateaus typically use the barrels for 1-2 seasons before selling them to wine growers in Australia and so on to ensure top quality of wine.
Wine shop within the chateau
Wine tasting session: It would have had been better if there was cheese though.
Walkway leading to another beautiful chateau
In the fields with the crops. Being winter, the vines are still short and unripe, we don't see grapes growing on it at all.
This chateau is definitely gorgeous!
Yet another wine tasting session
Masterpieces from the kids of our group!
Flushed and on the high after 3 glasses of wine!
OrAnGeL was fuming at
4:56 PM
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This is gonna be such an exciting weekend, cuz i'm gg shopping in Paris after class tmr & we're headed for Paris Disneyland on sat @ half price..*clap clap*...It's pretty amazing how i have not done any shopping for 2 weeks (not grocery shopping of course!), and i'm getting really restless for some real bit of shopping!! Nana reckons that i'm crazy, but i'm not the only one it seems. Mic is more eager for some real shopping than i am. Having not shop for so long, she actually tried to do some shopping online, on victoria secrets. See! I'm not that much of a die-hard shopper when there's someone even more desperate for shopping than i am. But i guess we're the true blue singaporean shopoholics...Don't think any of the other exchange students are so into shopping as us though...*grins* This is the maison du homme or sth lidat, and the place we first found the boutique of Longchamp, whose bags mic was dying to buy cuz it's their home brand and supposed to be cheap! But it was their wine shops that dazzled me the most, selling some of their homegrown wines and apertifs, as well as stuff to go with them , like fois gras... My masterpiece: quite proud of it cuz anum & jovia had always wanted one, and i did it! yay!! Man, i really love their streets, surrounded by the ancient buildings and cobblestones path, what can i say? Coffee place along Rue du Catherine, had smoothie and their choco-cookie drink..esp yummy & shiok in the cold weather... The gang of four! Pey Berland Cathedral, pretty place...which anum mistook for Notre Dame Cathedral. She can't read the map for nuts! Fancy bringing us from the Pey Berland along rue du catherine up to Grand Theatre and back again...OMG! Chapelet that leads us to the hidden Notre Dame Cathedral...i'm not alone in the pic :) I seriously love their architecture! In the square of the chapelet Exiting the chapelet, which looks damn gorgeous can? The real Notre Dame Cathedral of Bordeaux...Looks kinda disappointing though....It's funny how we find cathedrals all over the place, but truth is that the attendance rate is only 10-15% of catholics :( At the centre of Quinconces, where we were so lucky to have come at a time where they were holding a carnival (below)! After a tiring long day, they still have the energy to act retarded...Above is anum making a pig face of herself and below are the 2 of them acting seriously retarded!! Haha... So long as there's wine, i'm blissful! Bordeaux Wines!! Top & bottom: A great job of intoxicating herself with my wines isn't it? Really spices up my life.. Stoned after a long day So long, till next time!!! Au revoir...Alright, since there's time now, i'll post up the 2nd installment of photos from Bordeaux of our 2nd day there! We took a tram to the heart of the city of Bordeaux, Quinconces & Grand Theatre to explore the 'busiest' area of Bordeaux on the 2nd day:
Parade Square @ Rue de Catherine, the building's supposed to be a bank...Don't ask me what the statue's all abt cuz i have no idea...they have so many of such things all over France!
OrAnGeL was fuming at
5:56 AM
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Left view of the Gare de Saint Jean station from the hotel room and that, is what the city tram in Bordeaux looks like, it operates throughout the entire city of Bordeaux and it's extremely new and clean. Pey-Berland Cathedral Loving the streets of Bordeaux Anum with her daily dose of choc crepes The 3 of them grooving to irreplaceable, if only i could show the video...It's 1225am in France, & i just got back from Modern Jazz class which took place from 9-11pm. It makes me wonder which crazy streak in me prompted the attendance of a dance class that is so unlike my character, acting like some kind of lunatic screaming and dancing in an agile manner as part of a dance routine...IT was REALLY crazy & hilarious, coming to think about it...
It's been years since i last stepped into the dance studio (which is like back in nanyang girls'), can still remember the torturous exercises and dance steps we had to do in dance class, and there was no escaping it cuz it was part of the curriculum...damn! haha...But it was definitely interesting and exciting to watch others carry out the dance routine though...Bring it on!!
As promised, here are the pics when we arrived at Bordeaux the first day. The hotel was just located opposite the station and as soon as we settled down, we got down to exploring the area:
Right view of the Gare de Saint Jean station from the hotel room
The hotel we resided in
One of the churches we came upon: I think it's St Michel
Outside the theatre
Trying to balance on the stone barriers 
Enjoying my strawberry glace (ice-cream)
OrAnGeL was fuming at
7:16 AM
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It's gonna be a happening weekend, cuz it's MR500!!!
Kinda missing the SMU Dragons in Singapore,
The sense of excitement all of you must be feeling right now,
And how this is gonna be like the first race i'm missing out with you gals/guys since i joined,
As well as new additions to the team that i have not got to know :(
This race is gonna be radically different from previous races,
Esp since weiling as replaced me as left pacer and will be doing the race as pacer for the first time officially,
And that joan is no longer rowing for the team,
But i'm sure weiling and peifen will make good partners ya,
Since they used to be partners previously...
I kinda miss the word 'pei-cers' though,
Imagining what kind of hilarious names this pair would give themselves...
Whateva it is,
Jiayou for MR500!!
Hunger and desire is the key for intention to glory for SMU
All eyes would be watching carefully what SMU DB is made of after the last race,
It's a chance to show the prowess of the new exco,
The last effort for the seniors to shine and realize their desires,
So focus on your own act and not what others are thinking of you,
As the initiated 'conscious' would know by now...
Bring out the fire in you and overcome all odds!!
I'll be rooting for you guys here in france!!
Missing & Loving you all...:)
OrAnGeL was fuming at
7:49 AM
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Time to blog again!! Esp when it's only french tv here and there's nth else to do everytime i come back...Muz go rent some videos soon!!
This time it's for sunday...We decided to go to Montmarte for this beautiful church (below):
This was the view from the bottom of the church...Doesn't it look magnificant? It was a great number of steps to take before we reach the top...Seems like we really gotta work for the good things in life huh...
Feeling kinda lazy when we were 1/4 up...decided to take some photos 1st!!
Practically ran up the steps all the way to the top cuz mic was in need of the toilettes...The close up view when we reached the top from a greatly needed workout...
And this, is the view from top down...Looking pretty huh...That's claire taking her own sweet time up the steps!!
The sense of achievement of reaching the top...Look at the glorious sight!! At Montmarte, there was this area where painters put up their art pieces for sale...Many tourists come to this place during the weekends to buy art pieces or get their portraits drawn.
I definitely have to come back and get my portrait drawn too!
This guy's paintings are really good and is one of the most expensive among the artists...An A3 size painting cost about 650 euros and an A5 one about 120 euros!! My fav is of course the most ex one too...bleahz
This guy's paintings are good as well, but the prices are much cheaper...There was this american family that bought 3 A5-sized pieces for 100 euros and an A3 one for 150 euros...Pretty good deal huh...
His pieces are good as well, and the sincerity that oozes out of him when you talk to him about his pieces just makes it hard to tell him that we'll get it next time...Man, if only we could pay by credit card!!Though they paint similar things, they have a style of their own that's irresistible and definitely in a class of their own...I need sponsors for my paintings!!
Pretty eating place in Montmarte
A busker playing his double bass outside the above restaurant...How quaint!Decided to go to Champs Elysees again next, cuz Mic's a Catholic and she needs to go to the St. Joseph's Church for mass...But as it was still early, we decided to walk from Concorde, which must be about 2km or more from the Champs Elysees!! No kidding, but we really walked till the legs could break...However, we went to this garden that led to The Lourve Museum first:
At the park watching ducks and kids playing sail boats
Random Shots taken out of boredom while watching ducks and boats
Standing @ the gateway to The Lourve Museum
Evening View of Effiel Tower from the garden leading to The Lourve
OrAnGeL was fuming at
5:18 AM
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