August 13 Day 9 – Bordeaux > Bourg

Our Free choice today is to: Journey to Arcachon, situated on the northern tip of Europe’s longest coastal beach, the jewel of France’s western coastline. We have a walking tour including a visit to the local Baltard market. We are not going to climb Europe’s largest sand dune and take in the expansive panoramas. Alternatively, we are not going to stay in Bordeaux and take a local tram to the Cité du Vin museum and enjoy an interactive journey of wine discovery. Unfortunately we will miss the fabulous Mademoiselle de Margaux chocolate and wine-pairing event. At 4:30 we will depart Bordeaux and cruise to Bourg.

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Yep, missed our morning exercises again. We had to be up early for breakfast since our coaches left for Arcachon at 8:30. Luckily we traveled on the motorway so I was able to get in a bit of a nap. I had a bit too much sun in Bordeaux. Can’t say there was too much sun in Arcachon, just a bit overcast and some rain! Arcachon turned out to be a very nice resort town, a place to go and explore for a week or so if you had the time. The tour took us along the beach for a while before heading into the shopping area and the market where we managed to get some more shopping done. We arrived back on the ship in time for a late light lunch. Then back to the Shopping Pier in the afternoon before ‘all aboard’ by 4:30 for our departure to Bourg-sur-Gironde. We arrived there about 9:00 pm. Our entertainment after dinner was the Jazz River Trio playing New Orleans Jazz!

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Arcachon : At the beginning of the 19th century Arcachon was just a small fishing village. Then from 1860 on it became an alternative to Switzerland for tuberculosis patients who came to take in the sea air as part of their recovery process. Improved transport train links to Bordeaux and Paris also aided in the resort’s development as a holiday destination.

Arcachon Oysters: “ While oysters were already being savoured in Roman times, it was in the 19th century that the Arcachon oyster business really took off. Today, the bay has 26 oyster farms, and about 700 acres of oyster beds that produce 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes of Pacific cupped oysters per year. There are four oyster-farming areas, Le Banc d’Arguin, Le Cap Ferret, Le Grand Banc and L’Île aux Oiseaux, all with different flavour palettes.”

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