Lourdes Upper Town

This morning we had an optional walk to the upper town of Lourdes. A few of my tour group went instead to the Baths at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. We walked up the hill to the upper town and then took a bus to go farther. Photo: A street of the upper town of Lourdes.

Les Halles Market

We visited the Les Halles Market which had many stalls of different kinds of food.

Lourdes’ Upper Town

Another street in Lourdes’ upper town.

Gave de Pau

To get from the lower town to the upper town and then back to the lower town, you have to cross over the Gave de Pau.

I have put my photos of our walk to the Lourdes upper town on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/lourdes–2/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, France–2, “Lourdes–2”).

Bordeaux Wine Country

After leaving Lourdes, we drove through the Bordeaux wine country. On this trip, we have driven past so many vineyards that I began to think of France as being just one great big vineyard.

Bordeaux Wine Country

We passed many chateaux and vineyards.

Vignobles Galjaud

We visited the Vignobles Galjaud, 1901, in Saint–Emilion, to go down to their wine caves and for sampling wines. The wine produced in the Bordeaux wine region is mostly Merlot blended with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Malbec.

Roman Ruins

There are Roman ruins in Saint–Emilion. The Romans first introduced viticulture here. It was further developed in the Middle Ages by Emilion, an 8th–century monk. He was a Breton monk who had fled to escape persecution from the Benedict order. He lived in a cave in this area, performed several miracles, and attracted a flock of monks to him. The town was later named after him: Saint–Emilion.

Saint-Emilion

A view of the medieval town of Saint–Emilion from above. It is a World Heritage Site.

Cordeliers Cloister

The Cordeliers Cloister is in Saint–Emilion. The Cordeliers were Franciscan monks. They occupied the site here until the French Revolution when all the monasteries were closed down. The monasteries were authorized again in 1850 but the Cordeliers did not come back to Saint–Emilion.

I have put my photos of the Bordeaux wine country and Saint–Emilion on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/bordeaux–wine–country–saint–emilion/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, France–2, “Bordeaux Wine Country, Saint Emilion”).