Gran Vin Homer in Bordeaux

Of course, the Homer Gran Vin Tour could not be complete without time in Bordeaux. First stop, St.Emilion, which was one of our favourite places during our first summer in Homer. It, along with Pomerol next door, is one of the most beautiful wine regions in all of France. We enjoy cycling or riding the scooter around the vineyards. We did a great cellar tour and tasting at Soutard. We travelled along the Gironde river to Blaye; a boring town actually, but we had to test the theory that lesser known regions in Bordeaux can produce good wines at a fraction of Medoc prices. The number of estates is just unbelievable. At the Maison d’ Vin we saw a chap buy five cases of wine, each bottle different and each one costing around five Euros. I guess he takes them home and tastes until he finds the estates he likes! We spent three days in the city of Bordeaux and then headed up to Medoc. It’s as flat as a pancake, so not that pretty but the Chateaux are stunning. We spent time in Margaux and Paulliac and tasted some Premier Grand Crus and yes, they are really that good. The Atlantic side of Medoc is also flat and pine forested and dotted with beach resorts and plenty of campsites. We stayed in Carcans and Archachon, a nice place with a great seafront and the usual offering of  outdoor bars and fish restaurants; catering to mainly local holidaymakers.

West to the Dordogne

A favourite hiking area in France is the Cevennes Mountains. We stayed at St- Jean –du- Gord; known because it was here that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote “Travels with a Donkey” about his walk through the Cevennes. It’s a beautiful area and we drove the Gorges du Tarn scenic route with Homer; a bit hair-raisingly narrow in places. Heading roughly northwest every route is as scenic as the previous; as mountains give way to the rolling hills, pastures and vineyards of the Lot Valley and the Southern Dordogne. We visited the Unesco village of Conques; a fully preserved Bastide Town with the Medieval Cathedral of St Faith. Her remains and other relics such as splinters of the cross and skulls and bones of various popes are kept rather macabrely in ornately decorated gold trunks and boxes. France definitely has the best street markets in all of Europe and we seemed to catch market day somewhere nearly every day. In Villefranche we bought a great piece of grass fed, well aged Limousin rump from the market butcher. One of the great things about travelling in a camper is the home cooking. We have no microwave or oven but I am getting pretty good at cooking almost anything on a one plate stove. Neil scans the internet for local recipes and then refers to these dishes as “My” Lamb Cassoulet or “My” Coq-a-Vin; without so much as lifting a knife or a spatula. . Oh, the French really take food seriously and the selection in supermarkets is amazing – whole aisles just dedicated to cheese and wonderful deli counters. We discovered an amazing local cheese made by nuns and called Trappe d’Echourgnac; softish and marinated in hazelnut liqueur.

This being Homer’s year of the wine routes; we had a very pleasant stop in Cohors; a relatively young wine region specialising in Malbec. It’s a university town with a great vibe and an excellent Maison-du-Vin for tasting; cheaper than drinking in a bar; and good wine with a very knowledgeable sommelier at hand.

From here we headed to Bergerac for a few nights. It’s a rainy summer in the Dordogne this year and it rained on and off most of Bastille Day ( July 14 ) but luckily cleared up for the most amazing fireworks display that evening. Our campsite was perfectly located on the opposite riverbank to the old city so we had grandstand seats.  

Two weeks in Provence

After a quick stop in Munich to collect Homer we spent the weekend in Basel with Justine and Arjen; then we left for the warmer weather of the South of France with Justine, Arjen and their boys. It’s a full day of driving for us from Switzerland to Provence. Homer is a plodder!

The campsite, near the Gorge du Verdon was quiet and well appointed, but a bit far from the touristy bits of Provence .It’s near the lavender capital of Provence and we had some great days out in Moustiers St Marie and Avignon.

On 30^th June we collected Renee from Aix – en – Provence and Dave from the train station a few hours later; for a great drive through Provence via Silvane Abbey and the town of Lourmarin to spend the night in Isle sur le Sorge. By Sunday morning it was raining! This is not supposed to happen in July in the south of France! We still enjoyed the Sunday market in le Sorge; famous for its antiques. By the time we got to Gordes (World Heritage hilltop town) and Senaque Abbey the rain seemed to have set in. The bus loads of soggy Japanese tourists still snapping away to get all the obligatory shots, did add some humour to our wet visit. By the time we got to Avignon all we could do was stay at the campsite and drink loads of wine. We did brave the weather to go into town to watch the UEFA football final in a dodgy bar.

On Monday the sun returned and we had a great day in Avignon roaming the streets and visiting the Popes Palace. We drove to Chateau Neuf du Pape (summer palace of the Popes) but now of course, known for its red wine. We tasted at quite a few places and bought wine too. Wednesday was dedicated to Van Gogh in St. Remy and Arles and Thursday we spent in the Camargue. Friday we went to Montpellier and Saturday we dropped Dave and Renee off in Marseilles. We headed back to St Remy for a few more days; now my new favourite town in all of Provence. It has loads of good restaurants, a wonderful old town with a great market and a great campsite a five minute walk away. We watched the Wimbledon final in a French pub, while the local men drank Pastis and played poker at the table next to us. How different a "local" can be from one country to the next.