mysty

The internet access went AWOL yesterday just after I posted. On our return from the event at 10:40 pm we still had no internet. The Gardens were lovely, the dinner venue was beautiful the weather was thunderstorms as dinner began. I'll update as soon as I can get a coffee. 😆

Currently sailing to Rouen where we are expected to dock at 2:30 pm. There is a Grand Northern Voyage event today to Monet's gardens surrounding his Giverny home followed by a dinner at Domaine Du Chesney, a Seine-side country manor. On the story of COVID cases there are currently 3 passengers in isolation with mild or no symptoms. No crew are positive.

Pics as promised...Mont Saint Michel..... Sail in to Saint Malo at 6:30 am... Mont Saint Michel.... And our reward for surviving......

For the Curious (and not the Silversea newsletter 😁), Myster and I survived the tour to Mont Saint Michel. I will admit to an error in judgment on my part. I had thought there would be an option to skip the climb and stay on the ground level. If the option was offered I missed it. Thus, the climb was on. It is a beautiful site! I'm glad we dared it! I will probably need a few days to recover though! My body is older than I care to consider! 😅

Cheeky DW! 😅

We're at anchor in Saint Malo today. We have an excursion to Mont Saint Michel departing at 7:30 am. We were awake at 5:45 am for coffee and temperature check. If I'm still reasonably alert on our return I will attempt to post pics.

Yes! The S.A.L.T. Bar and Kitchen are doing culinary and drinks appropriate to the port and voyage segment. The trademark drink for the Moon called Serene is on constant offer and is very popular. It is delicious. We've dined at the Kitchen 3 times so far and we love it!

The Wine Tasting was wonderful. 35 people in attendance. It was set up comparable to the Paris competition....French versus American wines. 2 white going head to head with no identifying labels...Vincent Giradin Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2016 versus Grgich Hills Estate Paris Tasting Commemorative Chardonnay. We liked Corton-Charlemagne. Majority liked Grgich. Then 2 reds going head to head...Chateau Haut Brion 2007 and Opus One Napa Valley 2015. All 35 of us liked Opus One. Next 2 reds......Chateau Margaux 2006 and Shafer Hillside Select Napa Valley 2014. Majority preferred Shafer (28 to 7). Overall winner was Opus One!

Lunch was at noon. We didn't have breakfast today. Saving ourselves for lunch! 😁

Pics from the Grand Voyage lunch..... Scallops..... Lobster Thermidor... Tiramisu.....

Today is a sunny sea day en route to Saint Malo tomorrow. We're going to a Grand Voyage lunch in Atlantide and a wine tasting in Silver Note at 4:30 pm.

I should have quoted you with my response Stumble. Sorry! Please see my post above!

https://vins-saint-emilion.com/en/castle/chateau-fleur-de-lisse-2/ https://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com/uk/6-chateaux-a-visiter/24-les-secrets-de-la-vigne-du-vin/317-chateau-fleur-de-lisse.html Difficult to answer question number 1. I didn't hear mention. And Google didn't help. We tasted 2 wines. The second was better than the first. The new list for Grand Cru Vineyards is due this year. The last list was 2012 and a new list is done every 10 years. Unlike the Medoc list which was established in 1855 and hasn't changed since then (according to our guide).

Today's adventure took us back to St Emilion. Part of the tour was a repeat of last evening. However, the attraction for us was the Chateau Tasting. We visited Fleur de Lisse in St Hippolyte. They are a Grand Cru but not yet listed. Here are some photos....

Playing catch up. Last evening's adventure took us to St Emilion for an After Hours visit. Town was very quiet. The tour was very good. We followed the guide to the points of interest. In the unground sections no photos were allowed. St Emilion got its name from a monk named Emilion who lived there and is credited with many miracles. Approximately 250 people live in the village. Some photos.... We ended the tour with a glass of Chateau Mauvinon.......

Apologies for the dearth of new info here. Last evening's excursion dumped a very tired pair back at the ship at close to 10:30 pm. This morning we are scurrying to be ready for an 8:30 am excursion departure back to St Emilion with a Chateau tasting. I'm hoping to get pictures off the camera later this afternoon. They seem to be easier to upload than those from phones. I'm going with easier as my weapon of choice! 😁

From our amble around Bordeaux.....

Another beautiful sunny day here in Bordeaux. Currently chilling on the pool deck. Our excursion St Emilion After Hours leaves at 5:00 pm. It's a 5 hour tour which includes a 1 hour and 45 minute guided walk and about 1 hour and 45 minutes of free time. We will grab a bite to eat before we leave as there is no meal included. After lunch on the pool deck we'll explore Bordeaux.

Thanks DW! 🥰

Thank you Lola! 🥰 We have 2 excursions booked for St Emilion. The first is tomorrow at 5:00 pm. Tomorrow afternoon we hope to visit Le Bar a Vin. https://baravin.bordeaux.com/en/ . If the goddess of photos cooperates there will be pics. And I will provide reactions to the wines we purchased. 😁

We ended up with some lovely OBC for this cruise due in part to the cancelation of St Petersburg and the cancelation of the ship ahead luggage option. We booked some at cost excursions and were left with a bit of credits to enjoy. Bring on the Connoisseur's Wine List. We met with the Head Sommelier Biljana this morning in La Dame. I had some wonderful suggestions from a lovely friend and working with those and Biljana's suggestions we purchased wines which will be set aside for us. We are country mice so this opportunity to taste the nectar of the gods is exciting!

The S.A.L.T. Bar is amazing! Small space with entertaining bar staff and wonderful cocktail creations! Dinner at Atlantide last night was delicious! This morning dawned with warmth and milky sun. Temps are expected to reach mid 80s F. Sailing on mirror finished seas to arrive in Bordeaux this afternoon at 4:30 pm. Life is grand!

Our tour today took us into the Basque countryside outside of St Jean de Luz. First stop was Ainhoa for views of typical Basque architecture. The church of Notre-Dame-de-L'Assomption..... Then on to the village of Sare to visit an historical Basque Farm..... We enjoyed a sample of cider along with ham, cheese and Basque cake. And the goddess of photos smiled! 😁

Interestingly Lola we were informed over a month ago that both Bilbao and La Coruna had been taken off the itinerary due to COVID issues. The Silver Whisper was able to dock in Bilbao last month. Pretty sure the issue for our cruise was NOT COVID related. Not sure what the issue was though.

St Jean de Luz today. Beautiful sunny day. We took an excursion into the Basque Countryside. Excellent guide! We learned a lot about the Basque area which straddles France and Spain. Pictures may follow if the goddess of photos decides to play nice. 😅