I bet you didn't know that the Cognac city kept these few secrets among many others.
Today I offer you 3 anecdotes about Cognac city as it is not only the city that gave its name to one of the most famous brandies in the world!
Yesterday, in the summer season of 2013, I tried out a very pleasant and somewhat original outing in the Bordelais vineyards that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to you – a Tapas walk at Château Boutinet.
This weekend was for me jubilatory since I have tried for several years to encourage tourists to discover the lesser known northern part of Bordeaux vineyards that we call the « Côtes » : Côtes de Bourg and Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux...
Despite this crazy busy summer period and intense activity, I took the time to have a break at the Bordeaux Wine Festival called Bordeaux Fête le Vin...
When you live here, you have to understand that this magnificent estuary, which, by the way, is the largest estuary in Western Europe, is above all a 3 km wide water barrier..... And when you want to go to the other side, it's not that easy!
You can take the ferry boat. There are 2 of them, one in one north of Bordeaux that connects Blaye, on the right bank, to Lamarque, on the left bank, within about 20 minutes.
There is another, larger one at the mouth of the estuary that connects Royan, on the right bank, to Le Verdon, on the left bank of the Gironde.
But watch out... if you miss it.... It will cost you to drive along the national road then to the highway A10 and then to reach the Bordeaux ring road, which is called here "Rocade". And I can tell you if we're talking about a Saturday summer time crossover of August, we're on a timing that will make you wish you had been the first in line to climb aboard....
The Fine Arts museum in Libourne was created by Duke Decazes. The Libourne Museum is rather small but it offers visitors a beautiful collection of works from the 14th to the 20th century. Among them, a rare and wonderful Renaissance painting by Manfredi...
Following the advice of my twitter friend Agathe from Charentes at the beginning of January, I found myself off to discover the secrets of the distillation of Cognac and the famous charente copper pot still with its “bonnes chauffes“.. Did you know that the proper thing in Cognac making process is the double distillation? The second heating is commonly called "Bonne Chauffe" (good heating); it will result the "heart", which once aged under oak wood will be sold under the name of Cognac.
It is in these overbooked weeks when I realized that the territory covered by the guided tours I propose is far from ridiculous! From Bergerac to the Atlantic Coast of La Rochelle via Bordeaux, St Emilion, Blaye, or Périgueux and Hautefort, it was a very intense period!
Saint Pierre Angoulême Cathedral was built inside the Roman and medieval walls, at the end of the rocky promontory and especially close to one of the former gates, which facilitated the transport of the huge quantities of necessary materials.
This is the 4th building built on the site of the previous buildings.
Despite some restorations carried out by the famous architect Paul Abadie in the 19th century (also restorer of St-Front de Périgueux and builder of the Sacré-Cœur in Paris), we can admire in Angoulême a rare and precious jewel of Romanesque art. Apart from the representations of Saint Martin (to the right of the main gate) and Saint Georges (to the left), which are from the 19th century restoration campaign, this richly sculpted façade dates from the 12th century. It is the centrepiece of the building!
A little diary on board to share with you my experience as a professionnal guide in Bordeaux area - june 2011
Daytrip along the estuary and discovering the roman site called Le Fâ - welcoming a charming belgian group for learning about Bordeaux history through the different districts and major religious buildings
I just love these days when my group comes from the four corners of the world. It always makes for a really fun time! This year, it’s harvesting on the slopes of Bayon on an organic vineyard in the Côtes de Bourg wine making area – the Château des Cots. In the group there were 6 Australians, 1 Japanese, 3 Quebecois, 7 British and 3 Bordelaises.
