Novotel Beaune

Tom and Sue took the day to zip to Bilbao (1:45 south of Biarritz) to see the famous Guggenhiem Museum. Wow, what a building!! The exhibits pale in comparison, but still we enjoyed a solid 4 hours at the museum. Afterwards, we drove back to San Sebastian where Sue introduced me to Alona Berri, the ...

I don't really need to tell you what we did do I? Take one part playground, one part beach, and one part sunset and you have a Kramer day in Biarritz.<br><br>            <br>

Judy spent the day with Pierre, a former wrestler and French Olympic wresting coach (he went with the team to Atlanta) who she had met on the train ride a few days ...

We spent the morning touring our recently discovered Bayonne with the kids and Judy continued exploring during the afternoon ...

Another lovely beach day was followed by an evening tour by Tom and Sue of nearby Bayonne, the financial center of Bayonne/Anglet/Biarritz. What a cute town!! It has a beautiful 14th century ...

San Sebastian is a wicked old town, literally full of tapas restaurants, bars and little shops. Our hostel was right in the middle of it all, it was ridiculously loud at night, but nothing wine and ear plugs can't handle. They have all these tapas laid out on the bars and you pick the ones that look good.... sometimes ...

... several attempts (and an hour of our time) to contact my Visa company to find that out.<br><br>Armed with some fresh yummies from the boulangerie, we hopped in our car to take in the Wine Route through Burgundy. It took us through fields of vines, quaint little villages, and a breathtaking stone cliff. We stopped at the Chateau Rochepot, a medieval castle destroyed in the Frech Revolution and partially restored ...

... where we went. Back to the ship, just in yime to sail away to Chalone-sur-Saone. And, luncheon is served. I should have known that that the salad bar was not lunch. It was only the first course. We ignored the soup, tried the calve's liver but didn't like it, not even in marsala sauce, enjoyed the Silure (catfish) in lemon sauce with leeks and potatoes, and free access to the fruit and ...

... 1er Cru "Les Champs Fulliots." The '02 was still very delicate but full of potential. I was told it could handle another 10 years in the bottle, easy. The '03 was bigger, more fruit-forward. It was drinkable now or could be cellared for no more than 4-5 years. Much like the first domaine, I made several notes to assist me later at the wine store. We thanked Ulrich profusely for his truly gracious hospitality and for our oenological lessons and piled into the Rover once ...

... than their fair-share or cute towns). All of the buildings were stone and the main streets were completely decked out in the healthiest, most robust and colorful displays I've ever seen (Debbie Cropp would be in heaven)! We found ourselves just stopping to drive around several of the quaint villages. We stopped to check prices at one B&B but decided it was little more than a stable, so we decided to move on. We moseyed on to another small town and found a ...