The wedding was at Chateau Rigaud, about 45 minutes out of Bordeaux, in between a couple villages. It's beautiful. Totally. Think 11th century (and younger) chateau, done up like a boutique hotel. Filled with cool people for the weekend...
We arrived on the Friday, and had (lots of) French champagne and canapes (not snacks). I learned a valuable lesson: French champagne doesn't give you a hangover...
On the Saturday, we visited Saint-Emilion, a medieval village perched on a hill in the middle of some wine estates.
Before and after lunch in the village, we visited wine estates. Learned that in France, an estate only makes one wine per year, unlike in South Africa, where the estates are much bigger, but they make a variety. Herewith, the obligatory gratuitous chin touch pic...
I loved this graveyard (weird, I know). Was intrigued to notice that most are crypts above ground, and that not all of them face East. There's something in Revelations about Christ returning from the East, I believe, which is why most Christian gravestones face the East. And criminals' gravestones, like the Robber's Grave in Pilgrim's Rest, don't.
On Saturday night, I learned that French wine doesn't give you a hangover either. No, really!
The wedding was on the Sunday, in the steamiest heat I think I have ever experienced. Here's proof that the past and the present can be cool together in the future:
The sun only sets after nine, and the chateau was even more beautiful by night, with the simple addition of some candles.
One day when I grow up, I want to do proper long exposure photography. These will have to do for now though..
Monday was mostly recovery time, and then Brett and I spent the afternoon in Paris. Which is not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. It was hot, crowded, dirty, and all the cool sites were messed up by preparations for the Bastille Day parade set to take place the next day.
The Metro was efficient, but was literally a hole. However, the architecture was beautiful. Beautiful enough that I can understand why the peasants revolted against the nobility. I would have revolted too, I guess.
3 comments:
Sounds so utterly awesome I just want to slap you, I'm so jealous!
My favourite thing about Paris was realising that even the hobos on the street only drink fancy French wines! This was so novel to me. And so ... I dunno. Being pregnant so many times in less than a decade has drained me of anything vaguely like the brain I possessed once upon a time. But when I think about it, I get a mixture of words and concepts kind of like rock-n-roll, punk, avant-garde. And at the same time, the mommy-ness in me hankers for something more romantic to throw in there, too...
Meh. Glad you had a great time. I'll stop rambling now.
Sounds so so awesome, and the photos just make me wish I could go on a holiday like that too
Looks like fun....
France in the summertime - hmmm... Nice.
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