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From My Balcony: Morning Has Broken, Plus, A Trip To UNESCO World Heritage Site Saint-Emilion

Ralph Grizzle

From my balcony on Silver Whisper, sunrise in Bordeaux. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle

Silver Whisper overnighted in Bordeaux last night, and this morning I awoke to a gorgeous sunrise. The promise of a new day, from my balcony on Silver Whisper, with beautiful Bordeaux in the background. Could there be a better start to a new day?

Greeting the morning in Bordeaux. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle (really)

My daughter Britton and I had signed up for a half-day half-day sightseeing excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Saint-Emilion. If you appreciate wine, you may know of  Saint-Emilion’s celebrated vineyards and its delicious wines. In fact, the vineyards reach all the way up to Saint-Emilion’s ancient town walls.

Silver Whisper on Sunday morning in Bordeaux. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle

After a 35-minute coach transfer from the bottom of Silver Whisper’s gangway to Saint-Emilion, we began a guided walking tour of the village and its underground monuments.

We saw the Collegiale Church and its 12th-century cloister as well as the 12th-century ramparts, the marketplace and Eglise Monolithe, the largest underground church in Europe. Adjacent to the church, we visited the catacombs, which included a charnel house and numerous sepulchers dating from the 11th and 12th centuries.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saint-Emilion. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle

Following the guide tour, we had a little more than an hour of free time to explore the village on our own and browse the shops before heading back for Silver Whisper, which departs for Saint-Jean-de-Luz at 4 p.m. today.

In Saint-Emilion. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle
Peeking into a shop in Saint-Emilion. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle
Saint-Emilion is famous for its celebrated wines. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle
A gorgeous Medieval village. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle 
We stopped for Macarons in Saint-Emilion. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle
Back to Silver Whisper, docked in Bordeaux and departing for Saint-Jean-de-Luz at 4 p.m. today. © 2012 Ralph Grizzle 

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Silversea Cruise Reviews Saint-Emilion

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Maggie Blehert

Her ideal travel day: venturing to a new place, learning something interesting and sharing a smile.
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Steve and Wendy Bodenheimer
Cruise Specialists Voyage Hosts reporting on their round the world journeys.
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Ralph Grizzle

The Avid Cruiser. Well-traveled and insightful. Helping you make informed cruise decisions.
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