I hope you will agree that I’ve saved the best chapter of #MyVikingStory for last. The Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion (including the town center and eight surrounding villages) was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999. With its winding cobblestone streets and incredible views from every vantage point, it is the perfect place to get lost for a day!
We loved the breathtaking medieval village so much during the official Viking excursion, that we decided to spend another day there on our final stop of the cruise. It was an easy cab ride from Bordeaux, where our longship was docked.
Saint-Émilion is probably most well-known for its wine, but it’s a lovely destination for anyone who loves feeling like they’ve stepped into a different period of time. I may or may not have spun through the village’s narrow walkways singing Belle’s song from Beauty and the Beast…
One of my favorite spots was the beautiful Eglise collegiale, a Romanesque church. During a rainy afternoon walking excursion with Viking, it was crowded with tourists trying to avoid the downpour. When we went back for our second visit in the morning, we got to enjoy a peaceful moment of solitude in the cloisters.
Out of all the destinations we saw during our river cruise, this is the one place I could really see us visiting again. If you’ve scrolled through pictures in this post, I think you’ll understand why.
I’ve been dreaming about what @vikingcruise to take next and was leaning towards the Fjords. However, your beautiful chronicle makes a very good case for Southern France! Lovely post.
http://www.windlasse.com
eek what a tough choice! i did a short cruise from copenhagen through the fjords when i was younger and would love to go back. if anything, i would recommend doing a standalone trip to bordeaux for a few days and just take cabs from there. the cruise part itself was not as scenic as i had hoped. and everything was in driving distance, so it would be just as easy to stay in bordeaux and make day trips elsewhere.
I love Saint-Émilion red wine but I have never seen pictures of the place before. This is now on my bucket list, thanks for sharing.
Wonderful. I hope you love it there as much as I did!!