It's an indian summer, so we go for a drive…

a lookout ?

The tourists have gone home, but the sun is still shining, so we make the most of this glorious early autumn weather and take a drive along the right bank of the Gironde to Blaye . This is the largest estuary in Europe and the sea access to Bordeaux  where the Dordogne and Garonne rivers flow into the Atlantique.

Man has lived here since pre-history. There is a Gallo-Roman villa south of Blaye and the estuary has given access to Bordeaux for traders and not so friendly visitors over the centuries. The Huns in 406 AD (remember Attila ?) ,Vandals, Visigoths, Sarrazins in 732 AD, Normans and Vikings  raided this area.

the clocktower above one of the gatehouses

the inner walls of the fortifications

So to protect Bordeaux a fortification , a citadel, was started at Blaye. This was added to over the centuries and there are ruins of a gothic chateau, the ‘chateau de Rudel’, inside the walls on the hill overlooking the town. Jaufre de Rudel was an early 'troubador' who was renowned for his songs of unrequited love in the 12th century. Jaufre died on his way to the Second Crusade - not a life of great successes.

ruins of the chateau de Rudel

The fortifications were redesigned and rebuilt by Sébastian Vauban , the foremost military engineer of his time, in 1685 and two more ‘forts’ were added as the cannon of the day could not reach across the 3 kms of the Gironde at this point. Fort Médoc on the left bank and Fort Pâté on an island  provided better protection. Those who loved the stories of Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars (early 19^th century) may recall Horatio  ‘running the guns’ entering  Bordeaux. It was these forts that C.S. Forester wrote about. This is also the site of the story of the "Cockleshell Heroes" of World War II. 

Fort Pâté on this island in the estuary - 3km across to the other side

This is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site and it is typical of the french attitude to their historic monuments that people still live in the houses inside the citadel, along with ateliers (craft studios) and cafes .

This is serious wine country and the local apellations on the right bank are - Côtes de Bourg, Côtes de Blaye, Bordeaux Supérieur and Fronsac  for those who are interested . On the opposite bank is the Médoc area – Margaux, St Estephe, Paulliac, etc.

only 10km to the nuclear power station

Only the french would build a nuclear power station within sight of their finest wine growing areas ( sorry Burgundy ) - there's confidence for you.

Bon week-end mes amis