September 12, 2016
Day 7 - Rauzan to Bordeaux: Finishing in style on the hottest day yet
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Sarah served us a giant breakfast in the chateau. It felt like we had stepped over the velvet ropes of Versailles into one of the rooms.
She explained that the chateau has been in her husband's family for 3 generations. Their primary business is winemaking. They were just getting ready to start the harvest.
Today was predicted to be the hottest day yet, so we were anxious to get going early. We rocketed down the hill back to the piste and set off for Bordeaux.
The piste is amazingly well-maintained! Just amazing! The quality of the asphalt, the signage, and the grades are just - well, amazing!
We even got to go through a tunnel, which made the pilot very happy!
Before we knew it, we hit the city limits.
A few twists and turns, and across the dedicated bike path over the bridge. Into the heart of Bordeaux. What great cycling infrastructure!
We got downtown right at noon - our goal for the day! So we found a cafe to celebrate and rehydrate - as usual! The bike waited patiently close by.
We had lunch in a nearby brasserie and then rode out to the hotel. Our hotel was La Villa Delvaux de Marigny - a B&B about 15 minutes walk from downtown. Again, bike-friendly and tandem-friendly. They stored our bike in a private garage. The room we had was very large, elegant, and air-conditioned!
We cleaned up and walked back into town for more drinks and a celebratory dinner. We tasted some wine at the "Le Bar a Vin" across the street from the Tourist Info Office. Highly recommended if you want to try some good Bordeaux wines by the glass.
We walked out to view the "Mirror d'Eau" and enjoyed watching the kids (and adults) escaping from the heat. One of us joined them.
After that, we found the restaurant Totto on the Place du Parlement for dinner. Good pizzas outside under the stars. The city was hopping on a hot late-summer night. Great fun!
We trudged back to our hotel, put the air conditioning on, and slept the deep sleep of conquerors. We had achieved our goal.
Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 420 km (261 miles)
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