Q & A

Subject: The Loire Valley and Bordeaux.

Question: I arrive in Paris on June 17 and will meet a friend in the Bordeaux area on June 21. My thought was to see the Loire Valley [perhaps Blois] and some of Bordeaux [perhaps St. Emilion]. Any suggestions on the premier sites to see and logistics of travel.
How is the city of Bordeaux itself? Is there a better place for us to meet and enjoy a day before heading back to Paris?

Answer: Bordeaux is a wonderful city, the center is much like Paris only with more open spaces, Place Ganbetta, Esplande des Quinconces and Jardin Public, and less people. It also has a lot of Irish and English pubs! I looked on the French train company web site, www.sncf.com and there are trains, my recommended mode of travel, that run from Paris to Blois and then Blois to Bordeaux. You can buy your train tickets the day you travel, there should be no problem with sold out trains. At any train station in France you can buy tickets for any part of your voyage.
If you can get to St. Emilion(http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com/gbpages/accueil/), it is well kept, and gives you a medieval feeling. You can still see the city walls. Make sure you see the Monolithic Church, make sure you clime the bell tower. There are trains that run from Bordeaux to St. Emilion.
One of my sponsors, Viator has guided tours in the Burgundy cities of Dijon and Auxerre.