Merci Beaucoup, Sera!

We came back from our first 'Out of Italy' experience last week - we went to 3 cities in France: Bordeaux for friendship, wine, and food; Toulouse for exploration and food; and Paris for sightseeing and of course, food!

Sera was waiting for us at Bordeaux's train station. Bordeaux has been 'cleaned up' from the smoke of export ships (mostly British). The city still has some blackened buildings so we could see the BIG contrast before and after. The clean and antique look of the architecture is... modern yet historical at the same time. An unique style all by itself. You just have to see it yourself. :) Sera satisfied our hunger for French cuisine by taking us to yummy yum yum fresh oysters and excellent local wine (Chateau Greysac 1999). For main course, I ordered the special thinking it was veal with foie gras sauce. The meat was delicious yet with an interesting texture... Syd tasted it and said it should be liver. No problem, I like liver. But after Sera checked a dictionary when we returned to her apartment for the night, we found out what I have actually eaten was kidney!

I didn't realize that I missed mustard so much until I tasted it with roasted beef open-face sandwich the next day. I immediately decided that I must buy mustard and pickles in France. After lunch, we strolled along the river and found THE playground. Wow, so many people of all ages were there running, splashing, and playing with water. We even saw a naked girl rolling on the ground (calm down, guys, she's only 3 or 4 years old). It was hilarious. Of course, we are big kids so we join the fun as well.























We simply cannot miss wine-tasting in one of the best vineyards in the world! Sera booked an appointment at one of the most prestigious wine producer in Bordeaux - Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. The tour lasted 1.5 hours with detailed chateau history, walk-tour of the cellars, wine-making process, and my favorite, wine-tasting. I haven't tasted such wonderful young wine (bottled the same week) before, the flavor was so smooth and complex already. Each bottle needs to be in the cellar for at least 2 years before it appears in the market. It isn't cheap either - current cost is 300+ euros per bottle. Yes, it is the most expensive wine Syd and I have ever tasted.