Six weeks before returning to the United States we took a road trip of the south of France. We started with a train ride from Paris to the city of Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is similar to Paris. It’s beautiful, but smaller, with wider streets and sidewalks, and parking.

The next day we rented a car and drove into the vineyards. We come from northern California, where a trip into the Sonoma and Napa valleys is a simple day trip. So we were interested to see how different the vineyards of Bordeaux would be.

Instead of seeing many wine makers with fancy tasting rooms (like Napa and Sonoma), we saw endless vineyards with the occasional enormous châteaux. The tasting rooms are open by appointment, and if you’re visiting at the beginning of harvest or crush the tasting rooms are closed.

We saw signs for a wine maker’s fair on some of the roads. With no tasting rooms to visit we decided to find the fair. There were all kinds of local wines, food, and a local band. One of the food sellers was making home-made French fries cooked in duck fat. A true delicacy!