Hiking in Abondance

The weekend before starting work in Thonon-les-Bains, my colleague asked if myself and some of the other assistants de langues would want to go on an all-day hiking trip with some teachers from school, and we jumped at the opportunity! I did a quick Google search to see where we were headed, and couldn’t have been more happy to avoid figuring out bus schedules to the adorable town of Abondance. Although Abondance was a short 40 minute car ride from Thonon, the windy roads and lack of signage made me glad we weren’t driving ourselves. After driving through the countryside and forest, we popped out in the cutest little town I had seen thus far in the Alps.

Parking in Abondance in a small parking lot just below the trail head was plentiful, as we were the only cars there at 9 in the morning. With the sun shining, we started our hike up the mountain, with snacks and water (and wine of course) in tow, for our lunchtime picnic close to the summit. On the way up, we saw cows typical to the region that make milk for a special local cheese, aptly named Abondance. The cows spend most of the year grazing on the mountainside, and make the journey down to their home farms just in time to escape the snow.

We were lucky the trail passed by some mountainside homes, called Mazots- small houses built for those who work the land or own farms nearby.

The higher we climbed, the closer we got to the cloud line, which led to some gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, dotted with puffy white clouds. Our hike to Pointe d'Autigny and back was around 7 miles, with an elevation gain of 2650 feet. The hike is rated as "hard", but I would argue that is more of an intermediate/hard hike in the autumn, when we went. The hike could be a bit more treacherous in the snow or mud, so early fall was the perfect time to hike. There are no facilities (toilets, water sources etc.) throughout the entire hike, so it's best to pack lunch, plenty of water, and anything else you may need, such as sunscreen, a hat, and a phone that gets service in the mountains 😉

The town also has a large Abbey, which I only got to see from the outside- it apparently is quite beautiful on the inside, so consider adding this to your list as a nice slower-paced activity after hiking in Abondance! This hike would be beautiful in summer or fall, but I would avoid it in winter (extremely icy and perhaps snowy), and early spring (too muddy). Do bring snacks and plenty of water, because we were away from home for about 6 hours, not including driving time. There were no restrooms on the mountain, but Abondance center has a café or two that you could stop at on the way back to your homebase for l’apéro or a chocolat chaud!

 

Tell me about your favorite hike you've ever done in the comments below!

 

Charming Saint Émilion

 

During our trip to Bordeaux (which ended up being 3 days longer than planned due to a cancelled flight), we headed to nearby Saint Émilion for the day at the recommendation of my parents, and I couldn’t be more glad we did! This was one of our favorite places we visited during our fall vacances.

We took the SNCF train from Bordeaux, which was a short and picturesque 35 minute ride (don’t forget to validate your ticket in the yellow machine marked ‘composter’ before boarding!) through the sprawling French countryside.

Upon arriving at Saint Émilion, we opted to walk from the train station (la gare) to the town center, which took us about 25 minutes. We saw some beautiful wineries on the way which boasted the perfect autumn foliage we would continue to find throughout the town too.

We wanted to see as much as we could in just one day, so we started off visiting a cave, or wine cellar at Manoir Galhaud which was a fun way to kick off our wine-filled day! We explored a few different rooms, each with large barrels of wine waiting to be bottled. 

Next, we headed to L'île EnchanTée, a recommendation sent along by my parents, to check out some beautiful tea towels, table cloths, and other local items. We couldn’t resist buying a few towels, as well as some early Christmas gifts as thanks for the tip on a great shop.

While in the town center, I had to get a photo of one of the most famous streets in town, which did not disappoint! We spend the rest of the morning just wandering around town, taking in the stunning architecture, and window shopping for items that couldn’t possibly fit in our over-stuffed suitcases.

After a quick lunch of galettes (savory buckwheat crepes from the north of France), we set off to do some wine tasting, which was hosted by the local tourism office. We spent about an hour tasting local wines with a few other couples, learning about what makes Saint Émilion wines special, and chatting with the sommelier about the big differences in flavor a terroir can produce even in close geographical areas.

Wine tasting always makes me hungry, so we embarked on a search for one of my favorite French desserts, macarons! I found a new favorite in cassis (blackcurrant), which is popular ingredient in French cocktails (like the Kir Royal), and French desserts. My only regret was that I didn’t get a box of macarons to take on the train ride back to Bordeaux!

To cap off our visit, we went to the top of the historic town center to take some photos of the city from above. Looking out to see the vineyards in the distance, we promised ourselves that we would come back to visit again someday!

 

I would highly recommend Saint Émilion to anyone who is short on time but wants to see another area of the Bordeaux wine region- we saw all we wanted to in 1 day, but we certainly could have made a weekend out of it had we scheduled more wine tastings and vineyard visits.

Santé!

Meaghan

A Wine Tour in Bordeaux

 

Our next day in Bordeaux, we embarked on an all-day wine tour that started at the Bordeaux tourism office at 9:30am (this exact tour is no longer offered, but Viator, one of my favorite tour- booking sites, has similar tours still available!) The morning portion of the tour kicked off with a leisurely walking tour of the Chartrons neighborhood, which used to be a merchant district. We learned a lot about the history of the charming area, while walking by historic wine shops, fish markets, and unique restaurants.

We were quite hungry from all the walking, so we were thrilled when our tour guides led us to Baud et Millet restaurant for a delicious local lunch. Those who wanted to were invited to check out their impressive cheese selection and storage area in their cave. I couldn’t believe how much cheese they were able to keep in a relatively small restaurant!

         

 

For our prix-fixe lunch (included in the tour price), we both started with a hot goat cheese appetizer each,  after which my husband enjoyed a more traditional (meat-filled) lunch, while I was offered the usual French option for vegetarians – a fresh salad J There was plenty of fresh French baguettes (an all-day essential in France), and we chatted with our fellow tour participants about their favorite sites they had seen in Bordeaux so far, as we all wanted to ensure we hadn’t missed a must-see attraction.

We enjoyed some local wine with our lunch, as well as a café gourmand for dessert, which is actually a few small desserts served with a coffee (almost always espresso in France). Although we aren’t coffee drinkers, les petits desserts were a great way to cap off lunch!

Following lunch, we caught our tour bus to head off to a few wineries outside the city center, Chateau Dauzac, in the Margaux appellation, and Chateau Baudan, in the Médoc appellation. Dauzac was larger and a bit more commercial, while Baudan was family owned, and the tour was given by the owners’ daughter. We enjoyed both tours very much, and were able to try quite a few wines at each winery. I can’t say that I’m the biggest fan of most red wines, but I took the opportunity to try to sample some of the local offerings. I ended up liking them more than I thought, and I even bought a bottle to enjoy back at home.

While larger group tours aren’t for everyone, taking a bus tour like this one was a great way to see the Bordeaux paysage and two vineyards without having to rent a car or deal with public transportation. At just around 60 Euro, our guided tour included lunch, about 8 samples of wine, museum fees, air-conditioned bus transportation, tours of two wineries, and transportation back to the city center. A great deal if you ask me!

 

Chateau Baudan

Chateau Dauzac

 

Fall Foliage

 

 Jardin Public

A Weekend in the West of France- Bordeaux

 

While living in France, one of my goals was to drink more wine! Wine is a favorite of mine, and I realized that although I have done wine tasting in some great places- Sonoma, the Finger Lakes, and quite a few one-off wineries across the U.S. and Europe, I felt my wine experience was incomplete without traveling to a mecca of sorts- Bordeaux! I couldn’t imagine a better time to visit Bordeaux than the fall, since I was seriously missing some foliage while living in the French Alps.

A new addition to the city that I was most excited to visit in Bordeaux was the recently opened Cité du Vin wine museum, which hosted President Francois Hollande at its opening in May 2016. It was an easy tram ride from the city center, but we also saw quite a few people riding rented bicycles and parking them outside.

We spent about 4 hours here, soaking up all the fascinating exhibits, featuring information about the history of wine, interactive activities (including trying to distinguish between different scents and flavors that you could find in different varieties of wine), and games  to learn more about both local wine and wine around the world. Although there isn’t any wine tasting included in the museum admission price, there is a beautiful rooftop wine bar that overlooks the cityscape of Bordeaux, with some unique decorations (wine bottles cover the whole ceiling) and a fun vibe (who doesn’t love applying their newfound wine knowledge in a fun bar!)

We worked up enough of an appetite that we decided to grab a light lunch at Latitude 20, the wine bar downstairs. Although the menu wasn’t extensive, there were some good options for both my dining companion (a meat lover), and myself, a vegetarian.

After lunch, we took the tram back to the town center, and stumbled upon a very interesting site- an out of season carnival! We spent about an hour checking out the rides and food stands, and comparing them to our usual sites at Disney World!

We then capped off the day with a visit to one of Bordeaux’s most famed sites, right in the city center. Place de la Bourse is home to the stunning Miroir d'eau ,which is the world's largest reflecting pool! We had a great time just people watching and exploring the area, and watching the sunset over the Garonne River.

 

The fountain water in the Place is dyed to look like the red wine the city is famous for, and there were lots of tourists and locals alike taking photos of the unique site.

We finished the afternoon off with some delicious gelato from a nearby shop, and reveled in the beautiful autumn weather that southwest France is known for.

A final view of the beautiful Garonne River before heading back home!

Au revoir!