Scenic Diamond

We board Scenic Diamond at 3pm. Since this was a last-minute idea, our room is quite small. It has a king bed, reasonable storage. Our two large suitcases, roller, and backpack get stored under the bed.

The biggest issue with the room is the cramped working space for CJs computer and Carols inability to get to and from the balcony when he is working at it.

It does have an excellent balcony. A sliding window pane can be closed for protection from the weather or opened for viewing.

There are four decks. The lowest has the gym, spa, salt room, and crew quarters. There are two decks of rooms in the rear 75% of the ship. The front quarter has the lounge and the dining room.

This is the main lobby. On each side is the entry/exit for the ship. Straight ahead is the lounge. The picture is taken from the top of the staircase to all floors below. Access to the top deck is by external stairs on the sides of the ship. One set is off the lobby. Another is at the rear near our room.

The roof deck is for lounging, storage, conning, and the hot tub.

Chateau d'Agassac Concert

Scenic Diamond moves from Blaye on the east bank of the Gironde River to Fort Medoc on the west side of the river. We board buses for the evening's entertainment at Chateau d'Agassac.

We are met on the walk to the chateau by a table of the chateau's red wine.

Four rooms of the ground floor are open for touring. There is no prohibition on walking through the chateau with your glass of wine. We find this strange.

We are here for a string quartet concert.

Chateau Fleur Cardinale Visit

Today's event returns us to Saint Emilion for a visit to Chateau Fleur Cardinale. The cellar door is a modern purpose-built facility. The tour begins on a rear patio overlooking the vineyards.

Next up fermentation and barrel rooms.

And on to the good part, sampling the product.

Their 'library' is beneath the floor and under glass. It's a clever way to showcase past vintages.

Dining on the Diamond

Our first dinner on Scenic Diamond is a major success. The food is excellent. The service is excellent. The wines good enough and when one is not the selection is large and varied. There is always a good wine that waits.

There is a welcome cocktail reception. We ask the waiters to take a picture. They take selfies.

Eventually taking the requested pictures.

The cruise director provides an overview of the cruise.

Scenic has arranged a welcome rainbow for us.

The first dinner sets the tone for a great week.

Cruise to Saint Emilion

We cruise down the Gironde River and turn up the Dordogne River. It is a picturesque journey.

Departing Bordeaux, we get a look at the length of these ships.

This is the high suspension bridge north of the city

This is the lift bridge near La Cite du Vin. The French do not simply design functional bridges, roads, and buildings. They integrate functionality into artistic design. Compared to the lift bridges on the Welland Canal, this bridge is a work of art. Even passing under it, the underside of the road deck is beautiful.

On one side of this pylon is the lifting mechanism. The other side is all glass and contains a spiral staircase.

Views along the Dordogne River.

Pictures of chateau taken through rainy day windows.

We dock at the city of Libourne.

Scenic has its own busses. Four of them deliver us to Saint Emilion. The guide for our bus Eloidie, is extremely good.

There is what appears to be a moat around this entrance to the city. It is not. The hole is the remains of limestone mining during the building of the city. The weather is not the best.

We are on a walking tour of the old city.

We first tour an old church. This was the cloister.

This church is large for such a small village as Saint Emilion. Its size demonstrated its power and wealth in ancient times.

The group is at the top of Saint Emilion.

The main square is below us. We crisscrossed this square many times on our previous visit. The tours next stop is the ancient church on the square and its catacombs. 

We elect to send Didier and Jocelyne to see it while we remain in the upper part of the village. We find a wine shop with a fine attendant.

CJ, the crazy man, purchases two vintage bottles of first growth wines, one a Saint Emilion and one Pauillac. Didier and Jocelyne return as he is offering us a sample of another less expensive wine. The four of us share the samples of three wines. We purchase one of them.

After Didier and Jocelyne depart for their tour of the church, he serves two more. We purchase one more.

The bottles on the outside are the gems of the box!

We have more than an hour before the group returns. We return to a wine bar we passed. Our new friend, Benoit recommends it.

The older fellow with the beard and glasses is our server. He selects two glasses. 

Each is produced by a different winemaker with an amazing pedigree who is semi-retired and now produces from his own small plot.

When another group begins oo-ing and aw-ing over a glass of Chateau Figac, CJ cannot resist. In the most recent classification of Saint Emilion wines Chateau Figac is one of the top 2 wines of Saint Emilion. It is a glass of pure elegance.

While paying the bill, we're poured a complimentary glass of Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes.

The return walk is in the rain. We are last to return to the bus. We arrive with four minutes to spare.