Village Life in Southern France – Our Week in Libourne, Saint-Emilion, and Bordeaux

My cousin, Griet, and her husband, Wim, were helpful and accommodating as ever, when they suggested joining us for a ten-day car vacation in Southern France and then taking us home to Belgium afterwards. All we had to do was slow down until they arrived on April 16th.

Initially, we had grand plans to explore northern Spain during that time, but when we found out that big dogs are not allowed on trains in that part of the country, those ideas shattered. Instead, we rented an apartment in Libourne, France, for a week, not too far from where we’d meet Griet and Wim.

The only task at hand still was to get there from Porto, Portugal. Because of the above-mentioned issue, however, Maya was not allowed on the international train from Porto to Vigo (Spain) either. This resulted in Mark and me taking different train journeys north on April 8th. He rode all the way to Vigo with three pieces of luggage, while I took Maya and the two smaller bags on a full train to the Portuguese town that was closest to the border with Spain, namely Valença.

Mark picked up a rented cargo van in Vigo and drove it back across the border into Portugal to pick us up at the Valença train station around noon. A cargo van was the most affordable way to rent a car one way, for one day.

The next 24 hours consisted of lots of driving, with Maya in the closed-off back part, which she didn’t like. The electronic dashboard broke and the data disappeared, so we needed to get a speedometer app for the phone and place it in a secure spot. We ate sandwich lunches underway, stretched our legs once in six hours, and checked into a mediocre hotel two-thirds across Northern Spain. Hunting for a crappy take-out dinner in the middle of nowhere concluded this exhausting day.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

The following morning was more of the same, except much worse. After skipping breakfast and a few hours of driving, Mark dropped Maya and me – and all our luggage – off at the train station of Hendaye, just across the border in France. Then, he backtracked by car into Spain and dropped the one-way van off in Irun. This chore was supposed to take half an hour, including the Uber ride back to me. We had a high-speed train to catch to Bordeaux around 1pm.

After not hearing from Mark after an hour, I got worried. Luckily, train stations in France offer free WiFi (my phone doesn’t have a SIM card) and I found out the cargo van had incurred damage within those 24 hours we rented it. We had no idea how it happened – and definitely never heard or felt something when we were inside – but there were scratches along the driver’s side.

All we had done was drive and park three times. Someone must have run into the van when it had been parked. Or scratched it up on purpose. We figured our credit card insurance would take care of it. But we found out a few days ago that they didn’t. Apparently, cargo vans aren’t covered. Lesson learned: only rent passenger cars. This unfortunate event that wasn’t even our fault cost us $650!!!

After dealing with the damage report at the rental office, Mark failed to find a taxi and had to walk/run the hour back to me in France in order to make our reserved TGV train. Needless to say, this was another bad day.

Libourne

Mark and I finally had good seats on this comfortable long-distance train which brought us to Bordeaux in 2.5 hours. From there, we took a slower, 30-minute ride to Libourne followed by a 15-minute walk and two flights of narrow stairs to our next rental accommodation, a top-floor apartment. Hauling up all our bags was a bit tough, but at least we wouldn’t hear anybody above us this time.

This apartment was not made for tall people. The bed was in an alcove, the closet was pretty much unaccessible, and we removed the shelf above the sink to prevent bleeding foreheads. The kitchen table and chairs were uncomfortable so we avoided using them. None of the windows opened wide or offered a view. We couldn’t even tell what the weather was. The bathroom was fantastic, though, except for the leaking sink and sewage smell. The hallway smelled like sewage as well. It was either that or air fresheners. Which one would you pick?

During our week in Libourne, we explored the small town, walked to grocery stores, and took Maya for strolls and playtime in the amazing park nearby. We were immediately enchanted by the friendly locals and their positive attitude towards dogs.

Since the weather was bad in the beginning, we stayed close to home and kept focusing on Vario research and figuring out insurance and registration options as non-European residents. But the two less rainy days were devoted to excursions.

Saint-Emilion

Our idea had been to walk two hours to Saint-Emilion – through the countryside and vineyards – and take the train back after exploring the town. A quarter of the way there, we realized I had forgotten to pack Maya’s muzzle. This meant we’d have to walk there and back, since large dogs are only allowed on French trains when wearing a muzzle. That would be too much exercise, or one very expensive Uber ride. 

So, Mark and Maya continued on their long walk and I returned to our apartment to grab her muzzle, jog to the train station, and hop on the next train to Saint-Emilion. I would meet my companions at the station there.

Except, when I arrived and looked at Google Maps offline, I realized this tiny, closed-up train station was way out of town. There was no reason for Mark and Maya to make such a detour on foot to pick me up. But I couldn’t reach them. (My smartphone is a dumb phone, remember.)

Thanks to a friendly employee at a telecommunications business next to the tracks, I managed to contact Mark via their WiFi network and meet my companions in the center of town instead.

While unaffordable for common folks like us (which is why we didn’t stay here or eat lunch out), Saint-Emilion is super cute and could be taken straight out of a fairytale.

Because it’s small, we made a few loops through the walled center, randomly following different alleys, photographing lots of historic buildings and scenes, and slowly taking it all in.

Bordeaux

Mark was not interested in seeing yet another city and the train fare was high for Maya, so I went for a solo excursion into Bordeaux, on the Garonne River.

I enjoy me-time and exploring new places, so I didn’t mind strolling through the city for hours and taking in the architecture, the many squares and parks, and the atmosphere.

For being a big city, Bordeaux had a relaxed feel about it and offered a fair amount of open plazas and green spaces throughout the center. Plus, exploring the city by foot was good exercise for me. I walked 23,000 steps and 10 miles!

On April 16th, the next stage of our trip would start at the train station of Périgueux, where my cousin and her husband picked us up to explore the Dordogne region together. Stay tuned!

Next up: Visiting the Dordogne Region in Southern France with family

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs? Check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:

Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary

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