The towel took a hit but it is never out till the fat guy sings like a bird...I ain't singing like a bird yet

Bordeaux, France is a great place.  To get here it was 4:30 am wake-up in Bilbao, Spain, a tab of immodium as a back-up {literally}, a cab to the bus station, arrived at 6:20 am in Irun, Spain on the border, cab across the border (2km) to Hendaye, France, and arrive for my 10:22 am train at 7AM.. DAMN it. Why did I get up at 4:30 am.

Anyways changed the train ticket to 8 am and off to Bordeaux with the train ride full of  head-banging on the faux leather seats and nod-offs for 2 hours. I then awoke at 10:15 am just in-time wake-up for my 10:22 am arrival.  Get off the train and I have no idea what the hell is going on and look for my trusty sign in the RR station for the tourism office. I NEED A MAP. Shoot the office is outside in that Rain again. I have no umbrella and no jacket and presently I am the only person in shorts except for the Scandinavian soccer team from above the Artic circle.

Retreat to the cafe, sit-down and read the guidebook, Buy a tram tcket from the computerized machine at the stop, Take tram C and validate the ticket on-board.  One girl is smashing the ticket machine with her purse which does not look promising. She moves away and to my grand relief in this pouring rain it says ENGLISH. YEAH!  Quickly go through the process get a one ticket and the girl is really trying to get all her change from the bottom of her purse and she tries again while I leave.  Step on the tram, knock a few folks off with my backpack, get a few merdis and off we go. I wonder if I am going the right way. Yes, it is the correct way!!!

I see a tourist office sign, missed the stop...get off at the next one with a few, excuse moi and merci, and damn it THIS is the CORRECT stop and just 10 meters away is the tourism office.  Give me wine tour, give me wine tour, give me wine tour is my chant and some reason the lemmings part in front of me. Get to a information counter and book two tours to St. emillion and Medoc and then go to another line and pay but the girl asks me about the all-day tour...sure I will take that too.

Out the door, my backpack beheads a few more kid-like tourists and walk through the ugly rain which I have not really seen in 30 days. I am soaked, my glasses are slimed and I walk to the main street and GREAT BALLS OF FIRE... there is a sign for my hotel, FOLLOW it, arrive within 10 mintues after the tourist office.  The hotel quickly finds me a clean room since  I wasn't looking to stylish for the French but the pack was getting cleaner from the rain:)  Carey would be happy.

Once settled in Bordeaux, all the tours have been great with wine everywhere, plus I did a 2 hour wine course on the Bordeaux terroir. Ask Greg what that is.  The all-day tour was great fun with folks from Hong Kong and NYC sharing bottles of wine at the lunch.  Very interesting tour on the Trade and merchants of Bordeaux.

The Towel is BACK!! Feeling pretty chipper after the 5 hour nap in my new Room in Bordeaux.  Yes, this is the wallpaper in my 9 ft by 4 foot room.  The towel is sitting on the headboard of my bed and there is an orange lamp which is my nightstand in the very center which is a right angle meeting of 2 walls in the wallpaper.