The rooftops of Saint-Émilion...

“Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and  ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century. In the 4th century, the Latin poet Ausonius lauded the fruit of the bountiful vine.The town was named after the monk Émilion, a travelling confessor, who settled in a hermitage carved into the rock there in the 8th century. It was the monks who followed him that started up the commercial wine production in the area.” Wikipedia
 
Our original plan had been to spend the last morning of our visit, wandering around the narrow streets of Saint-Émilion, (one of my favourite places in France, if not the world!) then enjoy a leisurely lunch at one of the restaurants in the village square, underneath the trees (extra photo No 6). But due to the plans of yesterday’s unexpected visitors, things had to change and instead we only had a couple of hours to enjoy this beautiful ancient village, and no time for lunch, though we did manage to squeeze in a drink under the trees, soaking up the atmosphere. Even on a grey day, Saint-Émilion has a special charm all of its own…

So after two blissful hours, we were taken to Bordeaux Airport, arriving four hours before our flight was due, which meant we were far too early to even check-in our bags. Bordeaux Billi terminal serves only Easyjet and Ryanair, and as you can imagine, is not a very luxurious terminal. In fact before check-in, there were no facilities whatsoever, not even seats! So we dragged our bags to the main terminal where we found a seat and a sarnie for lunch. Two hours later back again to the budget terminal to check-in, then eventually it was homeward bound, to the rolling green fields of Somerset…