April 18, 2025 (Adam’s birthday)

We spent the night in Libourne and had an extraordinary experience on board – the progressive dinner. Our group of 11 started at the front desk with a glass of champagne, then we proceeded to our first stop, the galley. After seeing the galley on the Oceania Vista, this was certainly tiny in comparison but so is the boat and the number of passengers! We had our first course of a creamy vegetable soup with ginger cream. The chef talked to us about the process of stocking supplies and needing to estimate what would be needed very carefully since they do not have much storage space. The good thing is that on the river cruises they are always close to places to restock.

Then, we moved to the galley where we had a delicious soup. The chef talked with us about the limited space and how challenging it is to maintain the correct supplies.

Next we visited the laundry. Again, it is a small space with just a few staff. They work in two shifts and close at 10 PM.

We walked through the crew quarters and saw the envelopes that Roberto said are used for crew members to leave complimentary feedback for a colleague. The captain and Roberto, the general manager have their own rooms and the other crew members share either double or triple rooms. We ended at the crew mess which is where they eat their meals, relax, watch TV, etc. We had our appetizer of spring rolls and shrimp here.

Next, it was on to the bridge where we were greeted by the incoming captain (who looks quite young to me). He showed us all of the navigation. We were away from the dock during the mascarat (which happens twice a day) so it was amazing they let us in. We were served Aperol spritz here. The current captain was on the outside steering mechanism but still took time to pose for a picture with us.

Our last stop was in the private dining room where we had main course and dessert. Norm had the steak and I had the salmon. Dessert was some type of coated banana in a vanilla cream sauce.

At the dinner, Roberto talked to us about Uniworld and answered our questions, He worked on ocean ships (Princess for 16 years) but now loves river cruising. He also is so complimentary of Uniworld policies. During covid, for example, senior managers got 80% of their salaries during the time ships could not sail, and other crew got 100%. It is no wonder they are so happy with the company.

After dinner, we relaxed in the lounge and listened to the singer, Jeremy. He was a busker on the riverwalk where the boats dock in Bordeaux and one day about 10 years ago someone from Uniworld approached him to see if he would want to sing on the boat. He is here every Thursday! He was really good. He said that 22 years ago, he went to Liverpool to learn English (Not the best place for that, he said) and to learn all he could about the Beatles (went well!)

Last night Norm wasn’t feeling well, and it continued into today, so I went on the tour alone. It was to Moulin de Porcheres, a flour mill in the countryside of Libourne. It was about a 30 minute drive, past a huge business that makes barrels for the wineries. Our guide was Nikki.

She gave us a lot of information about the area and her own journey to France. She is British and owned a company there when she and her husband decided they wanted a different lifestyle and moved with their daughter to Libourne. She now considers herself French!

We were greeted on arrival to the mill. We had a demonstration of bread making and of the types of loaves you can make. We were then escorted through every part of the mill. It was built in 1847 and is now a historical monument and no longer in use. We got thorough explanations at each step and I marveled at the engineering that was involved to build the mill and to add different techniques along the way. Some of the machines were added in 1937 and the mill was operating until 2002. The process of making the flour took 1 week from start to bagging.

At the end of the tour, we each got a recipe, a tote bag and a small baguette that was baked during our tour. A very interesting day.

The last part of the tour was to the farmer’s market but we only had 30 minutes until the boat was going to sail to Bordeaux. I skipped it to see how Norm was feeling – not too well yet.

Here are some pictures from our sail back to Bordeaux. An option to have lunch on the top deck was available and I took it!

This afternoon, there is a “wine and paint” class and tonight we will be back in Bordeaux and will have an after hours experience at an old submarine base – Bassins des Lumieres. Hope Norm is up to it.

Tomorrow we have a full day in Bordeaux and will have a walking tour and packing for our trip to Paris to join the next boat.