We spent our first day in France, our 3rd country of the trip and new to both kids, in the city of Bordeaux, kicking it off with Croque Monsieurs and a local red blend at a cafe. Next the kids enjoyed sitting on the carousel. We walked to the main square where the kids had a blast splashing in the water at the city’s ‘mirror wall’. It was adorable watching the kids run around in their underwear and diaper in the water in front of the river and Bordeaux architecture.

We then checked in to Domaine de Mercade, a chateau converted into a BnB, and enjoyed some time playing in their large yard with their lovely dog, Dayton. We went to a nearby pizzeria for dinner and retreated for the night while Gaurav watched Croatia beat England in he semi finals. The next morning, we went to the Saint Emilion region, and started off with a tour and tasting at La Gaffelierre, a premier grand cru chateau dating back to the 11th century. We enjoyed Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends while kids munched on the breadsticks. We enjoyed steak tartare, poached eggs with foie gras and sea bream with chorizo at a restaurant called Lord et Bouchon. The town of Saint Emilion is charming and very quaint with lots of wine stores and restaurants. Our next appointment was in Chateau Tournfeuille in Pomerol. Pomerol and Saint Emilion are known for their Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends. We had dinner at a small creperie in a nearby village before retreating back to our chateau.

We drove to the Medoc region (“the middle land”) on our last day that is well known for its Cabernet Souvignon blends. We started in the beautiful property of Chateau Dauzak in the town of Margaux. The kids enjoyed the sprawling gardens, fountains, sheep and automatic lawn mowers. After our wine tasting (with a self guided walk) we stopped at the La Garre Gourmand (or the gourmet station) for lunch. It was a cute little outdoor restaurant right next to the train tracks and with two 5 month old bunnies. We had our final tasting at Chateau Ferreire before hearing back to our chateau where we sat in the garden, played with Dayton, drank a bottle of wine while the kids played on the trampoline. We didn’t have a great dinner experience since the host was being too snooty with the kids. Overall we loved our experience at the chateau, but from a wine perspective realized we are too spoilt by the amazing Napa and Sonoma wines and the relaxing tasting experiences there. Onto Lyon, our second and last stop in France.