Back in North Germany since one week, but it would be great to be back again in south-west France and especially Saint-Émilion. Why? I will try to explain in more detail.
During my one week journey through south-west France, i spent around three days in Saint-Émilion.
So the main reason for my journey was Saint-Émilion. Drinking alcohol/wine is not my favorite subject (but i tried a few wines and enjoyed it), so what was my motivation?
In the year 2000, a video game with the name 'Vagrant Story' was released and it impressed me in so many different aspects. Especially the general graphical/art design and atmosphere were fantastic and unique.
Around two years before the final game released, the Japanese development team visited Saint-Émilion to take their impressions back to Japan and later into the game.
As i said, the game was exceptional and when i heard that Saint-Émilion was the inspiration for many aspects of it (by far, it is not a simple 1:1 copy), i always wanted to visit this town. Now, it was possible. And it was great!
There are so many things to write about both Vagrant Story and Saint-Émilion and it absolutely fascinates me to experience the game again directly after visiting the city, but it would be too much for the moment, so i will concentrate on my visit of Saint-Émilion from now on.
The city itself with its ~ 1.800 inhabitants has a small scape, so it is possible to explore it on foot (good shoes with a profile are generally recommended). You can reach all interesting parts within minutes.
On my first evening in the city, i went to the Office de Tourisme to ask for different things ('Which parts of the city should i visit?'/'Where can i eat something nice?'/etc.) and the woman was very kind, patient and spoke good English. Great!
On my second day, i did the Monolithic Church tour (15 €) with an English speaking tour guide and it was great and very interesting. She spoke loud and clear, with very good English knowledge and of course excellent historical knowledge. And she was quite funny, too, so the tour had a positive atmosphere. Thank you so much :)
During my stay, i also visited all the other 'Must-sees' and every street at least once to get an overall impression of the history and the atmosphere of the city, so i would recommend to stay longer then just one day/a few hours to really get a feeling for everything without rushing.
For example: I enjoyed it a lot to buy some breakfast at the boulangerie in the morning and eating near the King's Tower with a view over the city and hearing the birds chirping and doing their first morning training flights. It's wonderful.
And i was also very happy to visit the Bell Tower! The first two days, i thought it is not possible to visit it during my stay, but i think i misunderstood somebody in a conversation at the hotel. Because the door of the Bell tower said 'Visit between ...' or something similiar, i went to the Office de Tourisme again and the friendly English Monolithic Church tour guide confirmed that it is possible. Nice :) It costs 2 € + your identity card to get the key for the door and then you can experience it by yourself.
I could write so much more, but for the moment, it should be fine.
During my whole journey, i met many friendly people. Also speaking English with almost all people was absolutely fine. But after a few days, i realized that my school french is also getting a bit better again.
My stay in Bordeaux was also good with many interesting, historical/cultural things to experience, but the specific charm of Saint-Émilion and some of the people i met there in combination with my video game experience with 'Vagrant Story' has left a deep impression on me.
I hope i will have the chance to visit you again (End of August/September 2023 or June 2024), probably with new questions then ;) Thank you so much and all the best for the Team.