Introduction to the New Edition

There are numerous ways to enter southwest france. You can fly into Bordeaux or Toulouse, train in from Paris, drive in from Provence to the east or through the Pyrenees from the west. I’ve done all the above. But recently, after deciding to revise this book, I entered in a completely different way—by sea, via a British ship that turned into the Gironde to reach the outskirts of Bordeaux.

It was a remarkable journey, moving slowly, effortlessly up the river, past the beautiful King’s Lighthouse, then into the estuary, which may be the least polluted in Europe. Here sturgeon, eel, shad, shrimp, oysters, and numerous types of river fish flourish. The banks are lined with some of the finest wine producing vineyards in the world.