TheCastles and Wine from Bordeaux 波爾多的城堡與美酒

BORDEAUX—The name appears on millions of bottles of wine， one would almost forget it is also the name of a town in France. The place is crowded with cathedrals， statues and other monuments that remind you of its great history and cultural importance. The city became rich some centuries ago thanks to the two rivers “Garonne” and “Gironde”， as overseas ships from many continents used the port for trading. Nowadays the port has lost its importance， but the name of Bordeaux did not lost its prestige， thanks to the sweet gold wine！

A visit to the vineyards is a pleasure. The landscapes are just fantastic—this countryside is ideal for a bicycle trip—it is a great way to explore the little villages， meet the locals， experience the “couleur locale”.

The landscapes are dotted with castles， which makes the experience sometimes like being in a fairy tale. A lot of these castles can be visited， often a guided tour with explanation about the wine making process and wine tasting is offered—this is really the good life！ A little word of warning however： it can become hot， very hot， and when with a bicycle， one had better not exaggerate wine tasting along the way.

But dont worry. The good life can be continued when one comes back in the evening and you can enjoy the richness of the French cuisine. Oysters and Foie gras， of course with the appropriate choice of Bordeaux wine. It is difficult to make a choice from the menu. Many nice restaurants are often at great locations with a nice atmosphere. And after dinner a nice stroll in town， watch the sun set， and then a nightcap in the hotel—good life can be simple！

Bordeaux， a place to remember and return to！

波爾多——一個在酒瓶上出現了百萬次的名字，人們幾乎快忘了它還是一個法國小鎮的名字。這個地方到處都是教堂、雕塑和其他讓你能回憶起這座小鎮的偉大歷史和文化重要性的遺跡。在幾個世紀前，由于加龍河和紀龍德河流經這里，所以來自各個大陸的商船都把這里作為交易的港口，因此波爾多變得富裕了起來。雖然現在港口已經失去了它的重要性，但是波爾多的聲譽猶在，因為那甘甜的瓊漿——金黃色的葡萄酒！

參觀葡萄園是一種樂趣。風景真的是太迷人了——這里的郊外是騎自行車旅行的理想之地——那正是一種探索小村落，偶遇當地人，體驗地方色彩的絕佳方式。

地平線上聳立著各式各樣的城堡，使人仿佛置身于童話世界。其中的很多城堡是可以參觀的，通常會有導游解釋葡萄酒的制作工序，并且可以讓游客品嘗——這真是一種美妙的生活啊！但是，有一個小小的警告：葡萄酒可能會變得很烈，非常烈，所以當你騎著自行車旅行時，沿途最好別過度地品嘗。

但是也不必太擔心，當夕陽西下踏上歸途時，美好的生活仍然可以繼續，你可以享受到豐富的法國菜，牡蠣、鵝肝醬，當然，適度的波爾多葡萄酒也是一個不錯的選擇。要從這些菜單中做出選擇真是一件為難的事情。有許多優雅的旅館，通常坐落在很好的位置并且氛圍都不錯。晚飯過后，在小鎮漫步，靜觀夕陽西下，然后睡前在旅館里小酌一杯——簡單的生活也是一種幸福！

波爾多，一個令人懷念和想重返的地方！

Word Study

prestige /pre'sti??/ n. 聲望;聲譽;威望

There is a lot of prestige attached to owning a car like this.

exaggerate /?ɡ'z?d??re?t/ v. 夸大;夸張;言過其實

The hotel is very dirty and Im not exaggerating.

stroll /stro?l/ n. 散步;溜達;漫步

We went for a stroll in the park.