Wine.

 Just outside of Bordeaux, Olivia and I embarked on a walking tour of two vineyards. The grapes were nearly ready for harvest, and so, I harvested some. Turns out, they arent really made for eating. WHO KNEW?

After our first stretch of walking, a 6km trek or so, we sat down to a tasting and lunch on the yard of the first estate. We continued walking through the ocean of Merlots and Malbecs, and arrived at the second vineyard. We were given a full tour of the facilities, and of course, the wines.
The people of Bordeaux have an incredible passion for their wines. The 18th century buildings house both the harvesting tools of their predecessors, and the elegant sparkle of state of the art machinery.
I am often surprised by how physical places can evoke emotional responses- (The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls,so on and so forth) but in these rolling countryside vineyards, the emotion is no surprise. The French adhere to a style of life known as simply "la Vie Tranquille", and I'm beginning to understand.