A 2-footed tour of Bordeaux’s wine country

A bottle of Bordeaux on a table at Le Noailles, a brasserie in the city of Bordeaux.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

An apricot-heavy breakfast at the Chateau d’Arche: croissants, yogurt with apricot jam, dried apricot, fresh apricot, prosciutto and coffee.   (Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune)

The writer and her husband, Thomas Park, on a vine-covered hill above St. Emilion.   (Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune)

These guys ran up to greet us after we stopped to take a photo.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

Day 3 was a walk through woods along the Garonne River, including this lush terrain next to a stream.   (Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune)

Grapes growing in St. Emilion, a popular place for oenophiles in southwestern France.   ( Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune )

Grape vines in Sauternes.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

A windmill near the town of Verdelais.   (Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune)

There’s a lot of public art in Bordeaux, including this lion.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

Art on a vacant building in Bordeaux.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

Statues of a naked man were placed around Bordeaux (like the cows in Chicago).   ( Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune )

The 22-million-year-old fossilized oyster bed in Ste. Croix du Mont.   ( Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune )

Roses and other flowers are often planted at the end of a row of grapes. Some vineyard owners use the flowers as an early warning sign to signal if the grapes are at risk of damage from mold and mildew.   ( Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune )

Our room had a view of the Chateau d’Arche vineyard.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

Most signs along the trail were helpful, but ...   ( Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune )

One of the gates to the fortified medieval town of St. Macaire.   (Thomas Park/Chicago Tribune)

A good place for a picnic, looking at the view from the grounds of the Sainte Croix du Mont church.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)

Sunflowers near St. Martin de Lerm. They grow more than grapes in Entre-Deux-Mers.   (Stephanie Reynolds/Chicago Tribune)