Thursday, October 8
After a quick visit to the Thursday morning market in the village we hit the road for the 1 hour drive to Sigean to take in the African Safari Reserve. It is split with a driving area through the reserve and then a walking picnic area. We lucked out, it was a gorgeous day. We did the driving area first and saw zebras, white rhinos, giraffes, and so many other animals. My favorites were the ostrich, because they tend to be the most entertaining. Like the safari reserve we went to near London, Ontario a few years the ostriches did not disappoint. So one of the ostriches today was on the road part, we slowed down as we approached it and it’s on the drivers side of the car. It’s kind of looking at us and steps a little closer, Shelby wants to leave as she remembers the London ostrich’s reaction (that one started pecking at the car window) but I’m thinking, this could be our only real entertainment. Sure enough the bird starts trying to eat the car, it seemed only interested in the side mirror for some reason. Had we not started to pull away it looked like it was going to keep trying to munch it. Shelby is yelling to go and continues to have a fear of ostriches.
Ostrich at the Sigean African Safari Reserve
We then checked out the bears and lions, they were in their own habitats. The lions were pretty mellow just lazing around but the bears were interesting, they seemed curious of the cars and walked on the roads. When we came back for our second tour of the bears they were sitting right at the gate since they can’t cross the spinning metal thing on the ground. One had his knee bent and arm rested on it, it looked like such a human mannerism.
Black bear at Sigean African Safari Reserve
Our walk throughout the grounds was interesting too. There were so many pink flamingo’s and other bird type animals, ducks, geese etc. Then there was an alligator, and turtles and snakes. Chimpanzees and elephants and impala’s. Overall a good safari and well worth going to.
Pink Flamingos at the African Safari Reserve
On our drive there I kept seeing these billboards for this place called Terra Vinéa. It had a picture of a family with wine barrels in a cave setting. Well it turned out to be about 5 minutes past the Safari reserve so with one kid on board for the detour and the other wanting to go home…I decided we go to the cave since she was outnumbered 2 to 1 :-). We lucked out and showed up just as a 1hr 30min tour was starting at 3pm. It started with a petit train ride to the entrance and then we walked down this amazing stair case to the start of the cave. Watched some weird light show for a few minutes then used our tour info device to follow along what was being said as the tour was in French of course. It used to be an and old mine, we were 80 metres below the Corbières Massif in which the owners of Rocbère wines use it to mature their wine in the oak barrels in the naturally air conditioned caves. It was really beautiful to walk throughout the cave. Shelby was starting to feel like t was a little musty after awhile and was ready to cut the tour short be were committed till the end.
Entrance to the wine cave at Terra-Vinéa
The barrels at Terra-Vinéa
A 50 minute drive home from the Sigean area with a quick stop at the Super U for some groceries and we were home in time for the kids to find the local kids in the square ready to play for awhile while I prepped dinner.
A couple games of crazy eights followed by some 31 and before you know it, it’s shower, story and bed time.
