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Adding a picture

There are no really good iPad blog editors.

This added in Wordpad.

Southampton to Paris Orly takes about and hour and a quarter. Clearing immigration, collecting luggage and getting into the city by bus and then catching the Metro 4 and 7 and walking to the hotel took quite a bit longer. We are at the Hotel de Canal on the Avenue de Flandre in the 19th arrondissement, north east of the city centre. This is a cosmopolitan area in an unfashionable part of Paris, but like the rest of the city, there are pubs, cafes, bistros and eateries galore, together with Tabacs and overpriced supermarkets.

Shirl, Bassin de la Villette

After settling into the somewhat cramped room (yes madam, this is the ‘superior’ room) we got ready to go out. It was a lovely sunny day, but cool as one might expect at the end of October, so we ensured that we dressed warmly. Our first port of call was the Bassin de la Villette just behind the hotel.We stopped in at the mk2 cafe for a drink, then headed off westwards along the Boulevard de la Chapelle towards Sacre Coeur, the brilliant white 1870′s Byzantine styled catholic church which overlooks Paris from the Montmartre hill.

The Boulevard de la Chapelle and the area to the north of it might have been smart once upon the time but is rather seedy now. Many of the shops were selling African clothing, food and other goods, a reminder of France’s former days as a colonial power and perhaps its current days as a neo-colonial one. The basilica could be seen from time to time, but remained mostly hidden behind buildings. We wound our way upwards and around, heading in the general direction of Sacre Coeur until suddenly it appeared high on the hill which we had to negotiate via a steep set of steps.

Steps leading to Sacre Coeur

The site was extremely busy with tourists and touts, the latter selling hideous lit-up models of the Eiffel and other tourist tat.

The Basilica Sacre Coeur, Montmartre

The history of Sacre Coeur is an interesting one, but it is difficult to divide myth from reality with respect to the decision to build it. The Third Republic which replaced the monarchy after the defeat of France in the Franco Prussian war (1870) was not popular with all and it took less than a year before the first uprising of the Commune in Montemarte in April 1871. 58000 were killed in the uprising. Some claim that the basilica was built to honour them, others that it was built to expiate of their crimes. Parisian politics is never simple. The foundations stone was laid in 1875.

Sacre Coeur is impressive, not only because of the design but also because of the travertine stone used in its construction. Travertine exudes calcite, so the basilica remains white in spite of pollution and weathering.

There is not a great deal of space to move, which made photographing the building quite difficult. The hill provides a commanding view of Paris to the south, although much of the view is obscured by trees.

We headed back towards Boulevard de la Chapelle, stopping in at a local library for coffee and then an area on Boulevard de Rochechouart featuring a large number of shops selling textiles of every sort. We got back to the hotel at about 17h30.

Textile market area, Boulevard de Rochechuart

After a short rest, we headed off to a nearby Jewish restaurant where Shirl had Kafta and I had lamb and beef kebabs. The food was excellent. We completed the evening by walking along the canal and calling in at a Tabac and a supermarket.

The TV did not work (no bother) and the shower was lukewarm. We made a mental note to query this.

Tuesday 26 October.

La Defense lies to the west of Paris and is named for the area where the army and volunteers attempted the defense of Paris in 1870. This is a very modern area of steel, concrete and glass and Mitterand’s Grand Arche, which I especially wanted to see. Getting there involved catching Line 7 to Opera and then crossing over to the RER at Auber. What I had forgotten was that passage on the RER is limited to central Paris, so we had difficulty getting through the turnstiles at La Defense. We were helped by a friendly local who tried to explain the intricacies of the Parisian public transport system. There are two services (no, I don’t know why) consisting of the Metro (Lines 1-14) and the RER (Lines A-E). Unlike London, trips (10 carnets cost €12) on the Metro costs the same, no matter the length of the journey. It would be good if the same approach was used on the London Underground.

La Defense, shopping

La Defense is quite stunning, especially in the sunlight with the glass fronted buildings reflecting their respective images. Attractive high rises, expansive shopping malls and broad open spaces dominate. Le Arche, my main reason for visiting, is a massive hollowed-out cube built as a modern day version of the Arc de Triomphe and dominates the plaza. The plan for this monument was initiated by Francois Mitterand and was completed in 1989, with the inauguration taking place with much pomp and ceremony in July to mark the bicentennial of the French Revolution.

Grande Arche, La Defense

The structure a little confusing to begin with, given that it is does not face the square directly, being turned somewhat to the right. Apparently, this was the only way to provide effective foundations, given that the metro, RER and a motorway pass beneath it. However, the exact 6.33 degree turn serves also to provide a secondary axis with the two tallest structures in Paris – the Tour Montparnasse and the Eiffel. The first axis is the one formed by the Arche, the Arc de Triomphe, the Needle (Place de la Concorde) and the Louvre Palace. The structure is massive – Notre Dame would fit comfortably beneath it.

Office buildings, La Defense

La Defense also boasts a number of large multi-level shopping malls which we explored. These got extremely busy as the morning progressed so I was more than happy to get into the sunshine and stroll along the boulevard checking out the architecture and the boules players. We headed back to the hotel in the early afternoon – getting mixed up yet again between the RER and the Metro lines and wasting two carnets.

We returned to the mk2 restaurant for dinner, sharing a half bottle of wine and Tapas (chicken pieces, ham, smoked salmon, salad) at a tiny table on the enclosed patio. Parisians likes to eat out, so there were plenty of people, notwithstanding the early hour. I took the first of a few night photographs and we ended up at yet another scruffy supermarket before heading home.

The shower was still lukewarm (due to be repaired by Thursday) and the TV still did not work.

Wednesday 27 October

Science Museum, Parc de la Villette

The Parc de la Villette, a 35 acre green space housing fields and Paris’s Science Museum, was only a short walk from the hotel. We had intended to only look at Le Geode (a spherical i-Max theatre) , but on arrival saw that one of the feature movies was Hubble, which covers the launch and repair of the Hubble telescope plus some quite outstanding pictures collected from it.

Map, Cite des Sciences & de L

For a few extra euros we got tickets to the museum as well. In spite of the fact that the Cite des Sciences & de L’industrie is the biggest science museum in Europe, I found the museum somewhat disappointing. The features were limited. A mathematics activity advertised outside was only set to start in mid November. Food and drink was extremely expensive and not particularly good and the place was crowded.

We walked back along the canal, enjoying the sun, on the way home.

3 fish and a few other tasty bits

Cafe Le Dome, Invalides, Paris

Because it was our anniversary, we decided to visit Le Vauban, a well known restaurant behind Les Invalides. This involved journeys on tMetro Line 7 to Opera and Line 8 to Les Invilides and a walk past Les Invilides to the restaurant. It was a pleasant evening and we enjoyed looking over the up-market apartments which are characteristic of this area. The restaurant was on Place Vauban. It is an attractive building, with plenty of warm wood, crisp linen and sparkling silverware and quiet, it being relatively early for eating out. We were presented with an impressive menu and settled for the main selection with the help of the friendly young waitress. The meal was quite outstanding. Shirl started with a mushroom dish and them had a main course made up of three different types of fish. I had pate de foie gras and beef, which was excellent. We followed with ice cream and coffee and went home via the Eiffel and the river, taking a few photographs. We were back at the hotel by 23h00. Lukewarm water.

Thursday 28th October.

Paris Axis 2 - Tour Eiffel and La Defense beyond, from Tour Montparnasse

We had coupons to visit the Tour Montparnasse and the Aquarium, but would not be able to do both, this being our last day. We decided on the Tour Montparnasse given that there was a shopping mall nearby. The trip involved three train journeys – Line 7 to Opera, Line 8 to Las Motte Picquet Grenelle and then line 6 to Montparnasse Bienvenue. The Tour Montparnasse is the tallest building in Paris – some 53 levels. The view from the very top (in excess of 200 metres above ground) provides splendid views of Paris in every direction. Unfortunately, the day was overcast and not very camera friendly. Nevertheless, I took quite a few shots in the hope that some would lend themselves to editing with Aperture. It was interesting to look along the Second Paris axis – Tour Montparnasse, Tour Eiffel and La Defense, although I could not quite make out Le Grande Arche. With hindsight, it would have been better to have done this visit on Tuesday when the weather was clearer, or perhaps of an evening.

Gare Montparnasse

There is also an excellent view of Gare Montparnesse, the new station which replaced the old, which stood on the spot where the current tower and shopping precinct stands. For those who have read Frederick Forsythe’s Day of The Jackal, the site of the attempted hit on De Gaulle was the old station, just before it was to be pulled down. The new station serves the rail links to the south.

After the tour we did some shopping and had a light meal in the shopping centre, then returned to collect our baggage and head for Orly. This involved two trains, Line 7 and Line 4 to Denfert Rochereau, where we caught the OrlyBus. We were home by 18h45.

General Comments.

I have always been a little confused by the apparent historical ‘hostility’ between the French and the English. After two short trips to Paris, I can only say that I have found Parisians very friendly, in spite of my appalling French. All the people we dealt with were patient and helpful. Perhaps they recognised me as non-English. The French are a proud nation and very aware of their rights, be it to disagree volubly when arguing with one another or striking when the feel that their individual rights are being infringed. In the UK (and especially England) people are indoctrinated from an early age to be politically correct and to follow the diktats of the state, rather like our German cousins, which is why government gets away with taking us into illegal wars and steadily stripping us of our individual rights.

Paris is well known for fashion and it was interesting to see the care that people take with their dress, compared to England. Perhaps we should be more like the French.

Vive la France!

Paris October 2010 Set : Map of Paris :

Source: OliverN5's Flickr site. http://tinyurl.com/yconzep

The Gare du Nord is only two and a half hours from St Pancras, time enough to enjoy the changing scenery, complete some work, read or listen to an audiobook without getting bored. The Eurostar is fast (300km/h), comfortable and involves far less hassle than travelling by air, given the inconvenience one faces at airports these days. There is just one security and passport check at the departing station. I had no problems carrying two bottles of water and a pocket knife and did not have to wait for luggage to be unloaded. Each coach has a section where luggage can be stored. Trains can of course be delayed – we set off 30 minutes late, possibly due to the knock on effect of a collision between two commuter trains on a local line in Brussels that morning, and arrived 50 minutes behind schedule, but the return trip was on time.

Kent and northern France were buried under a blanket of snow. While I knew from geography lessons that the North European Plain extends from the Pyrenees to the Urals, it is only by travelling across it that one gets an idea of how extensive and flat it is. It is also easy to see how much bigger France is than the UK, with villages and towns further apart and farms appreciably bigger.

Eurostars Panorama, 9 Rue des Messageries Paris 75010

We booked into the Eurostars Panorama, about 10 minutes walk south from Gare du Nord. However, it took us quite a bit longer to find it, using a somewhat circuitous route. The Panorama is small, close to the Metro (Poissonniere) and discrete and has recently undergone a refurbishment. The staff were very pleasant and helpful and the room clean and neat if somewhat small – ideal if one is out and about most of the time, as we were. We had breakfast each morning – a choice of juices, fresh fruit, yoghurt, cold meats, cheeses, toast, rolls, croissants, egg, bacon and viennas, tea, coffee and chocolat. This provided most of the necessary calories we needed for our walks across the city. It did not, however, stop us from enjoying the local restaurants.

Paris is a large city, split into a left and right bank by the Seine. It has an extensive transport system consisting of buses, the Metro and the RER and water buses of different sorts. We walked as much as possible, but took one Metro ride (€1.60 for a single trip, no matter the distance) and also the hop on-hop off Batobus service (€13 per day) which plies the Seine between Eiffel and Jardin les Plantes, to to enable ourselves to see more in the limited time we had. We did a lot of walking – about 12 miles on our first day, eight on the second and six on the third. This enabled us to see a good part of the Paris other than the popular tourist sites. Our first sojourn on Monday evening took us down the Boulevard Poissonniere / Bonne Nouvelle / Denis / St Martin to the Place de la Republique where we had a good meal at the Pizza Pino, followed by coffee and an early night.

Eiffel Tower, looking west.

Tuesday was a perfect day for seeing Paris – somewhat cold (-4 when we set out at about 8h30) but with a brilliant blue sky. We walked directly south and crossed the Seine at Pont Neuf, then followed the river in a westerly direction aiming for the Tour Eiffel. We passed the Musée d’Orsay (long queue) and eventually arrived at the Eiffel. My main interest was the architecture so I was happy to walk around taking photographs. The 120 year-old 300 metre Eiffel has to be seen to be appreciated. It was the tallest man made structure until the completion on the Chrysler Building in NY in 1930. The Eiffel is an extremely popular tourist spot and long queues are common, no matter the season. The view from the top is said to be exceptional, especially on a clear day, so it was with some regret that we decided to move on rather than waste time in the queue.

Roof of the Grand Palais

Our next stop was the Grand Palais, on the Right Bank opposite des Invalides. We crossed the Pont Alexandre III, but found that the venue was closed on Tuesdays (Why?). We were, however, able to look through the windows at the impressive roof. The building, opened in 1900, is currently being refurbished.

We tried our luck at the Musée d’Orsay again, but the crowds had not abated, so we set off into Saint Germain. There was little of interest to see, so we turned north and crossed the Pont du Carrousel to look at the glass pyramids in the Louvre courtyard, then headed westwards again through the Jardin du Carrousel and the Jardins Tuileries heading for the Place de la Concorde.

Fountains, Place de la Concorde.

The Place de la Concorde once played host to Madame Guillotine. About 1300 people lost their heads here, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre. The Place de la Concorde now features the gold tipped obelisk gifted to Louis Philippe by Mohammed Ali in 1831 and a number of interesting fountains which, unfortunately, are turned off during the winter.

We crossed the river yet again and checked the Batobus timetable and prices before making our weary way home. We had covered about 12 miles and my feet were aching, mainly because I had forgotten to change out of my shoes and into hiking boots after breakfast. We snacked in our room and had an early night in anticipation of an early start to Wednesday.

Musée d'Orsay

Wednesday was, as forecast, an overcast day, but the promised sleet did not materialise. We were at breakfast by seven and then off to the Musée d’Orsay. The walk took about 45 minutes, leaving us at the head of the queue but waiting for a further 45 minutes for the gates to open. However, the queue had grown somewhat by 9h30, so we enjoyed a relatively crowd-free wander through the museum. The Musée d’Orsay is a converted railway station and still has the original clock on the wall. It features sculptures, paintings, furniture, glassware amongst other things.

My main aim was to explore the Impressionist Gallery on the top floor. Unfortunately, it was closed for restoration. A small selection of work was on display on the ground floor and the rest either in storage or ‘on tour’ in other countries. Generally speaking, there was not a great deal to see and I thought the entrance fee of €8.00 excessive, especially given that most museums in the UK are free to the public.

Batoboat coming into Notre Dame

And so the the Batoboat, which took us upstream to the Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame. Notre Dame is one of the first Gothic cathedrals, started in 1160 by Bishop Sully. The building was smaller than I expected but is an impressive structure nevertheless. There was no charge to enter and plenty of sightseers, mainly Japanese. Renovations were being made on the northern side and the stairways to the top were closed due to icing. I was particularly impressed by the flying buttresses at the end of the building.

Arc de Triomph

Returning to the Batoboat, we headed off to the Champs Elysées stop, walked along river and then cut up the Avenue George V. We had a good meal at George V a la Alma and then walked up to the Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomph. The Champs Elysées is a pleasure to walk along. It is clean and has the widest pavements I have ever seen in a city. The traffic circling the Arc de Triomph was quite startling. Getting into and staying in the appropriate lane is not something French drivers do. What they do do is hoot.

After a quick look at the Arc de Triomph we headed down Avenue d’Lena towards the Eiffel and the Batoboat, taking it back to Notre Dame, where we bought Metro tickets and caught the Metro to Poissinnier and the hotel from Chátilet.

We got up relatively late on Thursday and, after breakfast, headed down to Les Halles. This area was a major Parisian food market for several centuries before a massive underground shopping centre was built there in the 1970s. We had passed through the Jardin Les Halles every day on our walks downtown but had left the shopping centre for another day. It was hardly inspiring and it is easy to see why it not popular.

The Pompidou Centre

We walked eastwards up Rue Rambuteau to the Pompidou Centre, which is well worth a look. We did not go into the centre as we had set the morning aside to explore the Musée Picasso. However, when we eventually got to the Musée Picasso we found that it had closed for refurbishment in August 2009 and that it would only reopen in 2012. Had we known this beforehand, we would probably have looked in on the Pompidou.

We headed back to the hotel, getting something to eat and drink on the way, collected our baggage and walked up to Gare du Nord. We had a quick and comfortable trip back to St Pancras and then caught a train back to Southampton.

Three days is not nearly enough time to see all that Paris has to offer but does provide a useful platform upon which to plan further trips. It is clear that the winter months are used for a good deal of refurbishment and renovation, meaning that many museums offer only a limited catalogue. We were disappointed not to see the full impressionist catalogue at Musée d’Orsay and to have found the Musée Picasso closed. I had also planned on seeing Sacré Coer and Le Grande Arche but simply ran out of time. These will have to wait for another day.

Technological developments provide a number of useful resources for travellers. iTunes hosts a useful number of applications which make getting around easier. I downloaded Paris Smart Maps, Metro and RAPT apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Paris Smart Maps was especially useful as it does not require data roaming to work. This application proved better for navigation than two dedicated GPS devices I trialled in the city. My handhled Garmin eTrex Vista, which is excellent for walking across open country, had trouble maintaining a link with the necessary satellites in built up areas and a Garmin satnav from my car made it difficult to find the most direct route given that it assumed that the user was in a car which needed to take the many one way systems into account.

Other useful applications include those which provide translations for common phrases and guides to the main attractions. When it comes to paper, there are a good number of publications featuring lots of pictures. However, the Paris Rough Guide is excellent, providing good detail about the city and its history.

Notre Dame - southern facade

Map of Paris : Link to commuter maps (bus, RER, Metro, Zones) : Paris set on Flickr :

Valentina, our friendly deli owner in Montaione

A number of things struck me – the beauty of the Tuscan hills, the warmth and friendliness of the people, the healthy lifestyle and the pride that Italians have in their community, cities and country. The streets seemed less grubby than those in the UK and the facilities cleaner and in better order generally. The Italians have a great sense of community which is sorely lacking in southern England. We saw neighbours out in the streets late into the evening, talking and drinking together, enjoying the late warmth of the day. People were eager to help – notwithstanding the language difficulties.

We were impressed by the driving, after being led to believe than Italian motorists were all frustrated F1 wannabees. This was not the case. Speed limits are lower than in the UK and drivers were careful.

What really stood out was the ‘elegance’ of the Italian women, no matter their age. We saw very few overweight people in Italy. People were active – walking and cycling to and from the shops to a far greater extent than in the UK. There were plenty of scooters and cars were smaller. We saw Land Rovers (farm type) but very few Chelsea Tractors, no mobility scooters and quite a few of these three wheeled farm vehicles.

The leaning tower

We stumbled upon the cathdral square by accident more than design and spent an hour doing the tourist bit. The leaning tower is quite something, attracting far more attention than the duomo and other buildings, which are larger. We were unable to look at other attractions in Pisa as we had to get our car back by 15h30, so it was back across the Arno and to the airport.

Pisa has a specialised Hire Car Terminal, and it was packed. We were pleased that we had chosen a less known rental, which was not at all busy and were soon at the main airport terminal, waiting to check in.

Our flights on the return trip were more or less on time. We were at the front of the aircraft for once, and were off quickly at Heathrow.  Entering the UK as a resident is quick and easy.We had no problem with our baggage and found our taxi man waiting as we exited.  We collected our car in Addlestone and were back in Southampton by 01h00 on Sunday.

Postcards of Montaione

We kept our exploration of our local town for our last but one day, but limited it to the old town and the weekly market, with which we started. The market was very similar to local markets in England – essentially cheap, low quality clothing, utensils, watches, wallets, mobile telephone accessories and tools. Shirley bought two attractive and colourful table cloths which look reasonable but have yet to face the test of going through the washer.

Painting by local artist

The old town is rectangular, navigated by three parallel main streets and a number of linking cross ways. As might be expected, there is a square kind of in the middle, and the local church. There were a variety of shops selling clothing, wine (plenty of local Chianti), cold drinks, postcards, cigarettes, furniture, specialty foods and art.

Frank and I repaired to the coffee shop for ice-creams and coffee, leaving the ladies to do their shopping and finally got together at the local Coop to get supplies for the evening.

Frank, the square, Montaione

After this, we visited a farm shop which had been closed earlier in the week and purchased a number of food items for home from the butchery. This was followed by a visit to the previously closed Portabelo market, where I purchased a two-cup expresso maker.

Barred window, Certaldo

This is yet another ancient walled hill town, although modern Certaldo lies in the valley. The old town, Certaldo Alto, can be accessed by both funicular and road. Most tourists probably use the funicular, which costs only €1,20. The hill town is small and mainly of brick. There are a number of attractive restaurants which provide stunning views of the surrounding countryside. There is one main street running the length of the town, and a number of smaller streets branching off to the winding sub streets lower down the hill. Certaldo was also on the Via Francigena – the old trade and pilgrim route which brought wealth to so many Tuscan towns in medieval times.

It began raining soon after we got there, so we ducked into a cafe for coffee. We were lucky enough to be there for a wedding, which attracted quite a bit of attention from both locals and tourists, with the bride walking the length of the street to meet her husband to be at the top of the town.

There was not a great deal to do in Certaldo, other than enjoy the views, which included a good number of interesting doors.

We decided to return in the evening for a meal at the Taverna l’ Antics Fonte, which provided a stunning view of the surrounding countryside and, later in the evening, the lights of the surrounding towns, including San Gimignano.

The meal was quite excellent – certainly the best pasta I have tasted. Unfortunately I cannot remember what the dish was called, but it included plenty of sun dried tomatoes and spices. We had a red from the San Gimignano area – Chianti Colli Senesi Reserva 2005, from Pondering Del Paridiso, which was good.

Like other towns in Tuscany, Certaldo  has a long and bloody history. In the 15th century it was  plundered by the troops of Fernando I, King of Naples, and the allied troops of Pope Sisto IV, both supporters of the Republic of Sienna.

See virtual views of Certaldo. Java required.

Shirley in Certaldo

Gelateria, San Gimignano

San Gimignano is another of Tuscany’s ancient walled Etruscan hilltop towns. The ancient walls remain, although much of the modern town lies outside of them. Rather like Siena, San Gimignano is geared up to take full advantage of cash loaded tourists. The area produces a well known local white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. It also has a world renowned (and extremely busy) award winning ice-cream shop.

Towers, San Gimignano

What makes San Gimignano especially attractive is the large number of ancient towers, built by the leading families to protect themselves from invaders and one another.  Some call San Gimignano the Manhattan of the Middle Ages, and it is easy to see why. In the 14th century, the town boasted 72 towers, of which 13 remain today. The town grew wealthy during the middle ages, mainly because the Via Francigena (trade and pilgrim route) passed through it. In the later middle ages saffron was cultivated in the area, adding to the wealth of the city.

Fortifications, San Gimignano

Once again, goods were expensive in the main tourist areas, but we did find some leather handbags at a reasonable price. We visited the ice-cream shop, but avoided spending on anything else.

The old hilltop fortifications were well worth a visit, providing a wonderful view of the old town lying below, the surrounding countryside and the Elsa River valley.

This is a town well worth visiting, providing a good example of Tuscan medieval urban design.

Vines on the way to Orzale winery, near Montaione

We decided to do a trip to local farms and villages, looking for food and wine. Alas, most were closed early on in the week. However, it was useful to get one’s bearings and to see the extent to which local farmers have taken advantage of the demand for the Tuscan views and climate. Tourist accommodation abounds in this area, bringing in a good amount of foreign money to the area and changing the balance of the economy as agriculture becomes less important.

One of the big plusses is that the tourists are discerning and want the full bang for their buck. This has led to the upgrading of many building as well as a move from quantity to quality when it comes to wine making. The old style basket-weave bottles of plonk have given way to better quality blended wines using Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon nd Merlot to provide wines with more body. Modern Chianti wines are growing in popularity world wide.

Bondi Luigi's Chianti Superior and Toscana Bianco

We did eventually find Bondi Luigi, Tuscan farmer, wine maker, artist and villa magnate, who sold us six bottles of his Orzale wine and a bottle of his olie olivio. We stopped short of buying any of his paintings, however.

Shopping as usual on the way home (there is no such thing as passing a shop with in the company of Britain’s two finest shoppers), this time at PAM where we got out supplies for the evening. We also found the Portabelo market which had been recommended to us, but it was closed and would need a visit at a later date.

Frank drawing

Home early for some quality time in the garden and the pool, followed by an early supper and an evening with our neighbours who found to their horror that the wine they had bought at a local estate was much cheaper at the supermarket.

Caveat emptor.