Bordeaux - A quaint and pleasant town

After a wonderful five days in Paris which included our excursion to Versailles Palace, we decided it was time to leave the bustling streets of the capital city of France and make our way to the southwestern part of France to the small town called Bordeaux known for its world famous vineyards.

Although we fully enjoyed our time in Paris, we did find that the Parisians were not as friendly or helpful. They were rather pushy, did not understand the system of lining up, and we were unable to find a tourist office which could help us plan the rest of our stay in France. With this in mind, we were a little apprehensive in reaching Bordeaux, as we were not sure what to expect here either. But to our surprise and luck, as soon as we arrived at the train station, we were able to find a tourist office right outside next to the train station and a very friendly man who worked in the office and in 5 minutes was able to highlight all the main sights to see in Bordeaux, told us where the best part of town was to stay and suggested a wine tour to join. Suffice to say, all three of us were very happy with the service and our start to Bordeaux started with smiles on our faces.

We hopped onto this state of the art new tram system that Bordeaux has just installed and within 10 minutes found ourselves in the heart of the city. We started the usual hike around the town to look for accommodation. We were hoping we would luck out like we did in Paris but we found it was a wee bit harder here to get the exact same conditions and prices. After strolling through the streets and being amazed at what was around us architecturally, we were able to finally find a place at Hotel Bristol for $59.25 euros a night. The room was clean and very bright and in the heart of the city which was the best part.

As soon as we settled into our room, we headed back to the streets of Bordeaux to find ourselves some grub. We ended up having dinner at this small pub and sat out on the balcony. We laughed, ate some very good food and drank some good cheap wine!! The restaurant was a little peculiar in that they charged us $2.00 euros for a small bowl of parmesan cheese which we used two spoons of barely and the waiter had suggested a different bottle of wine to Chris and I when we ordered one and after asking if the two were the same price and he said “Yes”, the bill came with a much higher priced wine bottle on our bill. After talking to the waiter and explaining to him that this was his error, he ended up giving us the wine for the same price as the bottle we had originally ordered. SWEET DEAL for us!!

That evening and the next morning consisted of walking around this small quaint town and taking in the sights. Everything was within walking distance of each other and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. It was a much slower pace than Paris and there wasn’t too much to see and was therefore less overwhelming. We walked through cobbled streets and enjoyed the neoclassical architecture, wide avenues and beautiful sights, which could be found hidden all throughout the town. The modern tram system added to the charm of this small city as the new against the backdrop of old was quite the sight to see.

Our 2nd afternoon in Bordeaux consisted of our wine tour. We were lucky enough to visit two different wine chateaus where we were taught a bit about the processes of how wine is made and then did some wine tasting. Natty was very excited about the wine tour as this was a first time experience for her. The 45 minute to 1 hour drive to the chateaus was breathtaking as we drove through the vineyards and could see rows and rows of grapes being planted and grown. It reminded me a lot of Chris’ and my trip to Napa Valley last year where we also did a wine tasting tour. Our favorite chateau out of the two would have to be Chateau Monconseil. Their red wines were much more fragant and not as bitter and the three of us seemed to have a grand time sipping wine and eating cheese and bread. A great way to spend an afternoon with friends.

Our next stop is along the Cote D’Azur also known as the French Riviera which stretches along the Mediterranean coast from Toulon to the Italian border. There are many small towns along this coast but our first stop will be in Nice where we are looking forward to the sun, beach, beautiful blue waters and some warmer temperatures.

Happy campers outside the train station in Bordeaux – the hug and smiles are a result of a very helpful man in the tourist office

The “good” wine for a “cheap” price…SWEET!!

Rue St Catherine – main pedestrian shopping street in Bordeaux – let’s just say Natty was on cloud 9 as we walked down this street

Porte Dijeaux – one of the city’s monumental gateways built by Voisin (1748-1753)

One of the many examples of the wide avenues in Bordeaux – clean and lined with many shops and small cafes

Girondins Monument – a 43 metre high column in homage to representatives of the Gironde department who were guillotined during the French Revolution

A statue of “Liberty breaking free from her Chains” sits on top of the Girondins Monument

Statues found at the base of the Girondins Monument – some of the statues represent the city of Bordeaux, the Garonne and the Dordogne

Maison Gobineau – famous triangular shaped building in the centre of town

The light at the end of the dark tunnel, what a shot

Saint Andre Cathedral – built in the 12-14th centuries and restored in the 19th centre, this cathedral is a fine example of Gothic architecture and is listed as a Unesco world heritage site.

Port Cailhau – Built 1493-1496, this impressive medieval gateway is a majestic remainder of the former city walls commemorating the victory of King Charles VIII at Fornovo.

Natty and I in the Place de la Bourse – an extraordinary architectural complex divided into two sections on a rectangular square. Behind us is the Hotel de la Bourse and on the other side the Hotel des Fermes (not seen in the this photo)

Hotel de la Bourse by night, what a sight!

Hotel des Ferms by night – this used to be where goods arriving at the port of Bordeaux were recorded and taxed. Currently it is the home of the National Customs and Excise Museum

An example of the new vs the old – the new state of the art tram system just installed in Bordeaux, great way to get around town

Bell Tower of the former Town Hall, vestige of a 13th century wall

This is Bordeaux

Now this is what you call “active” photography – a great shot taken by Natty. The tram whizzing by the beautiful neoclassical building in the background

In the vineyards on our wine tour

Looking a wee bit buzzed already after 3 glasses of red wine…another three to go at the next chateau.

Happy to be enjoying good wine, to be traveling a beautiful country and on top of all that doing it all with a wonderful friend. Here’s to Natty for coming out and meeting us on our travels, we know it took time, money and dedication on your part. Thanks Natty, we had an awesome time with you.