Exploring Bordeaux

Although the Ibis Styles does have fairly small rooms, it has big beds, so it was nice to stretch out and enjoy a good night’s sleep. Breakfast was included and was the usual continental fare of bread rolls, cold meat, cheese, yoghurt and coffee. I did however indulge in a portion of Nutella. It was a lovely sunny morning which developed into a lovelier hot day. I bought an all day public transport ticket which gave me unlimited travel on the excellent modern trams, on buses and included the local ferry. Great value at 5 euros 💶 , and I certainly made good use of it.

First stop was a visit to probably the most photographed spot in Bordeaux - the Place de la Bourse and the Water Mirror. The water was just coming on at 9.30am when I visited, so I got some good shots before it got busy with pesky kids splashing about and ruining the mirror reflection. I then took a trip on the free BAT ferry up the River Garrone and got a good view of the city from the water. The Garonne is a mighty river, as wide as the Thames, but is a chocolate brown colour, like molten Dairy Milk. Next stop, the magnificent Grand Theatre (no shows on at the moment sadly), and the mighty Saint André cathedral, adjacent to the Hôtel de Ville. This huge cathedral was regrettably closed - and I did so want to see where Eleanor of Aquitaine was married. So many references to Eleanor here - even the local sports centre was named after her - and having only recently watched The Lion in Winter, there was no sign of Katharine Hepburn having a go on the dumbbells!

I realised this morning that in my efforts to economise and travel with a carry-on bag only, I had forgotten to pack any socks! I headed therefore to my favourite French department store - the Galeries Lafayette. I won a watch as they were having the last of their 70% off sale, and got 4 pairs of nice white ‘chausettes’ for 5 euros!

Back to sightseeing, and I took in the flamboyant gothic style Basilica Saint Michel with its beautiful stained glass. Had to walk back quite a bit to get the whole of its huge separate bell tower in the photo! By contrast, the catholic Sainte-Croix church looked diminutive, but lovely in sunshine.

A highlight was the famous Cailhau Gate, in the Saint- Pierre district which I climbed up via a tight staircase reminiscent of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, and was rewarded with a lovely view of the river. And not too far, the Saint-Paul district had its famous gate too: the Grosse Cloche, another jewel of Bordeaux. What an impressive city for monuments!

After a visit to see the ‘lion’ at Stalingrad (yes, that’s the name of the area), had a rest at the hotel before going out for dinner. In spite of the coronavirus, all the restaurants and pavement cafés were busy, so I took a tram to the quieter area of the Bacalan, where I treated myself to a nice French meal of pâte de fois gras, and tartare de boeuf (I had forgotten it was raw, minced steak!) All washed down with a nice glass of Bordeaux 🍷 - well, when in Rome...Read more