Bordeaux

Just a few hours left before I left for Bordeaux, so time to enjoy a walk through woods with carpets of cyclamen

And then a final meander through the beautiful little streets of Tours, with their incredibly picturesque yet unbelievably precarious- looking buildings! Not a chance of getting building consent in Christchurch.

After a great stay near Tours, but also knowing we had actually only visited a miniscule part of this fascinating area, I left Els with the challenge of visiting all the rest of the dozens of castles on our map! Hopefully there is a special ticket allowing entry to all, if not, she will need to take out a mortgage for it!

Uneventful trip, but I did think that these toilets were very special. It would be great if all toilets could be painted with scenes showing the local area.

Talking of toilets, Bordeaux has installed lots of public toilets, very different from the smelly, dirty places of the past, but certainly not a place to go if you are in a hurry because they are cleaned after every visit, with every person allowed 15 minutes in this pristine cubicle, serenaded by gentle, relaxing music. Well worth a visit, and the toilets are free!

The city of Bordeaux is probably the cleanest and calmest city I have ever visited. With its brilliant system of smooth, silent trams criss- crossing the city,  the well- maintained wide pavements and alleys,  perfect for cyclists and pedestrians, and  the huge squares and pedestrian precincts, it is just heaven to meander through the city, and so easy to find your way around. 

Our appartment was fantastic, well- located, near the tram and within walking of the main attractions and the magnificent promenade next to the River Garonne. It was on the fifth floor of a typically French appartment block, fortunately with a lift. The first trip in it was rather scary because it was super tiny, very old, hesitated at each floor, was shaky and noisy. However, it made it to the top without any problems, something I certainly would not have done with my luggage without the lift. We had low skylights in the rooftop flat and at sunset we had this fabulous view.

Great to see Pam again. Last time was in Brittany and this time it is great to explore further south together. It is very special to have friends around the world and in this day and age to maintain contact, with some  for more than forty years.

The perfect weather was back, not a cloud in the sky and during the day up to 27 degrees. It was a really pleasant temperature!

Our flat was near the marvelous area of Quinconces, the centre of a huge park with a circus there for now. Somehow I really loved the contrast of the old and new in the photo below of the Monument to the Girondins next to the big wheel. 

Taking a city pass for twenty four hours  proved to be a super way to see as much of the city as possible in a short time, in an incredibly relaxed manner, using all forms of public transport. It included an open air bus trip to get an 'overview' of the city, as well as boat rides. This Grosse Cloche, seen from the top of the bus, is really stunning.

We did a good amount of walking too to enjoy the massive squares surroundedby thriving little restaurants, brasseries and bars. Bordeaux is a vibrant student city where people seem particularly relaxed, stress-free and happy. We noticed how few mobile phones we saw in restaurants and that the art of verbal communication has certainly not been lost. It was hugely refreshing!

We came upon the magnificent High Court buildings purely by chance. Once again I found the mix of the old city walls with this incredibly modern, rather unique architecture fascinating. We sadly never found out what the three big cone- shaped buildings were for?

After a walk over the very yellow ( silty)Garonne, across the beautiful old stone bridge, we took the little river boat to the Cite du Vin, a spectacular building with the most stunning curves inside and out, housing two floors of exhibits giving an incredibly in- depth insight into every possible aspect of wine!

We were there for hours though I am not sure if I retained much. It was a bit too much really, but I did enjoy the journey through the world's  vineyards with its three giant screens showing sone of the spectacular wine regions. Of course, Marlborough was included too.

The grand finale is the lift to the top floor for a very small tasting, with a superb view over the Garonne and an extraordinary ceiling of bottles! Not suitable  in Christchurch!

We timed sunset over the Mirror of Water perfectly. It was wonderful to see the area changing from a shallow pond, to reflecting concrete 

And then to a very fine mist rising a few metres above the concrete and then the water providing the many spectators beautiful reflections and an opportunity to shoot dozens of photos. Watching the different poses people create for photos is hilarious!

Our last evening out was superb. We had eaten very very well indeed, and tonight we walked around the squares and smaller streets of St Michel, all of which were abuzz with laughter and lively chatter. The restaurants and brasseries all looked so inviting and prices for 3 courses reasonable. We eventually found a really fabulous, relaxed place run by a couple of gays, who were hilarious and really made the evening memorable. Our  meal was exceptionally good value at only 15.00 euros per person. It was local, simply cooked but delicious food. Here below is Olivier, our waiter. What a comedian!