Bordeaux: The City of Wine

Bordeaux reminded me of Paris, notably its architecture, with a touch of the southern France tranquillity. I spent only a weekend there, but it captured a special place in my heart.

The very large chocolatine. The tramway stop we got off at.

Saturday I slept in a little and had a large chocolatine for breakfast. Sylvia, Maxence, and I took the tram into the center of Bordeaux.

We explored the city during Saturday, the day when the ‘gilets jaunes’ (the Yellow Jackets) manifest in large cities. Though during this day we did not witness any aggressive protests.

At this point, it’s almost a tradition…les gilets jaunes each Saturday.

Views of the Garonne.

We walked along the Garonne and then went to go get lunch at a fair that was happening in the center of the city. For lunch, I ate a kebab, and it was absolutely delicious. They put french fries inside, and I think that that tries the sandwich together perfectly.

Views from le miroir d’eau.

We walked by ‘le miroir d’eau’, but sadly, there was no water and thus no reflection. Though the architecture surrounding the space was still equally beautiful.

Walking past the central gathering of the gilets jaunes.

Looking at the fountain from the other direction. A street in Bordeaux.

As we walked around, we passed many old buildings. I find their appearances intriguing because buildings in the U.S. are not as aged, they are relatively modern in one way or another, lacking a history that gives them more character.

A traditional shopping center that shows its age.

Le Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux on the far right.

During the afternoon I met my friend Siral and she walked around the city with us. She is an exchange student that I met during the three-day stay at Paris. I asked her if she was busy and would like to visit a little bit during the day because she lives at Bordeaux, so we could catch up. We never got the chance to say goodbye at the end of the Paris trip; when we saw each other this time she told me that she thought we would never see each other again. Thought after all we did and it was so much fun to be able to spend some time together.

A storefront window. A sculpture.

As we walked around Bordeaux there were police setting up things to ‘protect’ again the aggressivity of the gilets jaunes. This was the only aspect that I would have liked to experience Bordeaux without.

The police blocking one of the main streets. Macarons!

Le Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.

A memorial. A bridge.

Buildings lining the waterfront of the Garonne. The tramway.

Views from walking around Bordeaux.

A castle-like architecture.

More stunning architecture. Nougats.

A church.

The same church.

VIews of the city.

More views of the white rock buildings.

We walked passed a book store and went inside. It was exciting for me because the majority of the books were in French, and I want to read more books in French in order to improve my writing.

A book store.

One thing that I wanted to try in Bordeaux was a cannelé, a classic dessert of Bordeaux. I succeeded in my mission! We found a little bakery that specialized in cannelés, and so I bought one there.

Un cannelé de Bordeaux. Walking down a street while the sun starts to set. The book Siral is currently reading.

We took several buses to reach our Airbnb because the tramway was officially closed due to the gilets jaunes.

Day 2: Sunday, March 17th, 2019

Before leaving Bordeaux we went to one of the most interesting places, it was an old military barracks. One tourist website captures the things one can do at this place, “It acts as a green economy hub, featuring an urban farm, an XXL skatepark, free expression spaces for graffiti artists, an organic grocery, Le Magasin Général restaurant, co-working spaces, a bike-polo field, and a wellness center (Le Bivouac), with a charming «found» décor.” The variety of things one can do here appealed to me, but also the setting and the feng shui was very enticing. I tried to capture the beauty of this place in some pictures I took. I think the concept of this place is something that could be applied to the empty factories in New England and it’s also something many New Englander’s would like.

The entrance to Darwin.

A sign at the entrance: “Sunday without a car.”

The restaurant area. Art installations.

We walked around and took pictures of the graffiti until it was time to eat at the brunch buffet.

Graffiti covering the building (translation: save yourselves).

Beech (like the tree) or not to be. Hell too much for a paradise.

A mural.

All migrants. Concrete jungle.

A little green garden.

All homes have their secrets.

A sitting area for people. The garden.

Old military things being repurposed.

Colorful home for the chickens.

Graffiti.

Murals of women.

Motorcycles. Another view of the restaurant.

A little creature crawling on the wall.

“Swear word.”

More graffiti.

Bicycles leaning against the wall.

Maxence and me.

The organic store.

A gathering space in the museum area.

The ceiling, a sculpture, the walls.

There was one building that acted as a museum. It has a little exposition that was free to view. There were little areas where people could sit and visit. There was also a piano in the middle of the room. I was curious if it worked, and so I pressed one key. The sound resonated throughout the room. I played a little piece on it because I was curious to know what it sounded like. This inspired me to start learning some songs again for my own pleasure.

The piano with Ivory keys.

I tested the piano out, playing the only song I vaguely remember.

We also visited the gift shop. The feel of it was very much hippy-vintage style which appealed to me.

The gift shop had a vintage feel, that went along with the rest of the concept.

Another postcard with a quote from Emily Dickinson.

The museum. A mirror picture.

The layout of the restaurant.

A variation of chairs for the seating.

Then it was time for lunch! We were all very hungry to try the food. I tried a ‘Darwin Beer’ and tried a little bit of everything. My first plate consisted of cold plates. Then my second plate consisted of the hot meals. I had another little plate with more samples of the cold dishes. I was full by this point, but I still had dessert and a couple of cups of coffee. This restaurant made amazing food and I would recommend it to anyone.

My first plate. My second plate. My dessert.