Bordeaux

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Du pain...du vin...du Boursin. En Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is an historic little town in the Acquitane region of France. The region has been occupied since pre-history, and the city has it's origins in pre-Roman times. The Romans conquered it and built masses of architecture, including the partially preserved Colosseum on Rue de Dr. Albert Baraud, and many mosaics preserved in la Musée d'Aquitaine.

Bordeaux is a city of two halves. Where I arrived in to, and stayed, is the old heart of the town. These days it is a run down maze of streets and markets, interrupted by the occasional medieval cathedral or two. It's population is mainly African and Arabic, and as such it is bustling and alive. The cleaner, newer center of town is West along the Gardonne river, and is exceptionally well kept and attractive, from the Mirroire d'eau (a 2cm layer of water that reflects the architecture) to the well tended lawns that surround the tram lines. The tram itself is identical to the Dublin LUAS...why did I ever bother leaving sure? Somehow though, the old quarters are much more interesting and nicer places to be, even if you have to keep one eye on your wallet and another on the nearest escape route.

I spent my first day wandering the markets of the old town, from the indoor Marché de Capucins to the unofficial outdoor junk market at the bottom of the St. Michel tower. I found le tour de Pey Berland, a 50m high, 252 step climb to a spectacular view of the city. It overlooks the Cathedral of St. André, which has spectacular balustrades and stonework. After this, I visited the Musée d'Aquitaine, which chronicles the development in the region with archaeological finds. From 25,000 year old pieces of carved bone, through the Roman and medieval periods, right through the slave trade days and up to the modern era, it's all covered. The Roman mosaics and pre-history cave art displays were the best.

For my second day, I went into the newer area to see the sights. Much of it was closed, this being off-season, but the public gardens were open and the preserved section of colosseum was there to see. Mostly, it was a nice area for a walk. There were some big open squares, and a giant sculpted lion in Place Stalingrad.

I'm booked to stay another 2 nights here, but I think I'll cancel the last night and head to Madrid. I've seen a lot of what Bordeaux has to offer at this time of year, and I've sampled the wine. Quite a bit. At this point I have to pay tribute to my room-mates here, Ryan from Seattle, crazy Laurent (possibly from Bordeaux, probably a fisherman, and definitely insane), and Brian from Wisconsin. It was so quiet here on the first night that I actually started to feel like leaving right away, until I met Ryan and Laurant; and when Brian showed up the second night it was a blast. We cooked bolognese, which Laurent ate but didn't pay for, nor did he do the washing up. His actions would not surprise you, had you been here. I think if he tap danced on the roof of a car dressed in a pink frock, it wouldn't surprise me. Nice to meet him, though. Maybe encounter is a better word than meet...

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