Bonjour la Famille et les Amis,
Upon leaving Spain, my first stop – Bordeaux, the capital of the Nouvelle–Aquitaine region in France. I had visited Bordeaux previously, back in 2012 as part of my tour of the Atlantic coast of France. My reason for spending a couple of days in Bordeaux this time was rather more mundane, however. I needed to take the Euskotren from Donostia–San Sebastian to Hendaye, just over the border into France, to catch a SCNF (French railways) train to a makeable destination in France. All the while allowing an ambiguous amount of time for an uncertain check out process from my rental in
Porte Cailhau
Donostia–San Sebastian. Hence the decision to only goes as far as Bordeaux on the initial leg into France. Naturally, the check-out process turned out to be a breeze unlike the check-in process which had been mind numbing.
So, for my couple of days in Bordeaux, I spent a good portion of my time simply walking about and re-visiting some of the places from a dozen years ago. Some of the most iconic sights are found down on the riverfront of the Garonne River. One of those being the Porte Cailhau as seen pictured on the left. Check out the photo gallery for the well-known Place de la Bourse in addition to views of the river itself.
One cannot visit Bordeaux without strolling the Rue Sainte-Catherine. The longest pedestrian shopping street in France at 1,200 meters. The street runs from the Place de la Victoire with the Theimer Column (see picture to the right) to the Place de la Comedie (see the photo gallery). Next to the Place de La Victoire, is the Universite de Bordeaux. I did spend a bit of time exploring this institution of higher ed but did not seek employment. See the photo gallery for a few pictures.
Place de la Victoire
Cathedrale Saint-Andre
One of my first sites, if not the first site, I visited in Bordeaux twelve years ago was the magnificent Cathedrale Saint-Andre (see picture to the left). Back then, when I visited, I was quite fortunate to be there when a singer was performing a recital accompanied by an organist playing the impressive and massive pipe organ. No such luck this time but it appears public recitals of various natures are not uncommon in the cathedral – something to check into if one finds oneself in Bordeaux. Also, see the photo gallery for a picture of the Pey-Berland Tower that stands next to the cathedral.
That’s it for now. As always, feel free to share this link with anyone who expresses an interest. Please have a look at the gallery below for full-size versions of the photos above as well as additional photos of Bordeaux. Next post will be from the birthplace of Jules Verne.
A bientot,
Papi
Added to the bucket list.
Hopefully you getting to some of the items on your bucket list!
Thanks for sharing the magnificent photos. So glad you’re enjoying retirement!
Thanks Christy. Unfortunately I’m again behind in getting posts out – lot of photos to come.