Day 2

1 October 2022

Well, as predicted, we slept very well. I was up at 8am and Kirsty emerged at 10.15am. Our room is very dark, and quite once the shutters are closed.

Our plan today is to get to know Bordeaux, and this means walking. Really, it is the only option here as the place is set up for pedestrians. Firstly, we need to arrange our tram/bus/boat passes. I had seen a 3 day pass for 40 euros each, but then I spied an over 60’s pass for 7 days for 10 euros each. Now, to convince them we are over 60.

At the transport office it was an easy convince, they were very polite and when we showed our Driver Licence, the young girl didn’t even raise an eyebrow at our ages. She must have been very well brought up.

Passes done, we set out in the drizzle. Not a fantastic day weather wise. We strike out in a southerly direction down one of the main pedestrian streets. There are a lot of people out and about despite the weather. We arrive at Place Pey Berland where the Cathedral Saint-Andre de Bordeaux is located. The rain really starts to come down, so as good pilgrims we seek refuge inside the Cathedral. It appears there a lot of pilgrims today. At least that is one church out of the way.

When we emerge from the Cathedral our prayers have been answered and the rain has cleared. We continue to head south towards the railway and it is clear as we go that the shops start to change to an eclectic mix. As Kirsty described it, we have gone from Double Bay to Newtown.

We emerge at Place Victoire, through one of the old city gates, Porte d’Aquitaine. Here we navigate east towards the river, looking to confirm our meeting point tomorrow for our food tour. The meeting spot is at a food and produce market, Marche des Capucins. We didn’t spend a lot of time exploring as I’m sure the tour will do that. It looks fantastic, a bit like the Queen Vic. Market in Melbourne, but with a more “interesting” selection of foods.

Moving on, we make it to the river and follow it north along the Quai de la Grave. The buildings along this road scream wealth and prestige. They were no doubt associated with the river trade, probably state run tax collection buildings given their grandeur !!

We completed our circuit west, back to our place. As time was getting on we decided on a late lunch at one of the cafes below our building. As soon as we were seated, it started to pour. Ah well, time for a drink, lunch, coffee and people watch. A simple but delightful lunch, with very helpful waiters.

Everyone we have dealt with have not raised an eyebrow at our crap attempts at French, and English is spoken to us straight away. The guy from the Nespresso shop yesterday couldn’t shut up about his time in Byron Bay !! The taxi driver from yesterday was also great, saying that he knew we were Australian because our bags were so heavy and picking that we were here for at least 3-4 weeks.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the rain fall, reading, finding a place for dinner and relaxing. It is after all, a holiday. Knowing that we have 5 more full days here in Bordeaux means we can just chill out when we feel like it.

Just back from dinner, the waste bands are very stretched already. The restaurant, La Brasserie Bordelaise, was a short walk from our place and was fantastic. VERY French with lovely staff and a great atmosphere. A great night out. The last sitting in the restaurant was 11.45pm, very civilised.

The jet lag is still there are it will not be long before head to bed. A big day tomorrow. We just got a message from our food tour leader for tomorrow which recommended that we do NOT eat breakfast. Bon nuit all.