Day Three in Bordeaux
I've just got back from a cycle tour (clearly needed some exercise!). This was a bit of a mission:
(a) because I had been unable to book the tour on line because the website (Get Your Guide) has some restrictions in that if you are trying to book just for one person, it won't let you. Talk about discrimination; and
(b) the meeting place was a 4.2ks (with a bit extra for getting lost) walk away. Before the 15 k cycle.
Mikael was the guide - there were only three of us to shepherd through the streets and he flitted easily between French and English. His deal was to show us the lesser loved places.
First to St Michel which has the highest bell tower in the city but seems to be lesser loved - definitely spotted a large amount of homeless people on mattresses there yesterday. There is large 'marche du puce' each day, today being 'textiles'. Large bolts of fabric, clothes with a definite North African style, second hand everything and a big stall with those gorgeous market baskets that French movies always have.
This is the basilique St Michel - you can see that the bell tower and the main church are built separately because there was a concern that the vibrations from the bell ringing would undermine the integrity of the church, given that the land is so friable in Bordeaux (do you like that?).
About 20 years ago, the then mayor instigated the huge cleanup programme of the beautiful sandstone buildings. You can see in this photo the original black of the building near the end, and then the one beside it has been cleaned. All of the tourist areas have been spruced up but the lesser loved areas have still got a lot of the pollution blackened buildings (including St Michel).
We cycled on through medieval streets, narrow little cobble-stoned alleys, with houses with the original doors only about 4 feet high. In one of these streets was one of the few remaining wooden houses. This area has a large population of North Africans and the shops sell tangines and spices for the beautiful aromatic style of cooking.
You can also see the remains of the wall that enclosed the city. Brief history required: for three hundred years, France got into bed with England - a marriage of convenience if you will. The Romans had already taught the local people the rudiments of making wine, and then a commercial relationship was set up with England (years later obviously) where wine was exported to England, the beginning of commercial trading. When France came back into power, the local people objected to the taxes which were imposed by the French government and, having guarded the city against marauders from without, suddenly the revolution was coming from within. The wall was constructed and there are only a few parts where the remnants can still be seen.
I'd walked past Notre Dame a few days ago, tried to look inside yesterday but it was locked (what? on a sunday? - not even the resident beggars were there) but we were given the chance to go in to look at the interior - the exterior is extremely ornate, baroque period, but the inside is unusual because it is so simple and unadorned.
And speaking of the Romans - having cycled through medieval streets, then the extremely wealthy old Jewish area (rub this for luck)
then the middle class area and Le Jardin Public - we rounded a corner and there were the remains of a Roman amphitheatre!
We headed over the bridge down by the port, checked out the inevitable gentrification of the old port area (sorry Mr Tour Guide, but I think that the La Citie du Vin Musee is seriously ugly and an odd juxtaposition to the elegant houses, and although it was awkward when you asked me what I thought about it, I couldn't say I liked it..)
and then to a cool new hipster development call Darwin (read more here https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/Discover-Bordeaux/Must-See/Darwin-Ecosysteme ) with all sorts of set up companies, bio philosophy, organic food and cooler than cool beautiful young people hanging around.
So that was my day - 15 kilometres of cycling in the heat. My winter skin is getting an airing, I'll have brown arms and singlet marks - very attractive!
(a) because I had been unable to book the tour on line because the website (Get Your Guide) has some restrictions in that if you are trying to book just for one person, it won't let you. Talk about discrimination; and
(b) the meeting place was a 4.2ks (with a bit extra for getting lost) walk away. Before the 15 k cycle.
Mikael was the guide - there were only three of us to shepherd through the streets and he flitted easily between French and English. His deal was to show us the lesser loved places.
First to St Michel which has the highest bell tower in the city but seems to be lesser loved - definitely spotted a large amount of homeless people on mattresses there yesterday. There is large 'marche du puce' each day, today being 'textiles'. Large bolts of fabric, clothes with a definite North African style, second hand everything and a big stall with those gorgeous market baskets that French movies always have.
This is the basilique St Michel - you can see that the bell tower and the main church are built separately because there was a concern that the vibrations from the bell ringing would undermine the integrity of the church, given that the land is so friable in Bordeaux (do you like that?).
About 20 years ago, the then mayor instigated the huge cleanup programme of the beautiful sandstone buildings. You can see in this photo the original black of the building near the end, and then the one beside it has been cleaned. All of the tourist areas have been spruced up but the lesser loved areas have still got a lot of the pollution blackened buildings (including St Michel).
We cycled on through medieval streets, narrow little cobble-stoned alleys, with houses with the original doors only about 4 feet high. In one of these streets was one of the few remaining wooden houses. This area has a large population of North Africans and the shops sell tangines and spices for the beautiful aromatic style of cooking.
You can also see the remains of the wall that enclosed the city. Brief history required: for three hundred years, France got into bed with England - a marriage of convenience if you will. The Romans had already taught the local people the rudiments of making wine, and then a commercial relationship was set up with England (years later obviously) where wine was exported to England, the beginning of commercial trading. When France came back into power, the local people objected to the taxes which were imposed by the French government and, having guarded the city against marauders from without, suddenly the revolution was coming from within. The wall was constructed and there are only a few parts where the remnants can still be seen.
I'd walked past Notre Dame a few days ago, tried to look inside yesterday but it was locked (what? on a sunday? - not even the resident beggars were there) but we were given the chance to go in to look at the interior - the exterior is extremely ornate, baroque period, but the inside is unusual because it is so simple and unadorned.
And speaking of the Romans - having cycled through medieval streets, then the extremely wealthy old Jewish area (rub this for luck)
We headed over the bridge down by the port, checked out the inevitable gentrification of the old port area (sorry Mr Tour Guide, but I think that the La Citie du Vin Musee is seriously ugly and an odd juxtaposition to the elegant houses, and although it was awkward when you asked me what I thought about it, I couldn't say I liked it..)
and then to a cool new hipster development call Darwin (read more here https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/Discover-Bordeaux/Must-See/Darwin-Ecosysteme ) with all sorts of set up companies, bio philosophy, organic food and cooler than cool beautiful young people hanging around.
So that was my day - 15 kilometres of cycling in the heat. My winter skin is getting an airing, I'll have brown arms and singlet marks - very attractive!
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