Tuesday, September 20
Below are some spectacular pics of the Place de la Bourse as seen from the Miroir d'Eau.
Below are some spectacular pics of the Place de la Bourse as seen from the Miroir d'Eau.
Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Bordeaux - Day 4
Tuesday, September 20
Today we were up bright and early to meet Eric at 8:45, who we had booked to be our tour guide for half a day and to show us around the St. Emilion area for some wine tasting of the famous Bordeaux area wines. Unfortunately we were early and he was late, so we stood around for 30 minutes until he turned up! However the 1 hour drive into the countryside was beautiful and as we got into the wine growing area it reminded us a bit of the Yarra Valley near where we live.
We visited Petrus winery just to see it, as apparently their wines are the most expensive in France and they don't do wine tastings, but at least we've seen the grapes the wine is made from! Eric drove to St. Emilion and parked the car as no cars are allowed in the old town - as we walked through it we could see why. The streets were cobblestones and some were quite steep, and they were very narrow. Nearly every shop was a wine cave, followed by restaurants, but it was very quaint. He also put us through a "smell" test to prepare us for our wine tasting.
Our first stop was Valandraud winery, where the owner first started making wine in his garage, and he still does, as well as using it as the tasting room. His wines are so good they now have a Cru classification, and the best ones are very expensive. We tried a range of reds and they were very good, as were the 2 whites we tried.
The next stop was Le Chatelet winery, and it is a boutique winery which only sells to a few restaurants as well as private buyers. Each vintage is quite small, and some of the vintages we tried had yielded under 1000 bottles for that vintage. The caves the wines were stored in were built in Roman times and had a great atmosphere. The whole experience here was very memorable.
We then returned to Bordeaux where we had lunch before doing some more shopping, and then returned to our apartment to start packing again for our next stop in France. After dinner we went to see Bordeaux at night - this will be on a separate post.
Today we were up bright and early to meet Eric at 8:45, who we had booked to be our tour guide for half a day and to show us around the St. Emilion area for some wine tasting of the famous Bordeaux area wines. Unfortunately we were early and he was late, so we stood around for 30 minutes until he turned up! However the 1 hour drive into the countryside was beautiful and as we got into the wine growing area it reminded us a bit of the Yarra Valley near where we live.
We visited Petrus winery just to see it, as apparently their wines are the most expensive in France and they don't do wine tastings, but at least we've seen the grapes the wine is made from! Eric drove to St. Emilion and parked the car as no cars are allowed in the old town - as we walked through it we could see why. The streets were cobblestones and some were quite steep, and they were very narrow. Nearly every shop was a wine cave, followed by restaurants, but it was very quaint. He also put us through a "smell" test to prepare us for our wine tasting.
Our first stop was Valandraud winery, where the owner first started making wine in his garage, and he still does, as well as using it as the tasting room. His wines are so good they now have a Cru classification, and the best ones are very expensive. We tried a range of reds and they were very good, as were the 2 whites we tried.
The next stop was Le Chatelet winery, and it is a boutique winery which only sells to a few restaurants as well as private buyers. Each vintage is quite small, and some of the vintages we tried had yielded under 1000 bottles for that vintage. The caves the wines were stored in were built in Roman times and had a great atmosphere. The whole experience here was very memorable.
We then returned to Bordeaux where we had lunch before doing some more shopping, and then returned to our apartment to start packing again for our next stop in France. After dinner we went to see Bordeaux at night - this will be on a separate post.
Monday, 19 September 2016
Bordeaux - Day 3
Monday, September 19
Today we followed the UNESCO Heritage tour around Bordeaux, and even though we had seen some of the sights before we hadn't realised their importance or history. We set off through a classy part of town we hadn't covered before and finally reached the Girondist monument. This fountain and column were built to remember the men from this area who went to the National Assembly in 1879 at the time of the French Revolution and were subsequently killed on suspicion of not supporting the new Republic!
We love the architecture of the 18-19th Century in France, and Bordeaux has some great examples. The Gobineau House in a "flat iron" building is a great example, and was set on 2 lovely wide intersecting streets, just near the Grand Theatre. As we had got another late start we thought we'd have an early lunch in this area before moving on - we love French food!
After lunch we headed for Parliament Square, which was originally the Royal marketplace, but now has a fancy fountain in it. Nearby was St. Peter's church and the Cailhau Gate, which was a former defensive gate from the late 15th Century, but now looks like a mini fairytale castle!
We strolled on and finally came to the Gross Cloche, or Big Bell. We had heard it chiming on the hour and it has a beautiful note, as well as being an impressive structure to hold the big bell. This also was originally a fortified gate and later used as a prison.
On our way home we wanted to go to the Museum of DecorativeArts and Design, but found out it only opens on weekends so we had missed our chance. Still we had washing to do back at the apartment so we did that instead - what an exciting way to spend some time!
Today we followed the UNESCO Heritage tour around Bordeaux, and even though we had seen some of the sights before we hadn't realised their importance or history. We set off through a classy part of town we hadn't covered before and finally reached the Girondist monument. This fountain and column were built to remember the men from this area who went to the National Assembly in 1879 at the time of the French Revolution and were subsequently killed on suspicion of not supporting the new Republic!
We love the architecture of the 18-19th Century in France, and Bordeaux has some great examples. The Gobineau House in a "flat iron" building is a great example, and was set on 2 lovely wide intersecting streets, just near the Grand Theatre. As we had got another late start we thought we'd have an early lunch in this area before moving on - we love French food!
After lunch we headed for Parliament Square, which was originally the Royal marketplace, but now has a fancy fountain in it. Nearby was St. Peter's church and the Cailhau Gate, which was a former defensive gate from the late 15th Century, but now looks like a mini fairytale castle!
We strolled on and finally came to the Gross Cloche, or Big Bell. We had heard it chiming on the hour and it has a beautiful note, as well as being an impressive structure to hold the big bell. This also was originally a fortified gate and later used as a prison.
On our way home we wanted to go to the Museum of DecorativeArts and Design, but found out it only opens on weekends so we had missed our chance. Still we had washing to do back at the apartment so we did that instead - what an exciting way to spend some time!
Sunday, 18 September 2016
Bordeaux - Day 2
Sunday, September 18
Today we set off to find the couple of Sunday markets we had read about - in France they are called Brocante, which is basically a second hand market. In Australia we call them Trash and Treasure markets, and in other places they are called flea markets. To get to them we had to walk through the student area of Bordeaux, as the University campus spreads around the area we were going to. It was very quiet on the streets, but when we got to Place de la Victory with the Porte d'Aquitaine there were a lot of people eating around the square enjoying their breakfast.
We finally found the market spread out around St. Michel's Bascillica and the Belltower. It was very extensive with lots of stalls to choose from. We found a few items that fitted our requirements - small, flat and light! There were lots of other things we would have loved to buy if it was in Australia but the logistics of getting things home makes life difficult when you're travelling. After a couple of hours looking around we needed a rest, and found a nice restaurant for lunch.
After lunch we continued strolling around the tiny streets, just observing how people live in this part of town, and eventually came to the river Garonne again. A huge chateau we passed apparently used to be a wine merchants house, called Chateau Descas!
There were lovely parks at this end of town and on a pleasant Sunday afternoon there were lots of people either having picnics, riding or walking through the park or playing sports. One sport we saw that amused us was a game of quidditch - we didn't have a clue what it was so we asked. Not being into Harry Potter we had no idea it came from those movies or that real people actually played it!
We strolled along the river until we reached the other end of town where we came across 3 of the river cruise boats docked. This was near a very large skate park where again French youngsters were showing off their skills on skate boards, in line skates, bikes and razor scooters - some were flying high and some were crashing, but they looked good to us.
We returned home along some streets we hadn't walked before, passing the Bourse Maritime, the Grand Theatre and many other lovely buildings along the way. By the time we reached our apartment our Fitbits told us we had walked about 12 km today - not bad for a Sunday stroll!
Today we set off to find the couple of Sunday markets we had read about - in France they are called Brocante, which is basically a second hand market. In Australia we call them Trash and Treasure markets, and in other places they are called flea markets. To get to them we had to walk through the student area of Bordeaux, as the University campus spreads around the area we were going to. It was very quiet on the streets, but when we got to Place de la Victory with the Porte d'Aquitaine there were a lot of people eating around the square enjoying their breakfast.
We finally found the market spread out around St. Michel's Bascillica and the Belltower. It was very extensive with lots of stalls to choose from. We found a few items that fitted our requirements - small, flat and light! There were lots of other things we would have loved to buy if it was in Australia but the logistics of getting things home makes life difficult when you're travelling. After a couple of hours looking around we needed a rest, and found a nice restaurant for lunch.
After lunch we continued strolling around the tiny streets, just observing how people live in this part of town, and eventually came to the river Garonne again. A huge chateau we passed apparently used to be a wine merchants house, called Chateau Descas!
There were lovely parks at this end of town and on a pleasant Sunday afternoon there were lots of people either having picnics, riding or walking through the park or playing sports. One sport we saw that amused us was a game of quidditch - we didn't have a clue what it was so we asked. Not being into Harry Potter we had no idea it came from those movies or that real people actually played it!
We strolled along the river until we reached the other end of town where we came across 3 of the river cruise boats docked. This was near a very large skate park where again French youngsters were showing off their skills on skate boards, in line skates, bikes and razor scooters - some were flying high and some were crashing, but they looked good to us.
We returned home along some streets we hadn't walked before, passing the Bourse Maritime, the Grand Theatre and many other lovely buildings along the way. By the time we reached our apartment our Fitbits told us we had walked about 12 km today - not bad for a Sunday stroll!
Saturday, 17 September 2016
Bordeaux - Day 1
Saturday, September 17
We must have been tired after our travel day yesterday as we slept late, then shopped for provisions, had brunch in the apartment and finally headed out to explore Bordeaux. We strolled around the small streets of the city centre where we are staying, and a lot of these are pedestrian only - however you still have to look out for cyclists! Also being a university town there was some good street art that we passed on our way to the main square where the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) and St. Andrews Cathedral are located.
We then made our way down some more quaint streets through lots of people going about their business or pleasure while enjoying the warm afternoon. We reached the Garrone River which flows through Bordeaux and walked along the broad esplanade towards the Pont de Pierre. We then headed back along the river front towards the famous Place de la Bourse.
From there we strolled along Rue Saint-Remy, another pedestrian walking street lined with restaurants and lots of tempting shops. However by this stage we were getting hungry so our attention turned towards where to eat for dinner, and fortunately here in Bordeaux you are spoiled for choice! We found a lovely place to eat and enjoyed some delicious duck and of course a good red to go with it. It was certainly cooler as we returned to our apartment, but enjoyed our first taste of Bordeaux.
We must have been tired after our travel day yesterday as we slept late, then shopped for provisions, had brunch in the apartment and finally headed out to explore Bordeaux. We strolled around the small streets of the city centre where we are staying, and a lot of these are pedestrian only - however you still have to look out for cyclists! Also being a university town there was some good street art that we passed on our way to the main square where the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) and St. Andrews Cathedral are located.
We then made our way down some more quaint streets through lots of people going about their business or pleasure while enjoying the warm afternoon. We reached the Garrone River which flows through Bordeaux and walked along the broad esplanade towards the Pont de Pierre. We then headed back along the river front towards the famous Place de la Bourse.
From there we strolled along Rue Saint-Remy, another pedestrian walking street lined with restaurants and lots of tempting shops. However by this stage we were getting hungry so our attention turned towards where to eat for dinner, and fortunately here in Bordeaux you are spoiled for choice! We found a lovely place to eat and enjoyed some delicious duck and of course a good red to go with it. It was certainly cooler as we returned to our apartment, but enjoyed our first taste of Bordeaux.
Friday, 16 September 2016
Madrid to Bordeaux
Friday, September 16
Today was a bit of a "lost" day, as we had to be out of our apartment by 11am and our flight to Bordeaux wasn't until 4:45pm so we had about 4 hours hanging around Madrid airport! It's a very nice airport and big, so we got to walk a lot, do some reading and of course eating.
Arrived in Bordeaux and are very happy with our apartment here. We went for a short walk to find somewhere for dinner and we are in a great location in the centre of town, and are looking forward to exploring this city and area, as well as trying the wines from this area.
Today was a bit of a "lost" day, as we had to be out of our apartment by 11am and our flight to Bordeaux wasn't until 4:45pm so we had about 4 hours hanging around Madrid airport! It's a very nice airport and big, so we got to walk a lot, do some reading and of course eating.
Arrived in Bordeaux and are very happy with our apartment here. We went for a short walk to find somewhere for dinner and we are in a great location in the centre of town, and are looking forward to exploring this city and area, as well as trying the wines from this area.
Thursday, 15 September 2016
Madrid - Day 6
Thursday, September 15
We set the alarm (horror of horrors) this morning as we wanted to get an early start to go and visit the Prado Museum as we had purchased our tickets online last night. We caught the Metro, walked the 15 minutes to the Prado, and were about to join the fast track queue to get our tickets when we realised we had left the iPad at the apartment! This was a deliberate decision as we knew we couldn't take pictures inside - but the proof of our ticket purchase was sitting in an Adobe file on the iPad!! We both laughed at our short term memory lapse, then headed back to the station to go and get it from the apartment. An hour later we finally entered the Prado around 11:30! The queues to get in are always very long so we were glad we had bought our tickets to avoid another wait after our later start.
We covered all of the 1st floor, which was predominantly Spanish painters like Goya, Greco, Ribera and Velazquez, but also had a good collection of Flemish and Italian painters as well as other famous names from different countries. By the time we had covered about half of the ground floor we were starting to get cultural overload, as well as hungry! It was a great experience to get up close and personal to so many masterpieces, but nearly 4 hours was enough.
We adjourned to a nearby cafe for another enjoyable lunch, then returned to the apartment to pack in preparation for our flight to Bordeaux tomorrow.
We set the alarm (horror of horrors) this morning as we wanted to get an early start to go and visit the Prado Museum as we had purchased our tickets online last night. We caught the Metro, walked the 15 minutes to the Prado, and were about to join the fast track queue to get our tickets when we realised we had left the iPad at the apartment! This was a deliberate decision as we knew we couldn't take pictures inside - but the proof of our ticket purchase was sitting in an Adobe file on the iPad!! We both laughed at our short term memory lapse, then headed back to the station to go and get it from the apartment. An hour later we finally entered the Prado around 11:30! The queues to get in are always very long so we were glad we had bought our tickets to avoid another wait after our later start.
We covered all of the 1st floor, which was predominantly Spanish painters like Goya, Greco, Ribera and Velazquez, but also had a good collection of Flemish and Italian painters as well as other famous names from different countries. By the time we had covered about half of the ground floor we were starting to get cultural overload, as well as hungry! It was a great experience to get up close and personal to so many masterpieces, but nearly 4 hours was enough.
We adjourned to a nearby cafe for another enjoyable lunch, then returned to the apartment to pack in preparation for our flight to Bordeaux tomorrow.
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