FRANCE - Bordeaux

As promised here is a post about the city of Bordeaux, beautifully situated on the River Garonne.  Its a city that of course made its money on wine and has a wealth of stunning buildings from the Grand Theatre through to those in lining the Place de la Bourse.  The easiest way of getting round is by tram and a one day ticket is 5 euro. The trams are very frequent and because they are right there rather than buried underground you tend to jump on and off more. Just remember to always touch in on each tram you use (the tickets are also valid on the buses and river bus). Oh and of course I have several times waited on the wrong side of the road for a tram!!

Grand Theatre

Place de la Bourse

In front of the Place de la Bourse is the Miroir d'Eau. The idea of this is that small fountains cover the area with water and then stop, as the water settles and slowly drains away it should reveal a perfect reflection of the buildings. However, in practice in today's world, most tourists simply want a picture for Instagram of them splashing in the water which rather spoils the effect.

Downstream in an area that is being regenerated is the Cite du Vin. Not so much a museum but a series of interactive audio visual presentations about wine. I'm going to be honest in that I don't interact very well with interactive exhibits so although I went it wasn't really my thing - having said that the view from the top is amazing and the ticket includes a glass of wine. The building itself is supposed to reflect the swirling of the wine in a glass.

One thing i did notice from the top that I went to look at on the ground was this building.

Apparently it is a submarine depot that the Germans built during WW2. You can see that you could simply "drive" your submarine straight in for maintenance. In true German building style of the period the place is virtually indestructable and consequently is still sitting there all these years later.

Here are a few other pictures of my time in Bordeaux

Monument aux Girondins

Rue Notre Dame

Bordeaux Cathedral

Bordeaux Cathedral

Port Caihou

There used to be an "umbrella street" in London - don't know if it is still there.

Napolean's Pont de Pierre

Well that brings this tip to an end. Tomorrow it's a morning train back to Paris for a Eurostar to London and home. I hope you have enjoyed following this trip, my next adventure is Milan and Turin in Decemmber - see you then.

FRANCE - A little drop of Claret

There is no doubt about it St Emilion is a bit touristy, but unlike a lot of places it doesn't really need its tourist industry because it is surrounded by some of the most valuable wine producing land in the world. When you get off the train at St Emilion's little unstaffed station there are vineyards as far as the eye can see and of course at the moment it is harvest time.

The station is a little way out of the village but it's a pleasant walk along a road lined with vines and up the hill. There you will be confronted with a picturesque place with all the buildings built from the honey coloured limestone that is the local rock round here. In fact, take away the wine and St Emilion would fit very nicely in the Cotswolds.

I have been here before and I have done the tour to a winery, so today I passed on that and just wandered around soaking up the sun and the atmosphere.

Today they were also celebrating the Jurade - the usual thing of people in funny clothes! - which seems to date back to the days of (English) King John. If you know your English history you will know that King John was one of the sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine (this part of France). Therefore when he came to the throne this area of France was part of his realm and he created the brotherhood giving them power over wine production and trade. Today was the day when Jurade were going to issue "The Harvest Proclamation". It involved a parade through the town, what appeared to be a fancy lunch and then another parade. I'm not too sure how the bagpipes fit in but they were there!!

The main non wine related sight here is "l'eglise monolithe" a huge underground church that was carved out of the limestone rock. The town was founded by a Benedictine hermit monk called Emilion and eventually became a stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago. The tour shows you not only the underground church but also the cave where Emilion supposedly lived, a chapel and some catacombs.

That's it for today - time now for a glass of Claret!

FRANCE - Sand between my toes

Today I am visiting Arcachon, a well-to-do resort south-west of Bordeaux, that's in the Bassin d'Arcachon, a large bay sheltered by the Cap Ferrat Peninsula.

I was heading to the Dune de Pilat - Europe's biggest sand dune. I mean big too it's almost 3 km long, 600 metres wide and 106 metres high. Apparently it is made up of 55 million cubic metres of sand.

0804 to Arcachon at Bordeaux St Jean station

After an early train to beat the weekend crowds, the number 3 bus was waiting outside Arcachon station for the 30 minute journey to the dune. The bus drivers were very helpful and adept at dealing with tourists struggling with anything from the language to contactless payment (contactless payment on public transport is very rare in France). The cost was 2 euro for a day ticket.

I'm not too sure that my photos really reveal the scale of this thing but here goes:

Unfortunately this is also the area which has recently seen the devasting forest fires and from what I saw the flames must have come right up to the dune.

Looking out from the top to the end of the Cap Ferrat Peninsula

After a couple of hours walking on the dune and believe me it really makes your legs ache, I returned to Arcachon for a wander and a spot of lunch. The local delicacy here are oysters which I am not keen on so I went for a salad of other seafood instead.

There is quite a bit of cash on display here

 

FRANCE - Look no wires

Just a short post today as I have been travelling from Cognac to Bordeaux where I will be for the next three days, consequently I will be bringing you a full report from the city later on before I head for home.

In the meantime however, I wanted to share something with you that as a transport enthusiast is simply "doing my head in"

Bordeaux doesn't have a metro but instead has an extensive tram system. The city authorities didn't want unsightly wires or catenary spoiling the views of the city's historic buildings so instead opted for a system whereby the trams pick up their power from an electric third rail embeded in the street.

Yes thats it folks a live third rail in the street where the good people of Bordeaux walk - I don't really understand how it works but it is only live when the tram is directly above it - so the trams move around the city but I can stand on it and not get electrocuted. Way beyond my brain's comprehension!!

A tram with no wires

Me standing on the electrified rail

FRANCE - The High Light

Its all been leading up to this - making sure I was here on the right day, when the tides fitted in with the timetables of the rather sparse rail service - to enable a trip to the Cordouan Lighthouse.

Sitting in the open sea at the mouth of the River Gironde the Cordouan Lighthouse is accessible by boat from the seaside resort of Royan. You go out on a boat that is towing one of those multi-purpose things that has wheels as well as a propeller. Once near the lighthouse you transfer to the other vessel that can then take you across the sand banks and deposit you on a causeway that leads to the lighthouse. Wear shorts, no socks and old shoes because sometimes you get your feet wet.

Cordouan achieved UNESCO World Heritage status last year and is no ordinary lighthouse. Firstly it is still manned all year round and the keepers or guardians in French do maintenance work as well as showing visitors round. Secondly it was the first lighthouse in the world to have Fresnel lenses (the lighthouse crew will know what I am on about here). And thirdly it had Royal patronage so as well as accommodation for the keepers it has a Kings Apartment and a Royal Chapel - yes a chapel in a lighthouse. Although I will add that no member of royalty ever stayed here.

Of course it has been restored to bring it up to tip top condition for its World Heritage bid but the detail in the carving is amazing as is the splendour of the inside. I would add that the whole 4 hour trip boat + lighthouse was in French, which didn't bother me as i know how a lighthouse works anyway. I do suspect though that with its new status there will be more overseas visitors so that might change.

Anyway I will leave you now with pictures from the day.

Entrance Hall

Detail in the carving in the Entrance Hall

Former accommodation for the keepers - they have more modern facilities today

Kings Apartment

Chapel

Complete with stained glass windows

Interior staircase

Watch Room

Lenses

The light has red, green and white sectors to show safe and dangerous channels

View from the top