The first couple of weeks in Bordeaux
When we arrived in Bordeaux, the holiday decorations were still everywhere in the city.
Due to delays in leaving Nice (we had to wait for the Easy Jet pilot to arrive) we landed in Bordeaux quite late in the evening. In our wanderings the next morning, we were surprised at the grand boulevards and large parks in Bordeaux. While Nice does have grand promenades, and large urban green spaces, the city still feels somewhat “compressed” as it is bound between the sea and its surrounding hills and mountains, and its “Old Town” has incredibly narrow labyrinthine streets. In contrast, everything in Bordeaux felt that much more spread out and therefore somehow more grand or majestic, than the compressed beauty of Nice, even though the population and population density of the cities aren’t that different. (Nice municipal population: 353,701 Density: 4,918 hab./km2 and Bordeaux: 265,328 Density: 5,375 hab./km2)
Since the city straddles the Garonne River, there are a lot of nautical references in its architecture. One of the large squares we found ourselves in (Place des Quinconces) turns out to be “among the largest city squares in Europe” (about 63 acres according to Wikipedia). A good portion of the square is currently covered with the cirque Arlette Gruss and a Ferris Wheel. But on the river edge of the square are two “Rostral Columns” (rostral was a new word for me, and refers to a “triumphal” column, that commemorates a naval victory, or a victorious maritime campaign.)
On the other end of the square is the magnificent Monument aux Girondins. It is an enoromous (54 metre tall) monument in memory of the Girondists, who were killed during the French Revolution.
Below is a photo of the south side of the monument, the “Triumph of the Republic”, with a family and a child riding on a sturgeon, representing Happiness.
A plaque at the base of the monument explains that in 1942, it was purchased for 30 French Francs per kilo by the commission in charge of the reclamation of non-ferrous metals. Thankfully, in October 1944, the sculptures were found intact in Angers, and were returned in July 1945.
Early in our stay we made a point of visiting the Cité du Vin. It is in a remarkable building, designed by Anouk Legendre and Nicholas Desmazières of XTU Agency, and it looks like a giant carafe (or Jabba the Hutt). I guess you can refer to it as a Museum? It has many different interactive exhibits that talk about the history of wine, as well as the production of wine around the world.
The exhibitions were really interesting and beautifully designed, including two different “scent” tables, one for odours associated with red wine, and the other for white.
From there we walked over the Garonne River on the Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas. It is a stunning bridge, with a span of 575 metres, of which the middle 177 metres raise.
The middle section rises up along the four columns, almost to their top, to allow cruise ships to pass underneath. We have not had the fortune to see it rise, but it was designed with the expectation that it will raise roughly sixty times a year, stopping the automobile traffic for one hour while it does.
In crossing the Garonne, we made our way to a place called “Darwin”. It’s a community that has been created in former military barracks. It includes everything from a huge skatepark to a coffee roaster and café to a co-working space.
We paid to do coworking from there for a day to see what it was like. The space was great but the contract to use it just for our one month in Bordeaux was a bit complicated. Instead, we walk over there quite frequently to grab a coffee or a sandwich from the on-site bakery for lunch. It’s an amazing place with a bookstore, winery, chocolate-maker and restaurant with a wood-fired pizza oven.
In our wanderings around Bordeaux, we have seen a lot of great street art, including another mural by Monkey Bird which we immediately recognized from seeing one of their murals in Antibes.
We have also visited several museums, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, which had a fascinating exhibit relating to Walt Disney and its cultural, architectural and urban legacy.
We also went to the Musée des Beaux-Arts Bordeaux, which is almost right around the corner from our Airbnb. It has several breathtaking large paintings from the Baroque period, as well as a sculpture called “Mozart Expirant”, by Rinaldo Carnielo, done in 1877 that I found quite captivating.
From the folds of the fabric in his shirt, to the texture of the blanket he is wrapped in, I was captivated with the sad beauty of it. (You can see more detailed photos if you go to the photo gallery on the Wikipedia page about this sculpture.) Speaking of sculptures, I was surprised to see this one next to the Grand-Théâtre.
I was surprised for two reasons. First, I was surprised because I had seen a very similar sculpture in downtown Toronto and was quite captivated with how the face appears and changes as you walk passed it.
The second reason I was surprised was because when I saw the name of the artist on the base of the sculpture, I immediately recognized his name from a beautiful installation, done in 2007, in Nice called Conversation.
And, still speaking of sculptures, it’s not every city that has a UFO….but we will talk about that UFO more in the next post.
When we were in Nice, we went and saw a sold-out hockey game, the Nice Aigles playing against the Ducs d’Angers. So, we decided to also go see one while here in Bordeaux. It was also sold-out and happened to be the Bordeaux Boxers playing against the Nice Aigles! We only stayed for a couple of periods, but while the Boxers were higher in the standings than the Aigles, they failed to score a single goal while we were there. But it was still fun to get out and watch a hockey game.
Here are a few of our favourite spots from our first couple of weeks: Alchimiste (coffee roaster and cafe, at both of their locations: Darwin and Bordeaux Center); Kuro Café (delicious coffee and amazing cheese scones); La Mie Câline (it’s a chain of boulangeries, but they have delicious sandwiches that are cheap to pick up for a quick lunch); Boulangerie Guillame (a fabulous bakery); La Bande à Roro (a cozy wine bar with a delicious mixed plate of charcuterie and cheese - make sure you pay extra and get the truffle one); Les Trois Pinardiers (another cozy wine bar); Panshop (a delicious, cozy brunch place that makes their own bread and pastries and has the best croissants and chocolatines we have tasted…. and trust me, we have tasted many); and Boardriders Bordeaux (a fun surf/skateboard shop with good clothes, chill staff, an okay coffee shop, and a great rooftop terrace).
