Our next and last stop in France was Bordeaux. The four weeks in town focused on learning about the wine regions, not just the town of Bordeaux. Our stay was very successful because we did learn a lot about wine. But we thought we would tell you about our stay and the town of Bordeaux before we tell you what we learned about wine.
Getting There
The pleasant drive from Rocamadour took about four hours, winding through French woodlands on mostly two-lane roads. Things got less pleasant as we approached Bordeaux because the traffic got much worse. Our destination was our apartment, which had secured parking but negotiating the gated lot was a bit confusing. Fortunately, our hosts were there to greet us and we eventually sorted it out.
Our Awesome Apartment
Let me start by saying this was the best apartment we have rented in Europe. Regular readers know how we have struggled to find comfortable and functional accommodations at a price we are willing to pay. We found everything we needed and our hosts showed us how it all worked. The furniture was reasonably comfortable and the AC and the heating worked. Our stay took us into September and we actually had to use the heat.
The kitchen was big enough for 2 people, usually. A large supermarket was a 5-minute walk away, so frequent visits (the European way) were not a problem. Our hosts were very engaging, so much so that we have an entire post coming later on our experience with them. If all of our rentals were so good, we might not have bought our place in Playa so soon.
Neighborhood Where We Stayed
One compromise for our stay in Bordeaux was the location of the apartment. We were in Chartrons, a neighborhood on the north side of Bordeaux. This is basically a bedroom community, with good but lengthy public transit access into town. Still, we chose this location because our primary objective for our visit to Bordeaux was to use it as a base to explore the local, world-famous wine region. Negotiating downtown traffic every time we sought out the vineyards would have been a drag. All in all, we think this location served as a good compromise, given our priorities.
The Chartrons neighborhood is in a state of flux. It seems the Italian Navy built a submarine base on the river during World War II. In attempts to destroy the base, the Allies heavily bombed it and the surrounding area. Walking the streets, it was fairly common to see buildings with their upper floors missing or where there clearly used to be another building beside it. The buildings have been restored and are in place, serving as a testimony to resilience while maintaining references to a grander past. Ironically, the submarine pens were deemed too difficult to remove after the war, so the structure was used for cultural events. Nice.
Weather at the Beginning of September
Although we had enjoyed great weather thus far in our time in Southern France, a cold front came in as we arrived in Bordeaux and it never really left. The frequent days of rain and temps in the 60s didn’t motivate us to get out a lot. So we didn’t get downtown as much as expected. The cold and damp started at the end of August, for crying out loud. It’s made us think we need to head further south during our time in Europe as the summer wanes in future years.
Downtown Bordeaux
The historic city center was about 30 minutes by tram from our flat. There are several notable sections in the downtown. There is always something happening by the Garonne River, especially at the Place de La Bourse. Shopping seems to be the major attraction of downtown.
Heading due west from La Bourse, the long and wide pedestrian street Rue St. Remi has many well-known stores and can be quite crowded during tourist season. It transects Rue St. Catherine, the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe at 1.2 km.
Another fun approach to the city is from the Gros Cloche gate at the south, which is highlighted by a bell weighing over 7 tons in a former juvenile dungeon and featuring a large clock dating from 1759. Going north from there puts you in a narrow tourist street which is also part of the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The downtown is pretty small so it is quite manageable on foot, once you get there.
Rugby
Wherever I stay, I seek out events. I scan for notifications on buses, trams, and kiosks around town. Is there some interesting concert, exposition, or festival happening while I’m in the area? In Europe, in particular, I look for soccer matches, although my timing is seldom correct. Dutifully, I sought out a match in Bordeaux, whose storied team was founded in 1920. But the Girondins (the team name is named after the local people) have suffered mightily over the past years and declared bankruptcy in July. So the team was relegated to the 4th tier of French soccer, not unlike an MLB team sliding down to Single-A ball. No matches were scheduled for our time in town, so seeing even the shell of a team they have become wasn’t possible.
Instead, we got to a rugby match and by the end, we sort of understood the rules. The Bègles (named for a Bordeaux suburb) are playing in the top tier of French rugby and doing quite well. Rugby is big in France, big enough that France hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2023 while we were in Paris. Team France lost 28-29 to South Africa, the eventual cup winner, in the quarterfinals. Tickets to the match in Bordeaux weren’t too spendy. The Bègles rewarded the local fans with a big win and the fans rewarded the team with a packed and very supportive home pitch. It was a fun night in Bordeaux.
Grocery Shopping, a Favorite Pass Time
I love visiting grocery stores wherever we travel. They are an outstanding lens into how the locals live and what they value. My son recently asked me where my favorite grocery stores were. I decided it was a toss-up between France and the US. American grocery stores have many things I am familiar with and a wide variety of choices. French stores always have great produce and fascinating food products from Europe. So, when in France, I prowl the aisles looking for old faves I can only find in France (duck rillettes, for example) and new things I have yet to experience.
This time was no exception. I’ve decided the best tomatoes in Europe are from France. They were so good that twice a week we had just Caprese salad with those tomatoes for dinner. Naturally, there was fresh basil, Italian mozzarella di buffala, and balsamic vinegar, too. It was heavenly.
Food
Since the tram ride downtown was a little lengthy and those tomatoes called to me frequently, we didn’t get downtown a lot during our stay. I must say the restaurants we went to were generally good, but not amazing. There was a Michelin-starred spot by Iron Chef Morimoto near our flat, but it hadn’t been open long and the service reviews were not great. So we decided to skip it.
The specialty of Bordeaux is a Caneles cake, so of course we had to try them. They are very sweet and chewy with a distinctive shape. Neither of us cared for them, but experiencing them is what travel is about. Tellingly, there were only two places in town where I bothered to get pix of the food. The first at Edoard bistro downtown. The second was a tapas bar near us in Chartrons. I can say we had some great meals when we were out wine tasting in the countryside. We will cover those experiences in our next posts.
Visit to the Beach
While none of the Michelin-starred menus in town called to me, I did find a place about an hour west by car, in the beach community of Ares. I secured a Saturday lunch booking at Maison Nacre. We chose the seven-course menu and elected to share a wine pairing.
The Verdict: Fabulous. This meal is in my Top 5 all-time. It wasn’t the biggest, the splashiest or the most expensive. The seven courses were well-proportioned and well-balanced. Substitutions for foods we didn’t care for were well conceived themselves, not afterthoughts as can often happen, even at top-tier spots. The service was responsive and timely. It was an altogether wonderful and memorable meal I would be happy to repeat, and it didn’t break the bank. In fact, after the meal, I caught the chef on the street jumping the car of a patron. He explained cheekily how he runs a full-service enterprise. Indeed.
After that great start, we then drove around the adjacent bay, which borders the Atlantic. The towns and topography reminded us of Cape Cod. It made for a pleasant way to follow up on lunch. It was a great day out.
How have we whetted your appetite for a visit to Bordeaux?
