On my way up to Bordeaux I couldn't help but notice the immense number of vineyards we were blasting past. In between conversing with our new friends and polishing off the bottle of champagne, I wrote this note: "there are so many vineyards between Marseilles and Bordeaux that I wonder if France grows and makes anything other than wine."
As it turns out, my reflection illuminated more than I had anticipated. While France does indeed grow much more than grapes for wine, the country is largely an agrarian state. And, somewhat shockingly to me, it's because of EU farming subsidies that by and large provide the country with the lofty economic status it currently enjoys. This makes sense as for the life of me I couldn't discern that much difference between French and Spanish industry.
As it turns out, my reflection illuminated more than I had anticipated. While France does indeed grow much more than grapes for wine, the country is largely an agrarian state. And, somewhat shockingly to me, it's because of EU farming subsidies that by and large provide the country with the lofty economic status it currently enjoys. This makes sense as for the life of me I couldn't discern that much difference between French and Spanish industry.
But the reason I note the vineyards is simple: Bordeaux is famous for its wines. As they say, when in Rome... uh do Roman things I guess. But when in Bordeaux, drink Bordeaux wines. Drink them with a steady passion and great gusto. And that's precisely what I did.
We last left off with a very bubbly Sarah and I stepping off the train onto the Bordeaux platform. From here I more or less knew where we needed to get to and we made our way via tram to Quinconces and proceeded from there on foot to the Gambetta tram station. From there I shot Bastien, the guy who was supposed to host me, a text and he met us at the stop and lead us to Pierre's. Pierre's place is right in the heart of the old district off Rue de Ruat. This being my first time Couch Surfing, and a bit of a unique situation since it was a different host and I was traveling with someone else, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
But Bastien and Pierre were tremendous, exceptional really. They had just prepared dinner and invited us to partake. Then Bastien broke out his ukelele and played us some tunes. My favorites were his rendition of one of the Cowboy Bebop tracks and of course his cover of Radiohead's Creep but with the addition of "in my pants." Really funny stuff. After dinner and wine it was time to head to bed- it had been a crazy afternoon and even more fun night. Despite getting to bed at a relatively reasonable hour I found it difficult to get much sleep.
The next day we did the grand tour of Bordeaux. It was a bit rainy but, against the Mike Steele Law of Inverse Causality, I refused to purchase an umbrella. The first stop was the Cathedral, which I got a shot of amidst the rain. I have a better photo from when the sun finally broke later in the day.
After walking for a bit and scoring a memory card for Sarah we stopped for another crepe. This time Sarah went sweet (banana & chocolate) and I went with what should have been ham, onions, cheese, and pickles but turned out to be ham, cheese, and lettuce? Anyway it was good but nowhere near as good as the one the other day. Afterward we made our way to the Victory Plaza where there is a great arch and also one of the best places for happy hour.
Next we wandered around for a while until we happened upon Sacré Coeur, a totally under-hyped church (didn't even see it marked on my map) that I thought tremendous. I love the minarets.
We then strolled up the waterfront of the Garonne until we arrived at St. Michael. This is an impressive basilica with an even more impressive tower... sound like anyone you know? Ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Dirty jokes aside, the tower is spectacular but the area around St. Michael is a bit run down. Hey there! I said dirty jokes aside- get your mind out of the gutter dear reader! Anyway, we decided to get a couple bottles of cheap champagne for the remainder of the afternoon and then proceeded to the river.
The area surrounding the riverfront is really relaxing. We sat and chilled for quite a bit. Meanwhile, behind us someone set up a makeshift bicycle riding training course. It was something like 8 cones and the participants had to ride through a number of times to prove they could operate the "vehicle." It was really funny. I kept expecting one of them to careen out of control into the barrier to the river and generate a triumphant splashdown. But I shouldn't talk considering how bad my bike riding skills are at this point. Before heading on we snapped this shot at the Porte Calihau.
That's one of the really awesome things about Bordeaux- the architecture in the old town is strikingly uniform and there are a number of fantastic and ornate gates leading you in. After a long day of touring around we swung by Pierre's for a snack of baguette and cheese and some of our champagne. By this point it was time for Sarah to catch her train to Paris, so we made our bubbly way down to the trams and off to the train station. She was a great travel companion and I admire her gumption to follow a stranger to a random city in France on a whim. That's the sign of a true traveler!
Suddenly bereft of a companion I did what any man 2 1/2 months into an absurd European journey and a little bit tipsy would do: I put in the headphones, scrounged up a Konigsbier, and hit the streets- determined to enjoy the brief respite from clouds and rain while it lasted.
As I walked around I also decided that it would be a great gesture if I bought the ingredients and made dinner for Pierre since he rescued me from the depths of park-benchitude. So I snagged some pasta, tomatoes, sauce, zuchini, mozzerella, garlic, baguette, and (of course) wine on my way back to the apartment. Also on the way back to the apartment I stopped by and snapped some good shots of the Cathedral in the sun.
Back at Pierre's, subsequent to the meal, he decided we should climb through the skylight and up onto the roof of his apartment. While a bit tricky to get up there- wow, what a great idea. The roof provided some spectacular views of the sun setting over Bordeaux.
And the compulsory one of me looking bubbly and very excited:
After dinner we stepped out for a bit at an Irish pub where we ended up meeting Marc from the first night's dinner and his friend Valentine. I ended up trekking about the city with the latter two that night and ultimately enjoying a shisha and some of Val's own electronica music. A very relaxing end to a very fun day.
The final day in Bordeaux found me spending some time uploading pictures and working on the blog while Pierre's kitten Fistouille alternated between attacking my hands and feet and sleeping comfortably at my side.
Not wanting to spend the entire day indoors, I struck out for one final walk around town. I walked up along the river for several kilometers and then finally headed briefly west and then south. On my way back I got a great shot of the Monument aux Girondins with the cloudy and tumultuous sky.
No trip to Bordeaux would be complete without a wine tasting and Pierre came through in the clutch on my last night. First I met Marc and Val near Victory Plaza for a few beers and some very interesting conversation. Then we made our way to the wine tasting which was hosted at a brasserie a bit of a walk away from the Victory Plaza (I could never find it again if I had to). It was five euro for "tasting" of five wines but if you wanted more of any of the wines they would just fill up your glass. Best deal in France thus far. The guy hosting it looked a bit like a poor man's Brad Pitt. Which, if you're going to be the poor man's anything, you want it to be Brad Pitt. For you ladies:
In all, Val, Marc and I had a blast as you can clearly see from this awesome photo:
I also really love this one of the gang hanging out and this girl (wish I could remember her name) looking tres tres chic. I just can't get over how cool and French she looks.
Anyway, Pierre joined us and a gang of us proceeded back to Pierre's apartment for a nightcap or four all while listening to some great music. Thanks to these guys I have a new favorite artist: Chinese Man. And no, not just a random Chinese guy- although that would be awesome. It's an electronic artist churning out some fantastic beats. And as you may have guessed from the recent theme of this blog- it was a late late night.
Normally that wouldn't be a problem as I usually don't have a train or bus booked ahead of time or if I do they are late in the afternoon. On this particular occasion, however, I had booked a 6am train so that I could get to Le Mans by 10am- fully knowing it was going to take a monumental effort to get from the train station to the area to pick up tickets and then to the campsite. Well, as you might imagine after a night like that, I slept through my alarm for over 2 hours. I finally came to around 7:15.
Poor Pierre. I felt so bad- he had to listen to my alarm for so long while I was out cold. Not the way to treat a host. I'm so lucky he was so forgiving and I'm really glad I opted to cook dinner. He probably deserves 3 or 4 dinners and a crate of wine for all the nonsense I put him through. But he was super gracious and an all-around immensely generous host.
In any event, my goose was cooked with the train. I knew there was one leaving out around 8:30 that would put me in around 2pm (significantly longer voyage than the earlier train) but it was either that or get in at 6pm so I made a mad dash for the train station. Upon arriving (and contrary to what I had been told/heard elsewhere) I was unable to exchange my ticket for the train I had missed. Apparently you can change them prior but if the train has gone it's like an airplane ticket- worthless. So, that turned out to be a nice 70 euro lesson. When traveling this extensively and for this period of time these sort of things are inevitable so I wasn't really that upset. Very Phileas Fogg. Suffice it to say, however, any chance of coming in under budget is officially out the window at this point.
Bonus photo, the Bordeaux train station in early morning light. Imagine a tired shaky annoyed me taking this photo and you'll appreciate the general vibe.
After walking for a bit and scoring a memory card for Sarah we stopped for another crepe. This time Sarah went sweet (banana & chocolate) and I went with what should have been ham, onions, cheese, and pickles but turned out to be ham, cheese, and lettuce? Anyway it was good but nowhere near as good as the one the other day. Afterward we made our way to the Victory Plaza where there is a great arch and also one of the best places for happy hour.
Next we wandered around for a while until we happened upon Sacré Coeur, a totally under-hyped church (didn't even see it marked on my map) that I thought tremendous. I love the minarets.
We then strolled up the waterfront of the Garonne until we arrived at St. Michael. This is an impressive basilica with an even more impressive tower... sound like anyone you know? Ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Dirty jokes aside, the tower is spectacular but the area around St. Michael is a bit run down. Hey there! I said dirty jokes aside- get your mind out of the gutter dear reader! Anyway, we decided to get a couple bottles of cheap champagne for the remainder of the afternoon and then proceeded to the river.
The area surrounding the riverfront is really relaxing. We sat and chilled for quite a bit. Meanwhile, behind us someone set up a makeshift bicycle riding training course. It was something like 8 cones and the participants had to ride through a number of times to prove they could operate the "vehicle." It was really funny. I kept expecting one of them to careen out of control into the barrier to the river and generate a triumphant splashdown. But I shouldn't talk considering how bad my bike riding skills are at this point. Before heading on we snapped this shot at the Porte Calihau.
That's one of the really awesome things about Bordeaux- the architecture in the old town is strikingly uniform and there are a number of fantastic and ornate gates leading you in. After a long day of touring around we swung by Pierre's for a snack of baguette and cheese and some of our champagne. By this point it was time for Sarah to catch her train to Paris, so we made our bubbly way down to the trams and off to the train station. She was a great travel companion and I admire her gumption to follow a stranger to a random city in France on a whim. That's the sign of a true traveler!
Suddenly bereft of a companion I did what any man 2 1/2 months into an absurd European journey and a little bit tipsy would do: I put in the headphones, scrounged up a Konigsbier, and hit the streets- determined to enjoy the brief respite from clouds and rain while it lasted.
As I walked around I also decided that it would be a great gesture if I bought the ingredients and made dinner for Pierre since he rescued me from the depths of park-benchitude. So I snagged some pasta, tomatoes, sauce, zuchini, mozzerella, garlic, baguette, and (of course) wine on my way back to the apartment. Also on the way back to the apartment I stopped by and snapped some good shots of the Cathedral in the sun.
Back at Pierre's, subsequent to the meal, he decided we should climb through the skylight and up onto the roof of his apartment. While a bit tricky to get up there- wow, what a great idea. The roof provided some spectacular views of the sun setting over Bordeaux.
And the compulsory one of me looking bubbly and very excited:
After dinner we stepped out for a bit at an Irish pub where we ended up meeting Marc from the first night's dinner and his friend Valentine. I ended up trekking about the city with the latter two that night and ultimately enjoying a shisha and some of Val's own electronica music. A very relaxing end to a very fun day.
The final day in Bordeaux found me spending some time uploading pictures and working on the blog while Pierre's kitten Fistouille alternated between attacking my hands and feet and sleeping comfortably at my side.
Not wanting to spend the entire day indoors, I struck out for one final walk around town. I walked up along the river for several kilometers and then finally headed briefly west and then south. On my way back I got a great shot of the Monument aux Girondins with the cloudy and tumultuous sky.
No trip to Bordeaux would be complete without a wine tasting and Pierre came through in the clutch on my last night. First I met Marc and Val near Victory Plaza for a few beers and some very interesting conversation. Then we made our way to the wine tasting which was hosted at a brasserie a bit of a walk away from the Victory Plaza (I could never find it again if I had to). It was five euro for "tasting" of five wines but if you wanted more of any of the wines they would just fill up your glass. Best deal in France thus far. The guy hosting it looked a bit like a poor man's Brad Pitt. Which, if you're going to be the poor man's anything, you want it to be Brad Pitt. For you ladies:
In all, Val, Marc and I had a blast as you can clearly see from this awesome photo:
I also really love this one of the gang hanging out and this girl (wish I could remember her name) looking tres tres chic. I just can't get over how cool and French she looks.
Anyway, Pierre joined us and a gang of us proceeded back to Pierre's apartment for a nightcap or four all while listening to some great music. Thanks to these guys I have a new favorite artist: Chinese Man. And no, not just a random Chinese guy- although that would be awesome. It's an electronic artist churning out some fantastic beats. And as you may have guessed from the recent theme of this blog- it was a late late night.
Normally that wouldn't be a problem as I usually don't have a train or bus booked ahead of time or if I do they are late in the afternoon. On this particular occasion, however, I had booked a 6am train so that I could get to Le Mans by 10am- fully knowing it was going to take a monumental effort to get from the train station to the area to pick up tickets and then to the campsite. Well, as you might imagine after a night like that, I slept through my alarm for over 2 hours. I finally came to around 7:15.
Poor Pierre. I felt so bad- he had to listen to my alarm for so long while I was out cold. Not the way to treat a host. I'm so lucky he was so forgiving and I'm really glad I opted to cook dinner. He probably deserves 3 or 4 dinners and a crate of wine for all the nonsense I put him through. But he was super gracious and an all-around immensely generous host.
In any event, my goose was cooked with the train. I knew there was one leaving out around 8:30 that would put me in around 2pm (significantly longer voyage than the earlier train) but it was either that or get in at 6pm so I made a mad dash for the train station. Upon arriving (and contrary to what I had been told/heard elsewhere) I was unable to exchange my ticket for the train I had missed. Apparently you can change them prior but if the train has gone it's like an airplane ticket- worthless. So, that turned out to be a nice 70 euro lesson. When traveling this extensively and for this period of time these sort of things are inevitable so I wasn't really that upset. Very Phileas Fogg. Suffice it to say, however, any chance of coming in under budget is officially out the window at this point.
Bonus photo, the Bordeaux train station in early morning light. Imagine a tired shaky annoyed me taking this photo and you'll appreciate the general vibe.
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