Bordeaux. A Love in May

We spent two beautiful days in Bordeaux without knowing much about the city beforehand. And this charming town is definitely worth a visit.

Day 1. We arrived in Bordeaux late in the evening. Despite the late hour, we were promised by the internet that there would still be a bus to the city, directly near our hotel. While we were still looking for the screenshot with the bus route, I saw a bus with the exact number I remembered standing in front of the airport building. We ran to it, bought a ticket for a really cheap €1.20 per person, and started our journey. By that time, it had already gotten dark outside and we could only see minimally what was passing by outside the bus. At first, we had to stand, but after many people got off in a larger city, we squeezed ourselves to the front and took the first seat. After a while, the bus driver asked us in French where we wanted to go. Since we never learned French, we couldn't answer and she couldn't speak English. However, she repeated her question and we could guess what she wanted through her additional hand motions. I took out my phone and showed her our destination stop. She nodded, and when we arrived there after about 40 minutes (from the airport), she kindly waved us to get off. So our first impression of the people here was already very positive. Our hotel had a 24-hour service, so we were able to check into our room quickly and dive into the world of dreams.

Day 2. The first thing we did after waking up was to push aside the small curtain in front of the window, through which we couldn't see anything at night because everything was dark. But in the light, we had a beautiful view of the rooftops of the city and the sun hinted at a warm and sunny summer day. Quickly getting dressed, we headed to a small market nearby, right in the center of Bordeaux. There, we decided to have freshly squeezed orange juice and a warm croissant straight out of the oven. It was delightful, but in the market hall where there was also fresh fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, and other delicacies, there were no nice seating areas, so we continued walking towards the center with breakfast in hand. After about five minutes, we reached a marketplace where several cafes were located and the main shopping streets branched off. Here, we found several benches, and we chose one where we could enjoy our breakfast while observing the hustle and bustle around us. When we finished eating, we walked along the longest shopping street in Europe according to the travel guide. And I can believe it, with several ups and downs that allowed us to have a great view of the whole street from above, it also felt very long to us. Here, there are well-known shops from both Germany and the country as well as small boutiques for the wealthier. Unfortunately, we were not here to shop today, but to explore this wonderful city that I had previously only associated with wine. When we reached the end of the shopping street, we could see the Garonne River, which flows directly along Bordeaux. Here at the waterfront, there was a small green area, and at the end of it, we directly encountered the famous water mirror of the city. Of course, we had to take a photo here. And it was truly impressive how clear our reflections came out in the photo. The water would occasionally disappear, only to reappear a few moments later with sprinkles of mist, which added a highlight to the photos. After enjoying the view and taking enough pictures, we continued walking along the promenade on the Garonne River, which is very wide and well-built. A bridge that leads to the other end of the river promised, according to the travel guide, another beautiful view of the city, so we crossed it and indeed had a superb view. So it's worth taking this way. Back on the main side of Bordeaux, we took a break in the small park and rested from the short night, enjoying the pleasant temperatures and observing the life happening around us. On the other side of the riverbank, there were several cafes right by the water and small shops. But before taking another break, we wanted to see more of the city. Instead of walking back through the already familiar shopping street, we decided to walk through less touristy side streets to get a different and more authentic view of Bordeaux. And it was worth it. It's such a dreamy city that hardly has any beautiful or terrible corners. All the houses are made of sandstone, so there are no colorful or run-down areas. Instead, in every area we saw, the level is the same. And we found that very pleasant since in many cities, the main streets are well-maintained, but the streets a bit further away are already rundown because there is no more budget for them. So we wandered through the streets, ate our apple as a snack, and walked back to the city center. This time, it was a large square with an elaborate and large fountain in the middle. Or rather, there were two fountains since we could climb up in the middle and view the respective fountains from above. Beautiful. A little further was another square with many small trees providing shade, and a nostalgic carousel stood there. So we had arrived back in the center and had seen all the sights our travel guide recommended. We strolled through the old town a bit more, passed many squares with seating, dining, and drinking options, and tried to remember the best one for dinner. It was a maze of alleys and small squares, and in the end, we lost our sense of direction for the best restaurant. But everything looked very beautiful and typical of the region. But before dinner, we went back to the main shopping street, as I wanted to buy a nice souvenir if possible. We strolled along it, but despite a huge selection, I was drawn back to the beautiful abandoned alleys and the small squares instead of continuing through all the shops. As the sun got colder, we found a nice place where we could enjoy our dinner. We couldn't find the one we had previously chosen, but as I mentioned before, all the places were nice. I don't drink wine, but my companion naturally ordered a Bordeaux. And even I found it quite enjoyable to drink. Since the waiters couldn't speak German or English, and unfortunately, we didn't know the French language, we ordered the only thing we understood on the menu. Since they were not in English either. But the pizza was super delicious and huge. After enjoying the rest of the sun and the beautiful place with half the city, which also seemed to be dining out, we moved on to the marketplace where we had our breakfast. On the way there, we passed by the large and beautifully illuminated church once again. Arriving at the square, we enjoyed the last rays of sunshine and actually wanted to have a cocktail. Instead, my companion ordered the best beer they had there and received a Belgian one. Hmm, strange, but it tasted good. :D And I enjoyed a champagne, even though it's not usually my style, but again, it was the only thing we recognized. Although I love traveling and am always excited to get to know new cities and cultures, my adventurous spirit when it comes to food and drinks is very low. I prefer to choose what I understand.

Day 3. Since we enjoyed breakfast so much the day before, we went back to the market again today, but tried new stands for both juice and food. The juice tasted the same, but instead of a croissant, I had delicious little pastries that I had never seen before. They were all very, very sweet but incredibly tasty. So, if you're ever there, be sure to try all the sweets because they look and taste delicious. However, since we still had things to do, we ate while walking and headed to the tourist information center because I wanted to rent a bike to go to the vineyards. I had heard how beautiful they were and I really wanted to experience them. However, as I looked at the map, I realized that I had been a bit naive, and the vineyards were too far away to just ride a bike to them. For this reason, we decided to rent a car. But as it turned out, it's not as easy in Bordeaux. The next available car was at the airport, and the last bus to the vineyards had already left early in the morning. Since our flight back home was already in the afternoon, it wasn't worth it for us to rent a car at the airport, so we thought about what else we could do. While we were still discussing, we saw a little train that was running through the small streets. That was just what we needed to take a leisurely look at everything and maybe discover new streets and corners of the city. So we bought two tickets and waited in front of the historic carousel for the next train. The ride was beautiful. We had actually already explored everything on foot, but just driving through the beautiful and cozy streets was an experience in itself. Along the way, we even saw a market selling food and clothes on one of the slightly larger squares. After a little over an hour, we arrived back at the carousel, and it was time to eat something before we had to take the bus to the airport. But first, we walked back to the market to browse from stall to stall and look for souvenirs. But again, we didn't find anything, but a market like this is always part of my visit to the south. So we enjoyed it anyway. This time, we strolled through the many squares again and discovered a burger place that presented heavenly-looking burgers. Since we knew that the waiters and menus only spoke French, we were glad to have found something delicious and easy to order. They were just as delicious as they looked, and there was a refreshing drink to go with them, which we had ordered as cola and beer, but it was still a kind of lemonade. But the good and unusual taste made us forgive the mistake, and we were grateful to have unexpectedly discovered something new. After eating, we left the beautiful square, wandered through the streets a bit more, and sat on a bench, watching people in their everyday lives before the bus took us back to the airport and we flew home.

In summary, my conclusion for Bordeaux is exclusively positive. The city is so beautiful and cohesive. There are no exceptionally beautiful or dirty areas, but everywhere is equally beautiful, making it very pleasant to wander through the streets. Located directly by the water, a complete holiday feeling arises even without a beach, and the water mirror, which I would say is the city's greatest attraction, is truly unique and impressive. As I mentioned before, I only knew the wine beforehand and was not sure what to expect in the city, so it exceeded my expectations in every way. I fell in love with the city. Well, since I still haven't seen the vineyards, I will be happy to come back again.