Bordeaux, March 29

    Our day started out with a hearty (carb-laden) breakfast with the three other guests at the B & B. (Les Champs des Fleurs).

  We are staying about 40 minutes drive from Bordeaux. We visited Bordeaux in 1982 and stayed with Nick and Jecca in a rather dingy hotel and our impression of the city was not particularly positive.

  However, it has undergone  Michel recommended that we go to a tram station with parking to avoid the high cost of parking in the city, not to mention their locations. So, he sent us to the stop called Buttinieres, but...the lot was full. Yikes. Luckily, we had followed the tram line for a bit, so Mark back tracked and we found another station with a parking lot. Whew. It's amazing how challenging little things can be - ie figuring out how to get the combination tram/parking ticket. But, we persevered. Luckily there was no line behind us! And, it was just 4.20 Euros to park all day and take the tram there and back.
   The trams are sleek, quiet, efficient. We got off in the old town. Wow - so beautiful. Full of old squares, stone building, mostly pedestrianized. (Where would we have parked?)

     We mostly just walked. 5.5 miles to be exact.
      We found a tourist bureau and got a map. It was in the lovely Bourse building. The Place de la Bourse started as a royal square in the early 1700s. The gorgeous square was designed by the main architect of Versailles. 
   From there, we walked along the waterfront of the Garonne. We could see the new Wine Museum. But, we have little interest in wine these days and decided that we were more interested in the architecture and ambiance of the city than a museum, especially one that cost 20 Euros per person.
    We went to the Esplanade des Quinconces, one of the largest city squares in Egypt. There is a huge monument to the Girondins of the French Revolution. The Girondins fell to the Reign of Terror.
   From there we walked to the Grande Theatre, a huge columned building, built in 1780. The square was filled with people enjoying the sun and strolling along the main shopping street, the Rue Sainte Catherine. 
  But, we were on a quest to find one of the two restaurants Mark had researched the night before.

Well, the first, Fufu, was definitely closed. (Asian cuisine)
  So, we zigzagged to the second restaurant, Grande Bretagne, but it only opens for dinner! So, back across the old town we went and we picked one that seemed packed with locals. (Not many tourists here this time of year, so that seemed a good idea. And, it was possible to eat outside and enjoy the sun.

    It was L'Ombriere. It was not haute cuisine, but okay and we and lingered and watched people. Barbara had a sea bream dish with some salmon, dill loose pate as a starter. Mark had a Basque burger, a burger with some pork belly and special Basque sauce and cheese.
   We stopped in a little linen store and bought a present for Maura J., something small that we can pack.
   From there we walked to the Porte Dijeaux, a large gateway that opens onto a green square. And, then we walked to the Saint Andre Cathedral, a huge Gothic-style building complete with a variety of buttresses. We entered and looked at the various chapels. The original cathedral was consecrated in 1096, but little of that remains. Most of the construction was done in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is the church where Eleanor of Aquitaine married the future king, Louis VII, when she was just 15.
   Then, we strolled back towards the river also taking in another grand gate, the Porte Cailhau, built in the 1490s for defense.

   By this point, it was 4 o'clock and we got the tram back to our car and drove home. We stopped at an Intermarche for a little bit to eat. Then, Barbara drove the 2 k back to the bed and breakfast. She has been timid to drive so far, so...a small start. We then sat in the back garden here, had our snacks and caught up on computer things, such as the blog!