Traveling in France: Bordeaux

Earlier in Year 4, we visited Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion for a few days.

Bordeaux is the capital city of France's premier wine region.  The city is large and vibrant.

We walked all around the city, enjoying many sights.  We first visited Bordeaux's cathedral, the Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, a very large Gothic church built during the 1100's to 1500's.

Joan of Arc

Next to the cathedral is a very tall (more than 200 feet) bell tower, the Tour Pey Berland, built in the 1400's.

Located next to the cathedral, the town hall (pictured below) was once the archbishop's palace, Palais Rohan.

We also visited the  Basilique Saint-Seurin de Bordeaux.  Saint Seurin (Saint Severinus) was a 4th century bishop of Bordeaux and is the city's patron saint.  The basilica was built over an ancient necropolis from the 400's.  The Romanesque basilica (pictured below) dates from the 1200's.

Close up of the carved stone of the sarcophagus

Near the center of Bordeaux is a very large square with a tall column, the Monument aux Girondins, which commemorates the deaths of political martyrs in 1793-1794 during the Reign of Terror.  The martyrs included National Assembly deputies from Bordeaux who were executed or who died by suicide.

Atop the column is a statue of Liberty breaking the chains of oppression.

We walked along the bank of the Garonne river and discovered an out-of-the-ordinary fountain called the Miroir d'eau, or Water Mirror.  The fountain is flat.  Small jets of water create a thin layer of water, thus creating the world's largest reflecting pool.  The best part is you can walk on the fountain. 

Here is a cool photo of the fountain with the mirror-like reflections at night.

Credit:  Phillip Maiwald

Below is the Grand Théâtre in the center of the city. 

The Grand Théâtre of Bordeaux, with the fire department checking out the building

Below are a couple of the several remaining medieval gates that once protected the walled city. 

Porte Cailhau 

Port Dijeaux

Bordeaux is home to an excellent  history museum, the Musée d’Aquitaine.  The collection has artifacts from pre-history to the modern era.   

A vintage motorcycle made in Bordeaux (about 1927)

Bordeaux is also home to an art museum, the Musée des Beaux-Arts.  The museum has a nice collection of art work, including a lovely painting by Eugene Boudin, who mentored a young Claude Monet.

The museum entrance had an interesting door handle. (Susan was unable to open the door.)

Jean-Claude in the courtyard of the museum

Naturally, Bordeaux has a large wine museum.  The museum, called the Cité du Vin (City of Wine), is housed in an-ultra modern building that opened in 2016.  The shape of the building resembles many things: a wine decanter, a gnarled grapevine, a glass with swirling wine, and an eddy of water in the nearby Garonne river. After touring the museum, we heartily recommend simply viewing the exterior, taking a selfie and moving on.  (Nearby, you can see reinforced submarine pens from WWII built by the German navy.)

Also nearby is a modern lifting bridge that spans the Garonne river.

Pont Jacques-Chaban-Delmas

You can see the bridge in action by clicking here.

While strolling round the city, we spotted architecture from the middle ages and the modern age.

We also spotted a modern sculpture.

Sanna by Jaume Plensa (2013)

In addition to enjoying many sights, we also enjoyed some tastes.  A nice way to finish lunch is enjoying a café gourmand, espresso with some miniature desserts.

We know where to go in Bordeaux if you want some mediocre pizza.

We guessed that the Allman Brothers Band used to drink at the pub pictured below.

Thanks for visiting Bordeaux with us.

During our trip to Bordeaux, we also toured a nearby town.  Next stop, Saint-Émilion.