Sunday, July 8th 2018
Bordeaux, France
It’s about 9:30am CES and I am getting ready for my first day in Bordeaux. I am solo for the next 2 days and am pretty excited to experience a new part of France. I take a few minutes to read through a tourism magazine in my room and look up a few possible activities online.
Stop #1 is the Jardin Public for brunch. I map out my destination using Maps.me and right out of the gate I make 2 wrong turns. Eventually I get myself pointed in the right direction and arrive at a quaint but extremely ornate garden. There’s a small pond, playground and a large natural history museum with a restaurant called L’Orangerie in front. I approach the restaurant and wait a while to be seated. No one comes and eventually I find a seat for myself on the large patio. After only a few minutes, a server approaches me and I order coffee and peruse the menu, which is mostly open faced sandwiches. I pick one with cheese and mushrooms and wait patiently while I continue to read through tourism magazine from my hotel room.
The sun is bright and the temperature continues to rise as my hot sandwich and second cup of coffee arrive. After a leisurely brunch I take a stroll around the garden. The entire lawn is littered with couples and families having picnics and drinking wine. I am feeling very jealous of this lifestyle. On the way out of the garden I see a stray cat and take at least 10 photos.
Next stop is La Cite du Vin, which is a museum dedicated to wine. I take a few more wrong turns before I end up on the pedestrian walkway that runs next to the Garonne River. Now that I am out of the narrow streets of town, the sun is absolutely punishing. I have to stop and lather myself with sunscreen. I am already a puddle of sweat and sunscreen and it’s not even noon yet.
The walkway is lined with vendors on the side closest to the water and permanent shops on the other side. The construction is obviously very new and, while I am always charmed by a good outdoor space, I can’t help but think this feels like San Diego with humidity. About halfway to the museum I pass by a small skate park.
Eventually the river bends and I am able to see my destination. La Cite du Vin was just opened in 2016 and cost nearly 80M Euros to build. It was a major project funded by many different levels of government to revitalize Bordeaux as tourist destination. The architecture of the building is unique and is meant to resemble wine being poured into a glass. It’s clearly an abstract rendition.
When I enter to main lobby I am blasted with air conditioning. I quickly buy my ticket and head into the nearest restroom. I take a few minutes to fill up my water bottle, wash my face and apply new deodorant. I’m feeling slightly homeless, but mostly relieved to be out of the mid-afternoon sun.
The entire exhibit is divided into 18 stops, starting with wine regions, then winemaking, then wine history, then wine-related art and ending with a group of exhibits that are specific to Bordeaux. They do a really nice job of designing each section to be a different experience; some are passive, like watching movie on a large screen and some are highly interactive like actually smelling the different kinds of notes of various wines. The entire building is dimly lit and the indoor temperature is just perfect. The experience ends with a wine tasting on the top floor. The space is completely round with a 360 degree view of Bordeaux. The fixtures are solid white and bartenders are impatient. It feels like a scene out of Gattaca. I kind of love it here.
The entire exhibit is divided into 18 stops, starting with wine regions, then winemaking, then wine history, then wine-related art and ending with a group of exhibits that are specific to Bordeaux. They do a really nice job of designing each section to be a different experience; some are passive, like watching movie on a large screen and some are highly interactive like actually smelling the different kinds of notes of various wines. The entire building is dimly lit and the indoor temperature is just perfect. The experience ends with a wine tasting on the top floor. The space is completely round with a 360 degree view of Bordeaux. The fixtures are solid white and bartenders are impatient. It feels like a scene out of Gattaca. I kind of love it here.
Now that it’s getting to be mid-afternoon, I decide to take a walk across the river to visit a place called the Darwin Ecosystem, which I found in my hotel magazine. It’s described as a crucible of innovation and free expression. I really have no idea what to expect.
When I arrive I find a group of buildings including a grocery store and a few bars and cafeteria style restaurants. There is lots of outdoor space, which is covered by what looks like totally haphazard awnings, but are actually providing nearly 100% shade in conjunction with the existing structures. I decide to do a lap before settling in. I find all sorts of awesome graffiti and take lots of pictures. I walk through the grocery store and cafeteria. I am looking for a small snack, but can’t seem to find anything. I wander to the back of the space and find a hidden indoor skate park. Beyond the skate park there is cluster of modular concrete structures that look like tiny homes. They are covered in graffiti and look like a great place for small hipsters.
Eventually I find a place to sit and buy a glass of Rosé from one of the wine carts. I intermittently people watch and continue to flip through my Bordeaux magazine. At one point a young British couple ask if they can share my picnic table in French. I am super flattered they used French and only nod in response. The air is cooling off and the space is bustling. I order one more glass of wine.
Around 7pm I am famished and need to get back to my side of town. I feel dehydrated and tired, so I book an Uber and am back at my hotel in minutes. I spend a few minutes cleaning up for dinner and then go on a hunt for a restaurant. As I walk down the narrow streets I notice that most restaurants serve a prefix for dinner and have their menus and prices posted out front. This is very convenient and much less expensive than Paris. Eventually I decide on a place called Le Chaudron based on mid-ranged price and the opportunity to order crispy snails. The host sits me next to the window and brings me a large bowl of bread. I order a glass of Bordeaux and choose the crispy snails for an appetizer and the Saint-Pierre for the main course. I have no idea what to expect and am surprised when Saint-Pierre turns out to be fish. The food is just okay and the inside of the restaurant is a little too hot for my taste. For dessert I order creme brulee and an espresso.
After dinner, I walk back down to the river to see the multicolored lights installation at sunset. The river bank is crowded and I find a nice spot to sit. I flip through the day’s photos as I wait for the lights to come on. I notice a warning sign and use my Google app to translate. It says to please not use glass containers for drinking wine near the river and thank you for cooperating. I am loving the formality of the culture here.
Eventually the lights come on and I spend some time walking through the installation. I find this space very charming but I am completely surrounded by teenagers and decide to head back in for the night.
Day 1 of Bordeaux is complete and I am already in love with this place.
