EUROPE BLOG April 30th, 2023 - BORDEAUX

4/30/23- Today was suppose to be a rainy day, so we sleep in and figure a day’s rest wouldn’t be too bad, however, we look at the clear, sunny day from our window around noon and can’t resist going out.

To save our legs, we opt to ride the tram. It’s only a few minutes away and purchase two one way tickets for 1.70 Euros each. For whatever reason only one ticket comes out, which seems odd but perhaps it’s for two people. Either way, we ride the next tram and everything went fine. It is loaded to the max though, like New York City during rush hour.

We take it four stops to the downtown area and immediately we see the difference in vibe. So many people are out and the area looks so much cleaner. This is how I expected Bordeaux to look.

Our first destination is Miroir d’eau. We’re excited to see this as there’s a water reflection that perfectly captures the adjacent building of Place de la Bourse, but quickly notice the water isn’t turned on. Perhaps it’s because it’s still April, I don’t know, but we may revisit this place in the coming days to make sure. It’s still a nice little area off the riverbank, and the wind is perfectly cooling us off as we stroll.

Not far away we come to Place des Quinconces (a landmark plaza from 1820). It’s currently overrun with antique tent shops, unfortunately. At the end there’s a monument (aux Girondins) that is pretty cool to view. We do have to wait a bit for some bike riders who decide to park right in front for about 5 minutes before we can take a clean picture.

With most of what we want to do accomplished, we find the Opera House nearby and figure this would be a nice filler to end the day. We walk in the entrance only to be told in French that it’s closed for tourist as they’re having an event. Another thing to revisit it appears.

Not wanting to stretch our bodies too thin, we decide to grab a bite to eat and head home. Our walk takes us back through old town, which is extremely overcrowded, and quickly find the restaurants are also very overpriced. So, we do the American thing and order McDonald’s Big Macs. Don’t judge us… you don’t know!

*Side note- smoking is still rampant in Europe, especially in France. It’s one thing to deal with it every now and then but to have people blatantly smoke in front of stores and windows, blocking the entry way with their filthy habit. It’s completely inhumane and disgusting. I’m sorry France, but I’ll never live here.