EUROPE BLOG May 1st, 2023 - BORDEAUX

 

5/1/23- In Europe, May 1st is a national holiday (much like Labor Day). Not only are many stores and restaurants closed but apparently all modes of public transportation are non-existent in France. We find this out as we plan our day and realize a 35 minute walk to get to places would not be the best option.

We think about staying in to rest, but soon give way to the temptation of the weather as we make plans to walk the riverside. Our food supply is getting low, so will need to find food anyhow.

Leaving our AirBnb is like being in the Purge. We have to unlock 3 different bolts on the door, hold our nose to the aweful trash smell in the eleator and push several buttons to access the doors. On top of that the street out front has hardly any people around. The windows in our place also have heavy duty shades (storm shutters) that slowly come down with a hand crank, making a harsh noise with each rotation. I mean, we do feel secure so there’s that.

The wind is picking up making me feel like shorts perhaps isn’t the best option, but once at the river the sun warms us up. We walk the river up to Porte Cailhau (castle like archway built in 1495 and was once the main gate to the city). The price to go to the top was a bit much for what it was (5 Euros each) but it was decent enough to say we did it, and it does provide a view of the bridge.

Continuing on, we walk past Place de la Bourse and search for this hippo statue at Placette de Munich, but it’s nowhere to be found. We thought we missed it yesterday but it turns out it has been removed completely.

Our last place on the list is L’Intendant (which is a wine store that has a unique spiral staircase inside), but as almost everything today it’s closed for the holiday. Not to be discouraged, we find a quick bite to eat, check out a local grocery store (which was disappointing) and retreat back to our fall-out shelter for the night.

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