A Day in Bordeaux - French Fling - CycleBlaze

April 29, 2019

A Day in Bordeaux

Though the morning could have been anywhere

Last night was another late one.  We had dinner at a restaurant across from Gare St-Jean since we didn't want to go too far and there were at least 3 there to choose from. We picked the one with the most people dining and both of us chose the 15.90€ menu, though I was tempted to go for a salad to up my veggie intake--we've had a lot of croissants, bread and cheese so far.  It was a good choice. Terrine de la mer to start; it came with a small salad, then salmon filet for me (came with rice and more salad) and chicken for Al, followed by gâteau Basque for dessert.  I was stuffed!

We set an alarm this time and were up reasonably early to start on bike assembly in our room. It was just big enough.  Then two trips (walking with our bike cases and then riding) to move all our gear to the B&B Hôtel.  When I booked the first place, I was unable to get it for the night before Al's return to Paris as well, so opted for my second choice (B&B Hôtel).  Then last week when I realized that our first stay was only the one night (I could swear I'd booked it for two), I hastily booked the B&B Hôtel for tonight.   Not as spacious but very new, they have a bike storage area, and will keep our bike cases until we return.

Plenty of room to assemble our bikes!
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Yes, I do my own bike work. (Al's photo)
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The bike room at the B&B Hôtel. This would have been a good place for assembly; Al will use it to pack his bike when we get back to Bordeaux.
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By the time we'd done all that, it was time for lunch.  We took the tram to the old city and just picked a place.  We both opted for the salade de chef and it was great!  I had a glass of red Bordeaux with mine while Al opted for a rosé. (He's been a rosé fan since our last trip to France; I had joined the club during my Pyrénées trip.  We are of the generation that associated rosé with the cheap pink wine we drank as teenagers.)

The Bordeaux riverfront was lined with majestic old buildings like these around a big square
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Building detail
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Lunch! The large white thing is Burrata. It tasted as good as it looks!
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Where we ate lunch
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Rows and rows of plane trees in the centre of the city.
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We really only had time and energy for one destination and we chose Cité du Vin, the new interactive wine museum.  It was a good choice!

Cité du Vin is in a fabulous building
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Map of the permanent displays. Overwhelming!
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A selection of wine regions described by winemakers from those regions. All visitors get a headset and electronic "companion" to listen to whatever interests you in your language (as long as it's one of 8 or so available). This is a winemaker from Georgia describing traditional winemaking in pottery jars.
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There were samples of the scents used to describe wines. Most of them smelled like the rubber bulbs to me.
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You could sit at a table and listen to a chef or sommelier speak on their subject. This chef is a video...
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At the end of the visit, you can go up to the 8th floor and have a glass of wine (included in the admission fee of 20€).
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The lighting of the tasting room uses hundreds of clear wine bottles.
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I chose this one. I had no idea the Bordeaux region produced a sparking wine.
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View of the new lift span bridge (longest in the world)
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Another view of the bridge
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Dinner at French Burger (interesting burgers, reasonable prices) then home to bed and hopefully a solid sleep. The jet lag has lessened but isn't gone yet.

After dinner, we took the tram back to our hotel. (Al's photo)
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Dinner at French Burger (interesting burgers, reasonable prices) then home to bed and hopefully a solid sleep. The jet lag has lessened but isn't gone yet.

Tomorrow we ride!

Today's ride: 1 km (1 miles)
Total: 1 km (1 miles)

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Comment on this entry Comment 4
Scott FenwickLooking forward to your ride too! You are almost two weeks in front of us. We will also be starting in Bordeaux and travelling to Saint Emillion, Bergerac, Le Buque and Les Exzies de Tayc for a couple of nights before heading south to the Lot and then on to the Tarn. Great to have a forerunner!
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5 years ago
Paul ThurstonHi Jacquie! Just started following you. Sounds like a lot of food and wine so far. Hope the cycling is as enjoyable. All the best. 🍷 🚲
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5 years ago
Jacquie GaudetWe cycle so we can indulge in the food and wine!
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5 years ago
Jacquie GaudetTo Scott FenwickWe are in Bergerac now and enjoying ourselves! You should hav3 a great time!
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5 years ago