Bordeaux

29-30 June

Crossing into the city of Bordeaux from the other side of the river, we noticed immediately an Ibis hotel, which we know has reasonable weekend rates and it was a Saturday. In cities, we don’t really like being camped out of town. You can waste a long time getting in and out of the city, you worry about the security of your possessions, and you don’t get the feel of the city at all, so well-priced hotels are our choice. Then we walk all over the place, with our bikes safely locked in whatever storage is offered by the hotel.

We did a lot of walking, even going as far as the camping ground from the tram stop (FAR too far in the heat! We managed to get a bus back to the tram stop but they are infrequent and you have to call them up for them to stop.) 






We liked the feel of the city with its long stretch of riverside, 
majestic monuments, parks, fountains. We went into the cathedral of St André to have a look, only to find it packed to capacity. It was the ordination of 6 priests, but there was standing-room only in the cathedral and we left them to it.

Bordeaux has clearly been developed in the last few decades. There are large open areas, a network of tramways, a riverside development including outlet shops in the old warehouses, extensive play areas for children, a massive skateboard park in three separate areas for different abilities, including a really complex set-up for the advanced skate-boarder or roller-blader. We saw both using the equipment.

Outside the city centre there is a lot of development in modern housing, with some very attractive housing complexes out by the lake, which itself is well-equipped for leisure activities. The whole area is well-serviced by the tramway and by a large commercial centre. In fact, because of this large centre it is not so easy to find some things in the city centre (such as the gas we need for our cooker).

Tramways have been developed in the last decade and work continues in this area, as in every other big city in France. Invariably there are roadworks, roadblocks, obstacles to manœuvre around, deviations from the blocked route and lots of noise. But there is clear progress and the trams are a delight to travel on, once you work out where to buy the tickets, which can be different for each city. The only consistent place is NOT on the tram. (Except from Lyon airport!)