Bordeaux

Gate of the Arrow, St. Andre Cathedral

Our ship is docked in Le Port de La Lune, the moon harbor, a crescent shaped section of the Garonne River. Cruise ships are nearby that have come in from the Atlantic. We had a combination bus and walking tour of the city this morning. As you look from the river, we see a shoreline filled with classic 18^th century building from the “golden age” of Bordeaux. Like La Rochelle, the city became rich sending European goods to Western Africa, taking on slaves to go to the West Indies, and then bringing back sugar, cotton, and cocoa from there to Europe. We began our walking tour at the Grand Théâtre built in 1780. This is one of the last remaining 18th century theaters in the world. A colonnade of 12 columns decorate the facade with statues of Greek muses and gods. In this theater, Victor Hugo in 1871 first spoke of the United States of Europe. We walked the old town including  Rue Sainte-Catherine, a mile long pedestrian shopping street. We continued on to the 13th century Saint-André Cathedral and its separate 15th century bell tower the  Tour Pey-Berland. It is separate because both edifices are built on former marsh land. The church served for two royal weddings. Nearby is the Hotel de Ville, the former Bishops Palace. We continued on by bus to visit along the river quay.

Port Cailhau, 1456

In the afternoon, we visited the large Jardin Public and watched the people picnicking on the grass as well as the children playing or riding the carousel. I headed back to the Esplanade des Quinconces which is a huge public area from 1828 with the Monument des Girondins in the center, celebrating the French Revolution. I continued along the quay to the Port Cailhau, a monument gate built in the 15th century. Even more spectacular is the Place de la Bourse with the fountain of the Three Graces in the center. From the river there is a reflecting pool, the Miroir d'Eau where both children and teenagers enjoying running through the water. It's only an inch of water but it periodically gets refilled with spray, causing all the kids to scream with delight!

Miroir d'Eau

Upon returning to the ship we had a cheese tasting session with wine to wash down the bread and cheese. We had three cheeses: a fairly mild P'tit Pasque, a Camembert, and finally a strong Roquefort. Followed by another great dinner.