Bonjour, Mes Amis!
This will not be long...I am struggling with a French keyboard. Ginna will understand. It is an AZERTY keyboard, kind of hilarious with the *a* and *q* reversed. Sorry...can't find any quotation marks--they don't exist here. Bear with me.
So, it seems that Rick Steves--the Guru of Europe Travel--dismisses Bordeaux. Doesn't even include it in his guidebooks. I felt compelled to prove him wrong, but I'm not so sure I can. What could be wrong? It's smack dab in the middle of French Wine Country! It's old--goes back to Medieval times; Avenue Victor Hugo used to be a moat that protected the city. And when Charlemagne got his butt whipped in Roncevalles, Spain (I will be there on Friday), he had his dead knights brought to Bordeaux for burial.
Even this morning, I hopped on the nifty Tram to have a practice run to Le Gare de St. Jean, ny train station for tomorrow at 0746. Sleek and efficient, the Tram runs by ancient buildings and parallel to La Rive Garonne, the powerful and muddy river that made Bordeaux a city of importance centuries before the Declaration of Independence. La Garonne is so wide and strong that it didn't even have a bridge--Pont de Pierre--until 1822. At least 400 years after the city began.
Yes, it's fatigued, in certain areas. Like most cities.Sure, it has the tallest bell tower in southern France. It also has blocks and blocks of boarded up storefronts. It has the original buildings of the Old Town, with the narrow *open -air sewer* alleys. It also has an enormous homeless population. Again, like most cities. It's authentic and unapologetic.
It's France, and therefore I forgive it for any character flaws. (The dog shit on the sidewalks, though? That's just awful.) I love the carriage door entrances on the curving streets, and the sycamore trees that line the boulevards, and the fact that children get to grow up already knowing how to speak the most beautiful language in the world. I love how people use the parks to enjoy lunch...and later to socialize. It's a teenager's dream to meet friends on the lawns after school.
I think Rick Steves is being snobby by ignoring this ancient city. Get here if you can...and delight in realizing that no tourist is walking around with the unmistakable teal-and-gold guidebook.
This keyboard, however, is a nightmare.
A bientot!
Dear Suzi, I am enjoying your blog and wish I could pop over and walk by your side for a day. You are going to have such an amazing journey! Stay well and full of curiosity. Can’t wait to read more!
Posted by: Kay Kite | 09/10/2014 at 11:30 PM