10/15
We took a several hour bus tour of Bordeaux with many stops to walk around and enjoy the sights of the city. It's a beautiful city with a lot of history.
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| View of the city with an old bridge in front |
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| New drawbridge |
The new drawbridge is only for the infrequent large cruise ships (not our river cruise ship) and when it opens, traffic is disrupted for hours. The schedule is posted widely so the public is aware of it but given the usual heavy traffic in Bordeaux, I suspect it's a traffic nightmare. During our tour, the old bridge was closed for the "pink run", an event to support breast cancer and there were what looked like thousands participating. It was a Sun. and the traffic was horrific because of the bridge closure.
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| Pink runners vaguely visible in front of buildings |
The "place" here is the largest in Europe and is the site of various festivals over the year.
Right now there's a carnival here for the month. The sculptures in the fountain were taken by the Germans for the metal towards the end of WW II but the war ended before they were melted down so they were recovered.
At one time Bordeaux was a gated city. This is called the "Clock Tower Gate" for obvious reasons.
There is a new "wine experience" in Bordeaux. Said to NOT be a museum but a total wine experience. The visit takes the better part of a day which we didn't have available. The building has met with a lot of local criticism for it's unusual architecture which the proponents say look like wine swirling in a glass. Some opponents say it looks like a platinum turd.
After our tour, we came back to the ship for their gorgeous lunch. After lunch we did our mandatory safety drill where everyone gathers in their muster stations in their life jackets. Several napped after because they were jet lagged while we relaxed and read in the lounge.
There was a welcoming toast and info about what was upcoming the next day then dinner. There was a wine tasting after dinner to educate us to tasting Bordeaux wines. The wines were just OK but it was fun never the less.
Right now there's a carnival here for the month. The sculptures in the fountain were taken by the Germans for the metal towards the end of WW II but the war ended before they were melted down so they were recovered.
At one time Bordeaux was a gated city. This is called the "Clock Tower Gate" for obvious reasons.
There is a new "wine experience" in Bordeaux. Said to NOT be a museum but a total wine experience. The visit takes the better part of a day which we didn't have available. The building has met with a lot of local criticism for it's unusual architecture which the proponents say look like wine swirling in a glass. Some opponents say it looks like a platinum turd.
After our tour, we came back to the ship for their gorgeous lunch. After lunch we did our mandatory safety drill where everyone gathers in their muster stations in their life jackets. Several napped after because they were jet lagged while we relaxed and read in the lounge.
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