Bordeaux Beauties

Beauty awake

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Quote:

We only have a day in Bordeaux and probably motivated by this knowledge we manage to spend what in hindsight appears to be an incredibly busy day in the city on the Garonne. Bordeaux was a bit of a revelation for me. I had no expectations of the city as I hardly knew anything of it before we came to visit, but what I found was wonderful. I am not sure if it wasn't partially an exhilaration of simply being a CITY – especially a studenty one with a bit of an edge to it – any city, really, after spending almost four weeks in the Breton countryside. But I still think that Bordeaux specifically has a lot going for it. We managed to somehow drive into the city (easy) and find a centr...Read More

We only have a day in Bordeaux and probably motivated by this knowledge we manage to spend what in hindsight appears to be an incredibly busy day in the city on the Garonne.

Bordeaux was a bit of a revelation for me. I had no expectations of the city as I hardly knew anything of it before we came to visit, but what I found was wonderful. I am not sure if it wasn't partially an exhilaration of simply being a CITY – especially a studenty one with a bit of an edge to it – any city, really, after spending almost four weeks in the Breton countryside. But I still think that Bordeaux specifically has a lot going for it.

We managed to somehow drive into the city (easy) and find a centrally located car park (harder, and involving driving into a restricted area as well as what appeared to be wrong way up a one way street). We should have taken the bus, probably.

But now the car is parked and we are ready to start our tour of Bordeaux. The first glimpses are encouraging, of a handsome city of golden stone, old and yet full of young people, lively and energetic. Apparently, Bordeaux underwent a major rejuvenation in the last ten years or so, with large areas of the centre pedestrianised and renovated and now Bordeaux's core forms the largest UNESCO World Heritage listed urban site in the world. It used to be called a Sleeping Beauty, but it appears to be a very much awake one now.

We walk from the car park on Cours Victor Hugo to one of the city gates, the Grosse Cloche (the gate of the Great Bell). Originally the belfry of the old town hall constructed in the 15th century over a 13th century building and the bell was rung in times of danger or celebration as well as signalling the beginning of the grape harvest. It stands now, beautifully restored, over a handsomely paved and partially pedestrianised pointed arch, its two 40m-tall side-towers topped with conical helmets, and a golden leopard leaping over the central lantern, the gate of the Grosse Cloche is a beautiful doorway to the old Bordeaux.

Beyond the gate, a maze of streets extends towards the heart of the city with its magnificent Gothic cathedral (Cathedral Saint-Andre) and towards the riverside boulevards.

Although the Grosse Cloche and the Cathedral are medieval, most of the Bordeaux's urban fabric dates to the Classical and Neo-Classical period, presenting an exceptional unity of the whole architectural ensemble, a place of material and cultural exchange; a living, breathing city with Enlightenment flowing in its veins,
Read Less

Cheer!
Flag

Place de la Bourse (Place Royale)

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "A grand square, a magic mirror"

Bordeaux Photo - Place de la Bourse (Place Royale), Bordeaux, France

Quote:

Bordeaux's fortunes have been intimately connected with the river for hundreds of years. Bordeaux was above everything else a port city, a centre of commerce which developed particularly during the period following the marriage of the Eleanor of Aquitaine to the Henri Plantagenet, soon to become the king Henry II of England (1154). The 100 years' war was fought over Aquitaine between the Plantagenet and Valois Frankish kings but until the end of that war in 1454 after the death of Henry V in 1422 Aquitaine was an independent duchy under the supremacy of the Plantagenet kings of England. The English love of Bordeaux wine (which is called "claret" in the UK) undoubtedly developed during the ...Read More

Bordeaux's fortunes have been intimately connected with the river for hundreds of years. Bordeaux was above everything else a port city, a centre of commerce which developed particularly during the period following the marriage of the Eleanor of Aquitaine to the Henri Plantagenet, soon to become the king Henry II of England (1154). The 100 years' war was fought over Aquitaine between the Plantagenet and Valois Frankish kings but until the end of that war in 1454 after the death of Henry V in 1422 Aquitaine was an independent duchy under the supremacy of the Plantagenet kings of England.

The English love of Bordeaux wine (which is called "claret" in the UK) undoubtedly developed during the time of the close ties between Aquitaine and England, but the wine trade halted when the Duchy became a fief of the French crown. By the 16th century, Bordeaux trade was on the raise again, dealing not just with wine but also with West Indian sugar and slaves.

Bordeaux's heyday dates to the 18th century, when it was the largest French port channelling a growing amount of trade with the West Indias and Africa. Under the intendants Tourny and Boucher the city underwent a major rebuilding programme. Medieval ramparts were torn down and new avenues laid out.

Place de la Bourse is one of the show-pieces of the 18th century Bordeaux, facing the newly rejuvenated Bordeaux seafront. A crescent of buildings, with tall arches at the street level and slate mansard roofs with slender corner lanterns surrounds a large semi-circular square. This was originally designed by the Gabriel architects (father and son) as Place Royale, to showcase an equestrian statue of the king of France, now replaced by a fountain with Three Graces. It's a handsome ensemble, although an almost painfully grand one, with no pavement tables or shade to get away from the sun that's beating down on the day of our visit to Bordeaux: beautiful to see and photograph but not one to linger on too long, at least on a hot and sunny day.

Across the tram tracks from the Place de la Bourse there is the promenade along the Garonne, with wide flowerbeds (still no shade) and a modern counterpart to the Place: the largest reflecting pool in the world, the Miroir d'eau perfectly placed to reflect the glorious architecture of the Place. The Miroir is much more than a shallow reflecting pool, though, being a dynamic amusement that draws crowds of children and youth as well as an occasional adventurous adult into its magic. Seemingly level with the ground, the slightly recessed surface of the pool descends smoothly and almost imperceptibly from the surrounding paving. It is covered with thousands of water outlets, through which the pool gets filled every twenty-five minutes to create the fabulous mirror effect not just for the grand buildings of the Place de la Bourse but for all those who are running around in the inch-deep water. After that, the water drains and a mist starts to raise, tiny droplets of water enveloping everybody in a thick, white fog. Then the mist clears to allow the filling of the pool and the beginning of the next cycle. It's a simple thing, really, but it delights its audience and on a hot, cloudless day provides a great opportunity to cool down. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 16, 2011

Place de la Bourse (Place Royale)
Bordea
Bordeaux, Aquitaine

Cheer!
Flag

Place des Quinconces

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "A grand square, a grand column"

The monument to the Girondists - detail Photo - Place des Quinconces, Bordeaux, France

Quote:

During the French Revolution, Bordeaux remained a stronghold of the Girondists, a fraction of the Jacobines less extreme (though still very much republican) than the Robespierre's Montagnards whose domination eventually led to the purges of the Reign of Terror in which many of the Girondists met their deaths. Eight of the Bordelais Girondists (only seven of them, though, executed in the Terror) are commemorated in a monumental memorial that stands at the western end of the Place des Quinconces, a huge square (supposedly the largest in Europe, although there are quite a few Russian and one Polish contenders to the title). It stretches for over 12 hectares along the banks of the Garonne, in...Read More

During the French Revolution, Bordeaux remained a stronghold of the Girondists, a fraction of the Jacobines less extreme (though still very much republican) than the Robespierre's Montagnards whose domination eventually led to the purges of the Reign of Terror in which many of the Girondists met their deaths.

Eight of the Bordelais Girondists (only seven of them, though, executed in the Terror) are commemorated in a monumental memorial that stands at the western end of the Place des Quinconces, a huge square (supposedly the largest in Europe, although there are quite a few Russian and one Polish contenders to the title). It stretches for over 12 hectares along the banks of the Garonne, including large, open spaces and number of green areas. It's one of the principal public space of the city, a location of numerous events, festivals and fairs. On the day of our visit it has what appears to be a flea and antiques market, while in the immediate vicinity of the Girondists' column there is a number of fast food stalls, the French equivalent of burger vans and Mr Whippys of the UK fairs.

The monument itself is a huge, rather cumbersome structure dating to the early 19th century, a 54m column topped by a bronze statue of Freedom breaking chains, flanked by two fountain ponds and surrounded by numerous bronze statues depicting allegories of rivers, virtues, even emotional states. Dynamic horses and antique-styled humans figure heavily and the whole thing should really be considered a typical kitsch of the 19th century Academism. And yet it somehow works, more like a document of its time than a work that can be straightforwardly attractive to modern sensibilities, but it works nevertheless.

One can spend quite a long time climbing the staircases, observing the water and peering into the horses' mouths, trying to figure out the allegorical meanings of the statuary, trying to make sense of the array of figures. I just liked the dragon-like water horses myself.
Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 16, 2011

Place des Quinconces

Bordeaux, Aquitaine

Cheer!
Flag

St. Andre Cathedral (Cathedrale Saint-Andre)

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Perfect Gothic"

Bordeaux Photo - St. Andre Cathedral (Cathedrale Saint-Andre), Bordeaux, France

Quote:

Unlike most of the celebrated fabric of Bordeaux city, Cathedral Saint-Andre and its adjacent La Tour Pey-Berland date to the medieval rather than 18th century period. The cathedral is undoubtedly a jewel of the city, a perfect example of the soaring French Gothic, in fact an archetypal church of this style as much as the Chartres, Reims or Parisian Notre Dame. Unlike the last two, Saint-Andre's towers have pointed pinnacles, further increasing the vertical emphasis so typical of the French Gothic churches. I have a somewhat extreme emotional attachment to these limestone Gothic buildings because I had to wait so long to see any of them: I read about stone piers, sculptures and...Read More

Unlike most of the celebrated fabric of Bordeaux city, Cathedral Saint-Andre and its adjacent La Tour Pey-Berland date to the medieval rather than 18th century period.

The cathedral is undoubtedly a jewel of the city, a perfect example of the soaring French Gothic, in fact an archetypal church of this style as much as the Chartres, Reims or Parisian Notre Dame. Unlike the last two, Saint-Andre's towers have pointed pinnacles, further increasing the vertical emphasis so typical of the French Gothic churches.

I have a somewhat extreme emotional attachment to these limestone Gothic buildings because I had to wait so long to see any of them: I read about stone piers, sculptures and vaulted ceilings but all the Gothic I ever saw was the Northern brick variety. The first ever stone church of note I have seen was in the Westphalian city of Munster (I remember it as full of wonderful, stone churches which might be an illusion I am not desperate to dispel),and it was, naturally, a Gothic one.

Saint-Andre, originally consecrated in the late 11th century but with most current structure dating to 14th-15th centuries, fulfils all the expectations of a Gothic addict: the soaring towers with fantastic gargoyles, ornate carvings of the portals, the flying buttresses, the rosette window filled with stained glass and, above all, the high, flamboyant arches of the single nave, typical of Angevin Gothic of western France.

Next to the cathedral stands Tour Pey-Berland, a mid-15th century counterpart to the cathedral. The 50m high, gargoyle-covered belfry can be climbed (over 230 steps but well worth the effort and the 5 Euro entry charge for adults). Its two viewing terraces offer wide-stretching, wonderful views of the city. The tower pinnacle and the golden statue of Notre-Dame de l'Aquitaine are of 19th century origin, but work well with the rest. The belfry is a vantage point not just to view the panorama of the city, but also to observe the Saint-Andre cathedral from an unusual angle, giving an new perspective on the great church's flying buttresses, apse and the towers. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 16, 2011

St. Andre Cathedral (Cathedrale Saint-Andre)
place Pey Berland
Bordeaux, Aquitaine 33000

Cheer!
Flag

Etap Hotel Bordeaux Sud Villenave D'Ornon

Best Of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Poor value for money this time"

Bordeaux Photo - Etap Hotel Bordeaux Sud Villenave D'Ornon, Bordeaux, France

Quote:

I should do a list of all Etap Hotels we stayed in in France once, it would probably lead to a total loss of my credibility among all those people who value individual service, local character and don't like McDonalds. But although it's nice to have some local hospitality or luxury or both sometimes, when travelling for longer periods one has to economise, and staying in chain motels is one of the best ways to economise on accommodation, especially when lumbered (or blessed as it might be) with two children. Well, at least it's a French chain, she says, and proceeds to book another Etap room. This one was in Bordeaux (or rather, as most of the cheaper French chain motels, on the outskirts ...Read More

I should do a list of all Etap Hotels we stayed in in France once, it would probably lead to a total loss of my credibility among all those people who value individual service, local character and don't like McDonalds. But although it's nice to have some local hospitality or luxury or both sometimes, when travelling for longer periods one has to economise, and staying in chain motels is one of the best ways to economise on accommodation, especially when lumbered (or blessed as it might be) with two children.

Well, at least it's a French chain, she says, and proceeds to book another Etap room. This one was in Bordeaux (or rather, as most of the cheaper French chain motels, on the outskirts about 5km out of town, in Villenave D'Ornon but it was still called Bordeaux Sud).

Off the Bordeaux ring-road, this was easy to find but not too noisy as it was screened from the worst traffic by some trees and other buildings. Located in a very soulless type of out-of-town commercial area, with a McDonalds next door, externally it was a fairly typical older Etap, with a reasonably pleasant lobby and the rooms of the older design whose royal blue and purple colour scheme that unfailingly reminds me of those zig-zagy, slightly psychedelic seat covers on UK buses and trains.

Colour scheme or not, the room was, again, a fairly typical Etap family room, with a bunk over the double bed and an extra single. It was all rather tired, more so than in other older-design Etaps we stayed in, but it wasn't anything much worse and the room was generally as expected although it was among the more expensive Etaps we stayed in (59 Euro per night as compared to for example 50 in significantly better ones in Bayeux or Apt).

Now, I should probably state what my expectations of a basic motel of this type are: a clean, reasonably comfortable bed (these are standard in all Etaps and consist of those unpleasant but serviceable memory foam mattresses), a usable, clean bathroom with hot water (check), a usable wifi (not fulfilled – it was the only Etap we ever stayed at that didn't have usable wifi in the room, at least during our stay), and last but definitely not least, a decent night's sleep.

In the summer in southern Europe, especially in a poxy hotel room next to a motorway, sleeping four people, a good night's sleep implies, almost invariably, air conditioning. The hotel description stated air conditioning. The machine appeared to work. However, the effect was minuscule – I didn't dare to turn the thing off for fear of suffocation, but it was either useless or near to useless. We did not get a good night's sleep at the Bordeaux Sud Etap, and when I complained at the reception the lady there gave me an archetypal Gallic shrug (the first one I had seen in France, actually, after a month in the country) and said that the a/c simply wasn't very good. Neither was wifi, apparently.

This failing made the Bordeaux Sud Etap the worst one we stayed in and considering that it was also the most expensive one we used in France I certainly didn't feel I got a good value for money here. Read Less

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on October 15, 2011

Etap Hotel Bordeaux Sud Villenave D'Ornon
Centre D'ornon, Chemin de Sarcignan
Villenave D'ornon 33140
(+33)892707514

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

Bordeaux Journals

Upload Photos