Tuesday, 6 June 2017
At Sea — Garonne River to the Bay of Biscay
Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:20p (CEST) … UTC 6:20p (6 June)
Temp: 59.7F (15.4C)
Position: 45.23.54N / 0.50.10W
I demolish my bridges behind me. Then, there is no choice but to move forward.
~ Fridtjof Nansen ~
With fingers crossed that our Bordeaux sightseeing plans for today would work out better than our dinner plans last night, we disembarked Insignia shortly after 9:00a. It was still quite chilly … that would not change as the day progressed.
Though we partook of a light breakfast at the Terrace Café, our first goal was to find a bistro … enjoy a cup of café au lait and a croissant. We found what we were looking for at the Brasserie Des Douanes. Like all the other cafés we had walked by, the place was deserted and we pretty much had it to ourselves. Where were all the Bordelais, we wondered?
Place de la Bourse … the concrete in the foreground is the mirror pool.
Alas, no water = no reflections for us today either.
Our café au lait and croissant break is at a quiet brasserie.
Stopping along the way to photograph whatever caught our eye, we made our way to the Basilique Saint-Michel … only to find both the church and the carillon tower locked up tight. Oh no! Were we off to another “plans don’t always work out kind of day?” Turns out — we weren’t! The church remained closed but the tower opened five minutes later. It was the tower that we were interested in anyway. We paid the admission and climbed the steps to the seconde terrasse panoramique [second panoramic terrace] at 154 feet (47m) above street level to enjoy the views of the city laid out below us.
Left: Porte Cailhau was once part of the medieval walls of the city.
Right: Delicious sweets … but too early in the day to partake.
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Left: Basilique Saint-Michel … as seen from the base of the carillion tower.
Right: The Carillion Tower … we had to walk quite a bit aways to fit it all into photo.
Another of the city’s medieval gates and the cathedral from the carillion tower.
Insignia patiently awaits our return at her berth on the Garonne River.
The basilica was still locked up tight when we eventually went back down. So we moved on. Wandering the back streets, we joined the locals who were going about their business. Our steps eventually stopped in front of the Cathédrale Saint-André (aka the Bordeaux Cathedral) … an edifice often compared in size to the Notre Dame in Paris. While the majority of the church was constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries, one wall of the nave dates to the 11th century. As always, charmed by the stained glass windows, I wandered around the cathedral studying them closely.
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Left: Never can pass up a mural without taking a photo …
this one decorates the barrier around a construction site.
Right: It seems we always find a Turkish market no matter where we go.
A model of the Bordeaux Cathedral for the sight-impaired.
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The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096.
One of the many beautiful stained glass windows at the cathedral.
Our next stop was to get a bite for lunch. Where? I have no idea. We let our feet be guided by the aroma of food and stopped at a casual eatery on a street filled with many such establishments. That most of the tables were filled with locals was a key factor in our selection. We were not disappointed with the salads we ordered … nor with the chocolate crêpe and lemon tart that rounded out our simple meal.
After lunch we continued our explorations. Having noted that one of the landmarks on the map was a Roman amphitheater, we picked a route that would take us in that direction. When we found ourselves passing Basilique Saint-Seurin, we made a detour to check it out. Dating back to the 6th century, this is one of the city’s oldest sanctuaries. In fact, it is considered by some to be the cradle of Christianity in Bordeaux. It has some of the loveliest stained glass windows I’ve seen anywhere.
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More beautiful stained glass windows at Basilique Saint-Seurin.
Of particular interest here was the crypt that we would have skipped if fellow-shipmates Karen and John had not walked up the stairs leading down to it just as we passed the staircase. It was a small crypt, with just a couple of sarcophagi, but I’m glad we didn’t miss seeing it.
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The 11th century crypt contains Merovingian sarcophagi.
Eventually we found ourselves at the ruins of Le Palais Gallien [Gallien Palace], the Roman amphitheater we had set out to see. Only a small section remains of the arena that is thought to have had seating for 17,000 people at one time. It is said to date back to the 3rd century AD … to a time when Bordeaux was known as Burdigala … to a time when Bordeaux was the capital of the Roman province of Aquitaine. Some believe the place was named for Emperor Gallienus who reigned in the latter part of the 3rd century. Others say it was named for Galiene, the wife of Charlemagne. Either way, we enjoyed wandering around a bit even though we’ve seen far more impressive ruins in our travels.
A group of students sketching what remains of the Roman amphitheater.
A glimpse of the amphitheater from an overlook behind the ruins.
Around 3:30p we returned to Insignia with 19,169 steps logged during our DIY exploration of Old Bordeaux … designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as “an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble of the 18th century.” The city deserves the designation.
Our day had been quite chilly — especially when the wind blew. So, once we embarked the ship, we quickly cleaned up and went to the Horizons Lounge where the daily afternoon tea is served. A cup or two of hot tea warmed our chilled innards … and of course I had to have a scone, too ;-)
Insignia left its berth on time and headed downriver. Having done the cruise upriver on the Garonne just yesterday, we opted to watch the passing scenery from the comfort and warmth of our cabin. Doing so also gave me a good opportunity to write about our day.
Tomorrow we have one more port of call in France.
© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.
Oh, Erin, what a truly fabulous day. These photos look as I imagined France would look, the cathedral, the steeples, the sweets. There was fruit on those sweets, I would have eaten one no matter the time of day! So beautiful. France is not on my bucket list, at least not on the short one, so I am glad I get to see it up a bit closer through you. Although Melody and Robert have Paris on their very short list, it will be the first place they go and they have been saving for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your day turned out all right, not being stymied from one thing and another. I'd much rather the temp be cool than too warm ... also when it's cooler, you can put over 19K steps on the Fitbit! Although I doubt I'll ever get there, Old Town Bordeaux looks like a wonderful place to visit. I enjoyed seeing it through your eyes!
ReplyDeleteAm I reading that right? 59 degrees F as a high temp on a June day? I'd heard the Med could be chilly, but this is surprising. Still, what a lovely explore you had!
ReplyDeleteThat number, which I assume you got from the header, was not the high for the day. Rather, it was the temperature when I got the statistics off the NavChannel. It was warmer than that, but with a stiff breeze that made for chilly conditions. Bordeaux is inland from the Atlantic not on the Med Coast ... and the winds coming off the Atlantic/Bay of Biscay can be cold.
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