Bordeaux on a Wednesday

April 24.

We started with an overcast morning with occasional bouts of rainy drizzle, a phenomenon that remained with us off and on today.

After a leisurely breakfast we headed out to explore Bordeaux. Fortunately our hotel was located right at the edge of the old quarter. In fact it was just a stone's throw from the Saint-André Cathedral, our first stop of the day. 

the cathedral rear left

entrance

Cardinal de Cheverus 1768-1836

learning about the restoration of the church organ

Archbishop Ferdinand-François Donnet 1795-1882

Archbishop Victor-Lucien Lecot 1831-1908

Cardinal Pierre-Paulin Andrieu 1849-1935

Back outside the cathedral we plunged back into the drizzle and headed off in search of the tourist information (TI) office. We walked to the corner of the cathedral where there was a small open air food market with one vendor selling Venezuelan specialities and another various spice and herb mixtures.

We continued our stroll down a number of narrow streets, many lined with shops, some posh some not so. . . Anyway, we were getting a pretty good sense of the old part of the city.

As we continued our search for the TI office we passed one of the staples of Bordeaux, a Baillardran canelés shop. Canelés, small caramelized flans, are unique to Bordeaux -- although they can certainly be found further afield -- and are absolutely scrumptious.

Heading for the TI

A main pedestrian shopping street (notice Apple on the left)

Once we reached the tourist information office we each picked up a 24-hour city pass (they also come in 48- and 72-hour versions), which will give us unlimited public transport in the city as well as free entry to La Citè du Vin and a number of other places we may wish to visit.

Leaving the TI office we headed back in the direction of Galeries Lafayette. I was in search of a scarf and another sweater - the temperatures have been quite cold and the brisk wind just adds to the chill. 

Place de la Comédie near the TI office

on Place de la Comédie

We popped into Galeries Lafayette and discovered there was a separate store just for men across the street. After a bit of browsing I purchased a new scarf and sweater in short order.

Galeries Lafayette

Across from Galeries Lafayette was an older original galeries space that had few shops and was warm and full of light.

We opted to settle into one of the cafes there and have a bite of lunch. It was a rather hectic arrangement having to queue up to order then find a table to sit and wait until our little beeper device went off telling us it was time to go get our food. But we were out of the chilly air in a place we could relax for a bit.

From the restaurant we walked the few blocks down to the Garonne River and strolled along the riverfront past the place de Quinconces. 

The rain picked up so we decided to pop into a bar for a coffee then grabbed a tram back to the hotel. A good day of exploring the city, topped off by picking up our city passes and finding the city tram system a real pleasure to use.

For dinner Pauline found Le Bistro du Musée just a 3-minute walk from our hotel. The food was delicious and the setting warm and inviting.

Pauline and Susie each had white asparagus with mustard sauce for a starter

sea bass with grilled endive and mashed potatoes for me

Richard had a leg of lamb

Susie and Pauline both had Merlu (Hake)

Susie had a cafe gourmand

Richard and I each had canelés with ice cream

It was a short walk back to the hotel. Rain notwithstanding, it was a lovely day.

Next: More wandering in Bordeaux.

Tuesday in Paris - food, fashion and underwear

Another gray, overcast day but it's wonderful to be in Paris!

Yesterday was really quite incredible, although at times it seemed oddly stressful and certainly pedestrian (literally).

In search of slippers we headed over to the "Grand Magasins," specifically to Galeries Lafayette. Post- and pre-holiday shoppers were out in force stocking up on the post- and pre-holiday sales here and we were caught in this enormous human tide of French consumerism. The store seemed to be an endless sea of designer shoes and even more designer underwear, or as they like to say here, "lingerie." And believe me people were lingering to be sure. One can easily see why: frankly if I wasn't married I'd seriously consider dating any one of the 3,000 mannequins wearing next-to-nothing. Curiously, though one wonders who, in fact is buying all this "lingering clothing."

It was a treat to see the store windows though, and the central open atrium, some 6 floors high, was decorated as well. Tres cool. We also strolled through the food and wine sections as well and wondered how long we would last if we actually lived here before we simply exploded from too much incredible food. I think the risk would be worth it, don't you?

Oh, and if you must know we did indeed find slippers -- comfy isotoners. Located in the "underwear" or linger wear departments, naturally.

Notwithstanding the lousy weather, cold temps and an occasional chilly drizzle, we left the store and headed over to the Carnavalet Museum to try and meet up with Andrea and Barbara and their friends Matt and Susan who were also in Paris, on their way back to the US after working in the UK for a couple of years. We failed to connect, though, due ro malfunctioning mobile phones, and Susie and I set off to Carette, at Place des Vosges for a mid-afternoon hot chocolate and mille feuille for her and a Kir and espresso on the side for me. We lingered over our drinks chatting about one thing or another, or nothing much at all.

After paying the bill we walked home (it's really quite close to the Marais) to sort ourselves out before heading back out for dinner.

A little after 6pm Susie and I grabbed our coats and headed out the door, making our way to the no. 5 line at Richard Lenoir, connecting to the no. 10 at Gare Austerlitz, and getting off at Emile Zola. (The metro not his house -- he is dead after all, or so we're told.) We quickly found our street, the rue du Commerce, a delightful street with a dazzling array of lights overhead running some eight or ten blocks. We strolled for a while, taking in the feel of the place, assimilating the "cool," and, since we were still a bit early for dinner, found a warm corner cafe, where we stood at the bar and had an apertif (Kir for susie and Suze for me).

Our day concluded with dinner at the Cafe du Commerce. Originally built as a soup kitchen for the auto factory workers (presumably from the nearby Citroen plants now long gone and turned into green spaces), the cafe is centered around a three-storey atrium, with a retractable glass roof, and seating was right along the railings all the way around. Quite dramatic and most impressive.

We had come for the steak frites, as recommended by both Clotilde Dusoulier and David Lebovitz, and were not disappointed. But there was also plenty to offer besides beef (although this would probably not be a place for vegetarians, unless they planned to load up on frites). The service was almost worth the price of the meal as well. The beef and potatoes were washed down with a lively Gigondas. Delicious.

Le Cafe du Commerce. 51 rue du Commerce, Paris 75015. Website.

The end of another wonderful night in Paris was fast approaching and we had to leave. After paying the bill (something they appreciate here it would seem), we headed back to the no. 10, switching to the 5 and getting off at Richard Lenoir, we were soon back home.

Wish you were here,

Steve