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| View from ship in Bordeaux, France |
When we opened the curtains in the morning we found
ourselves near the shore. That was when
we realized that we had already entered the Garonne River, heading toward our
first French port, Bordeaux. What we
found particularly puzzling was that the sun, which should have been shining in
our window, was not on our side. Were we
going south? I never did quite figure
that one out!
We spent quite a bit of time during the sail on the Garonne
River toward Bordeaux watching the lovely scenery pass our ship, from swampy
land caused by the tide coming in, to homes ranging from ruins to elegant
chateaux, to grazing land for cattle and sheep, to vineyards and even a hang
glider who put on a colorful show for the ship. We sailed under two
bridges, one of which was quite old and much higher and the other newer and
smaller. The new one is similar to a lift bridge, but instead of the
road parting so he ship can pass through, this bridge literally lifts the middle
of the road horizontally so that the ship may pass through. We hear residents dislike it (using the term
mildly) since we heard it takes 9 minutes to raise and 9 minutes to lower it
again. Because the Prinsendam is the smallest of the Holland America fleet, it
was able to get under both bridges. While we had the best side for
viewing the sail along the river, after the captain got the ship under the
second bridge, he turned the ship around so the other side was able to have the
awesome view of the city with its majestic buildings and lively waterfront. (We
keep wondering why the other side of the ship consistently gets the best and
most interesting view when we dock. I wish we had kept a record but I would
estimate that it would be exaggerating on the high side to say we got the
better view about 20% of the time.) The promenade along the beautiful
waterfront was teeming with people on a gorgeous spring Sunday
morning.—walking, jogging, bicycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, or just
sitting with friends or family and relaxing. We think not many ships as
large as ours dock right in the heart of the old city in Bordeaux, but the
really large ships have to dock somewhere before the bridges we sailed
under. Smaller boats could dock – perhaps river boat lines do, but
there but probably not many cruise ships can get under the bridges.
Chuck and I were scheduled on two different excursions. I could only find one excursion that I would
be able to handle, and Chuck wasn’t interested in that one. (I wasn’t overly interested, either, but if I
wanted to see more than the port, I had no choice.) So soon after lunch I headed out to board the
bus for my excursion, Panoramic Bordeaux
and Wine Chateau. We passed Place
Quinconces right near the ship. This has
the distinction of being the largest square in Europe. A little farther down we could see the
Bourse, the equivalent of our Stock Exchange. There was no activity today as we
were visiting on a Sunday. Right along
the shore was a “wading pool” that reminded me of Millennium Park in
Chicago. During the summer, children
love wading and playing in waters there.
On this gloriously sunny Sunday, children were frolicking in the water,
which the tour guide said was called the Mirror of Waters and stood 2.5 inches
deep.
In the distance we could see St. Michael’s Church, at 110
meters, the highest point in Bordeaux. Another interesting landmark was the
Grosse Cloche (or Huge Clock), which is rung exactly once a year, at noon on
the 11th of November.
As we drove through the city with all its parks and squares,
it reminded me of the many parks and squares I experienced when I studied in
Grenoble. Even the names brought back
memories – so many were the same as locations in Grenoble!
There are about 800,000 inhabitants in greater
Bordeaux. The area was conquered and
settled by the Romans, and the guide explained that names ending in –ac came
from Roman settlements. When the Romans
came, they brought vineyards. The land
was perfect for growing grapes, which explains why Bordeaux is known for its
wines.
We headed north of the city to the Medoc area. Medoc comes
from the Latin word for “middle” and “water” (med – aquis). In this area, people are not allowed to
irrigate the vines. I’m not sure I
understand what creates a wine vintage, not being a connoisseur, but according
to our guide, this means that each year is a different vintage.
We headed through quaint villages with red-tiled roofs,
separated by farmlands and vineyards till we arrived at the Chateau D’Agassac,
the vineyard where we would have the tour and wine tasting. Because I still have trouble standing, I
opted to go into the chateau right away and sit until the tour of the vineyards
and wine vats was completed. I did
sample the wine (after all, Bordeaux is known for its wine), and I have to say
that I still don’t see what the attraction is.
I just don’t like the taste of wine!
The chateau dates from the 13th Century and was
built by the Agassac family. In the 17th
Century it was bought by another family, and they let the vineyards go to ruin
as they were more interested in hunting.
Finally, the chateau was bought by another family that restored the
vineyards and named them for the 13th Century family that had
originally owned the vineyard.
Several people came away from the pigeon tower, which is now
the wine shop, with bottles of wine. I
hoped to find a magnet, but no luck.
On the drive back to the city we passed more vineyards and
farms, including one that our guide explained had “blond cows”, a breed of cow
unique to this area, bred for its meat rather than its milk.
Our tour was supposed to be three hours but we got back
nearly an hour late – I’m not sure why, and nobody else was surprised. (I did check back on the ship, and it said
the excursion should have been three hours.)
My only concern was that it made me late to dinner.
Bordeaux was an overnight – sail-in and sail-away are
dependent upon the tides. So we had the
opportunity to see the city in the night – brightly lit. Just before bed I went up to the Sky Deck and
found myself taking several pictures of the spectacular colors of the
buildings.
I was happy to be back in France – and in an area that I’d
never visited before. I’m looking
forward to three more French ports.
BT
After we docked in downtown Bordeaux, I got out and walked a
bit in the area and returned in time for my excursion called Bordeaux Highlights, a three hour tour
consisting of some panoramic views of this elegant city and two walks:
one to visit a magnificent cathedral, St. Andrew’s, and the other a somewhat
longer walking tour through the old part of Bordeaux. It was the only
shore excursion not to include a winery visit and that made this one more
attractive to me. I enjoyed my excursion and the parts of the city with
lots of “character”. Bordeaux is undergoing an effort to clean off
the dirt that has accumulated over the years to restore the beauty of the
old architecture. When we see some of the buildings that have not undergone
the transformation, it makes us appreciate what has been done to help beautify
the city.
Finally after dinner, Barb went off the ship briefly and
walked along the coast, picking up the ambience of a lively French city and
engaging in some people watching. Then after it got dark, I went out to
see the city lit up in all its glory. Americans seek out the early bird
specials while Europeans are dining at 10 PM. I passed one outdoor café
and every one of the many tables was filled with diners enjoying the pleasant
evening It is seldom that the ship remains overnight and there are only a few
after dark sail-aways. And virtually never are we in a port as busy and
attractive at night, so it was a rare opportunity to see a major
European city at night. My guide today asked how many had ever been to
Bordeaux and only a handful had, so we are fortunate to have had this
opportunity to the city that gave its name to fine wine.
CT
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