Sun and kind of summer at last

Well, having just gone outside from my little concrete block prison hotel room, it is sunny today.  But yesterday was more drizzle, cold, trousers and jackets.  We took our raincoats, but didn't use them.

The Berlitz french language guide is incredibly difficult to understand, or find anything you are looking for, but i am beginning to think that that might be representative of the convoluted French language.  We managed to get breakfast from a patisserie with much gesturing.  It was very yummy, and we are getting good at bonjour and au revoir.  I am sure that by the end of 6 weeks we will be able to make ourselves a little better understood!  Worked out how to buy tram tickets (after much trial and error and trying to get help from a spanish family that didn't have a clue either) - if you are ever taking trams in bordeaux - you turn the knob - its not touch screen or anything else!

Went on a bus tour of Bordeaux, it was very basic, but maybe we have been spoilt going on the bike tours of Paris, and Santiago where there was an ineraction.  this was a tour where we listened through headphones.  A very beautiful city, where the history is very involved around wine and the port.  Lots of importing and exporting.  The English were very involved here and for a long time, 3/4's of all wine drunk in England was from Bordeaux.

Eleanor of Aquitaine was from here and married Henry Plantagenat in the huge cathedral in the middle of the city.  The city was walled, (was originally settled in 3BC by the romans), but the walls were pulled down and replaced with trees.  The buildings are all cream and white stone, and only 4 stories high.  Very beautiful construction styles, with the wide Garonne river running through it.  The river is only 100km from the sea and is continually brown, but very clean.  The tides make the river very muddy.  But the politicians have done a great job of using the river and making a beautiful city, with cycle tracks all around it, trees, lots of open spaces.

There are beautiful fountains and statues, most of which were melted down during the German occupation and have since been replaced with bronze or stone statues.

Had a great lunch, found somewhere where they were all locals and used our french language guide to try our pronunciation of what we wanted.  It worked...  Lovely champagne, red wine, pork, beef and terrific dessert.  We just wanted to lie down and go to sleep afterwards.  But, we learned how to use an ATM machine to withdraw money straight out of our account.  But when I checked the bank account later I found that there was a $6 transaction fee plus 2% fee.  So, we may as well just use the credit card, where we get airpoints, can delay payment and the fees are about the same!

Went to the fascinating self guided Musee du Vin that gave a really interesting history of the wine industry, located in actual cellars in the Chartrons district (the new money area as compared to the city which had the old money - lawyers, accountants, clergy etc - this is a couple of hundred years ago.)  The buildings were beautiful, and it still amazes me how people live in these old stone buildings, the plumbing must be tricky though.  Traceys plumbing is tricky and her house is only 100 years old. 

Walked and walked and walked and Peters poor feet were hurting.  We were tired and full from lunch, so decided to go to a supermarket and get cheese and pate and try a cheap bottle of wine for dinner.  Got two fresh baguettes (straight out of the oven).  Went home and consumed the amazing runny cheese, the awesome pork terrine, fresh bread and decent enough wine.  I don't know how we are going to lose weight if we keep eating like this!!!

Another good sleep thank goodness!  So, today, when the bikes are finished, we will head out and explore the city in the sun by bike (and eat all the left over cheese and terrine with nice fresh bread!).

Love to everyone.