September 20th 2014: France: Sweltering in Bordeaux

Monty the Motorhome has been sweating profusely on the Bordeaux site. Temperatures have reached 30 degrees C, and still no sign of rain.

Today was sightseeing in the city centre. Public transport is available from the site, as the centre is 8km away. A combination of bus and tram is required. The first leg on the bus was easy - the driver just told us to pay on the tram. That’s when it got complicated. At the tram station there was an automatic ticket machine. Others from the site (including some French people) struggled to make it work and eventually we all had to resort to finding another bus driver who would dish out some tickets. Then the validating machine on the tram seemed to be on a go slow - it ate one of our tickets, before regurgitating it about one minute later.

Anyway we got to the centre. Out aim was to try one of the wine tasting courses that the tourist brochures advertise. However when enquiring at the Tourist Information Office it appeared that the short (and relatively inexpensive)  ones had already begun and there were no more in the afternoon. We did see one later, at a wine shop, costing €80 for a 1 hour course! No thanks.

So we did a walking tour, armed with one of our library books. The city is magnificent - we thought it a cross between Nice and Rome. Grand boulevards and noble Neo-Classical squares. Narrow streets lend an almost medieval air, while just around the corner are open shopping precincts. 

Almost Disney like - one of the main gates to the old city

Grandeur on a grand scale

Mini fountains in the ground keep this plaza with a covering of water,  and every half hour  they spray a fine mist out for a couple of minutes. Cool in the heat of the day.

Trees line one of the main tram terminus

By early afternoon we were weary, both from the heat and from walking. So it was back to do battle with the tram - this time successfully, and then back to the campsite.

Worth noting is that the city is very cycle friendly, so with cycle paths from the site this seems the quickest, and most economical way to get in.

Croque Monsieur's tonight, with some delicious caramel and apple tarts to finish.