{"id":6068,"date":"2017-08-18T16:06:06","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T23:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/?p=6068"},"modified":"2020-07-13T15:58:50","modified_gmt":"2020-07-13T22:58:50","slug":"bordeaux-wine-chateau-cruise-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/bordeaux-wine-chateau-cruise-6","title":{"rendered":"For Love of Wine & Chateaux: Bordeaux Uncorked (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to tidal constraints, our cruise itinerary was revised and we ended up having the final couple days in Bordeaux. This gave us plenty of opportunity to roam the city streets at all hours.\u00a0 We even had time to hang out at a \u00fcber cool wine bar and prowl for macarons that rival, dare I say, Ladur\u00e9e or even Pierre Herm\u00e9!<\/p>\n

\"Bronze<\/a>
The impressive bronze fountains depicting the triumphs of the Republic and the Concorde anchor the Place des Quinconces, one of the largest squares in Europe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The elaborate basins are part of the monument to the Girondists executed during the French revolution. The fountains, myriad sculptures and a riot of horses make this a popular tourist attraction.<\/p>\n

Given Place des Quinconces<\/a>\u00a0is also a transit hub for buses and trams, we went by it often.<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/a>
Close up of the monument’s sculptures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 2 figures represent the two rivers, with the Dordogne on the right and the Garonne on the left, at the base of the monument. I had a hard time deciding if they were playing peekaboo or having a t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Too early for the carousel and adjacent holiday fair to be operating, a festive air still hung in the air.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though carousels have long disappeared from the landscape of the US, we see them in towns big and small in our travels throughout France.<\/p>\n

\"Reflections<\/a>
Reflections of the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Bordeaux on limestone pavers after the early morning rain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The neoclassical Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Bordeaux<\/a> by Victor Louis was built in 1870 and one of the oldest original wooden frame opera houses in Europe still standing.<\/p>\n

\"Night<\/a>
Views of the portico of the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The theater showcases an elegant portico of 12 Corinthian style columns, which is topped by an entablature with 12 statues: the 9 Muses with the goddesses Juno, Venus, and Minerva. The underside of the portico was elaborately decorated along Neoclassical themes.<\/p>\n

We came across an impromptu concert under the portico one evening. The rainy weather didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the musicians or the audience!<\/p>\n

\"Entry<\/a>
Something old, something new: renowned chef Gordon Ramsay recently took over the Le Pressoir d\u2019Argent in the 18th Century Grand Hotel de Bordeaux.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Michelin-starred restaurant\u2019s name and signage are inspired by the dining room\u2019s centerpiece \u2013 a rare Christofle solid silver lobster press.<\/p>\n

Another masterpiece by Victor Louis, the hotel was updated and transformed by celebrated designer Jacques Garcia into an opulent, refined hotel in 2007.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A quiet side street in Bordeaux.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The abundance of beautifully restored 18th<\/sup> -19th<\/sup> century limestone buildings caused Bordeaux to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It\u2019s easy to see why Bordeaux is often referred to as \u2018Little Paris\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"3<\/a>
Taking building embellishment to a new level.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Walking past genteel streets and relatively sedate street art, I was surprised to come across these fanciful decorations applied to buildings at Rue Beyssac & Rue Camille Sauvageau!<\/p>\n

\"Saint<\/a>
Saint Joseph chapel of Basilique Saint-Michel (Basilica of St. Michael).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bordeaux boasts a trove of churches, 2 basilicas and 1 cathedral. We wandered into the Basilica of St. Michael and chanced upon the elaborate alabaster altarpiece in the side chapel.<\/p>\n

\"Pop<\/a>
Someone has a wicked sense of humor\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strolling around town, I had to do a double take on this garage to make sure the car with 2 wheels hanging outside the facade is just a piece of pop art!<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
An iconic Miffy LED lamp in a home d\u00e9cor store.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Miffy is loosely derived from the Dutch word \u2018konijntje\u2019, meaning \u2018little bunny\u2019, a character popularized by Dick Bruna\u2019s long running children\u2019s series. The lamp comes in different sizes and I was seriously tempted to take one with me!<\/p>\n

\"Views<\/a>
Views of the award winning Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas.\u00a0 The beautiful night scene is by Geoffroy Groult.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spanning the Garonne, this is the longest vertical-lift bridge in Europe at time of inauguration in 2013. The bridge is a stone\u2019s throw from the rapidly gentrifying bassins \u00e0 flot (wet docks) north of the city center.<\/p>\n

\"L'Eglise<\/a>
L’Eglise Sainte-Croix (Church of the Holy Cross) at night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During our late night saunters, we came across this restored Benedictine abbey. The former church is now purportedly home to the \u00c9cole des beaux-arts (fine arts school) of Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The medieval Porte Saint-\u00c9loi, also known as Porte Saint-James, is one of the city\u2019s 2 remaining city gates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Grosse Cloche (Great Bell) belfry<\/a> which features conical twin towers, a gold-plated leopard weather vane, solar equation clock and 17,000-pound bell is one of Bordeaux\u2019s most recognized landmarks.<\/p>\n

\"\u00c9cole<\/a>
\u00c9cole du Vin de Bordeaux, the local wine school, operates a wine bar on-site.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The chic Le Bar \u00e0 Vin sports comfy seating clusters and expansive floor to ceiling wine partitions. It is a great place to experience a wide selection of Bordeaux wines at accessible prices.<\/p>\n

\"Canel\u00e9s<\/a>
Canel\u00e9s de Bordeaux, a pastry unique to the city.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At its best, the tasty morsels are moist and custardy with a thin caramelized crust. Sorry to say I never experienced Nirvana when I tried them in Bordeaux. Apparently they are best eaten within the hour of baking as they turn spongy after 5 or 6 hours (which was what I got).<\/p>\n

Here is a recipe<\/a> from Victor of i food blogger for those who want to enjoy these delectable\u00a0confections at home. If you\u00a0prefer imperial measurements, try this alternate recipe<\/a> by acclaimed cookbook author Paula Wolfert!<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>
Place de la Bourse and Miroir d\u2019Eau under a red moon eclipse by Mariusz Strawinski.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the Bordeaux cruise comes to an end, I finish my post with this stunning image of the Place de la Bourse<\/a>. This jewel of a plaza was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel. The right and left arms of the royal square housed the Bourse (stock exchange) and the Mus\u00e9e National des Douanes (National Customs Museum).<\/p>\n

By the waterfront is the Miroir d\u2019Eau (Water Mirror)<\/a>. At 37,100 square feet, it\u2019s the world\u2019s largest reflecting pool. The shallow 1\u201d pool, which gets constantly drained, refilled, and fogged, is a source of endless entertainment to the young and young at heart!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Due to tidal constraints, our cruise itinerary was revised and we ended up having the final couple days in Bordeaux. This gave us plenty of opportunity to roam the city streets at all hours.\u00a0 We even had time to hang out at a \u00fcber cool wine bar and prowl for macarons that rival, dare I …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7,15],"tags":[505,482,500,506,508,501,502,507,504,503,323,277],"class_list":["post-6068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-architecture","category-food","category-travel","tag-basilique-saint-michel","tag-bordeaux","tag-caneles","tag-grand-theatre-de-bordeaux","tag-leglise-sainte-croix","tag-miroir-deau","tag-place-de-la-bourse","tag-place-de-quinconces","tag-pont-jacques-chaban-delmas","tag-porte-saint-eloi","tag-recipe","tag-world-heritage-site"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6068"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6105,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6068\/revisions\/6105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}