A travel blog is supposed to show you all of the places beyond the borders of your country. However, this blog is based in France (we are both living in France) and we cannot lose the opportunity of showing you the treasures of this country, well known in the whole world for its history. These treasures could surprise you and are often neglected. In this section of the blog, we want to try to show you French wonders, by talking about places you probably know, but also places more out of ordinary and the way we visit them, sometimes as local inhabitants, sometimes as tourists.
And what a better way to start than showing you the city that was our home for two years and the first city far from our home town (and even our home country) : Bordeaux. Even though this city is not the least known among French metropolis, it is not the one which spreads out worldwide when we think about France (Paris attracts obviously far more people). In this article, we are going to present our experience not as tourists but as locals in this city during our studies.
You can access the city very easily, by plane, by train or by bus. The bus line (1+) regularly connects the Saint-Jean train station, the city center and the Mérignac airport. From the station you need twenty minutes to go to “Place de la Victoire”, the heart of the city. To circulate in the town, the TBM network is very well done, with four tramway lines (A, B, C and D), which connect the main places of Bordeaux : the line A connects the two sides of the river and passes through Bordeaux’s surroundings such as Cenon or Mérignac to connect them with the downtown. The other lines connect the east side with the west side: the line C passes through the train station and the line B passes through “La Victoire”. The line D, recently opened, connects the north-west part of the town and also passes through the train station. You can also find an important bus network and also a boat network which crosses the Garonne River to connect the two banks. You can access all of these transport means using the same ticket.
One of the first things that was striking for us was the dirtiness of the streets and the garbage on the sidewalk. Bordeaux is not the cleanest city, but the architecture is absolutely remarkable and enables us to disregard all of the dirtiness.
The backbone of the city is the « Rue Sainte-Catherine », the longest pedestrian street in Europe. You can take the tram A or B and do a lot of things by walking from this street. You will find a lot of little storekeepers, restaurants, big brands shops, a shopping center (“La Promenade Sainte-Catherine”). The street connects La Place de la Victoire and La Place du Grand Théâtre.
The « Place de la Victoire », the favorite students place, is noticeable thanks to the obelisk in the middle of the place, the sculpture representing two turtles and a huge arch: the Porte d’Aquitaine. You will find there a second hand books market on every Friday and a lot of cafes and brasseries with very affordable prices.
The Grand Théâtre ordered by Richelieu reigns by its splendor, its hugeness and its astonishing architecture. It is the headquarter of the Opéra National de Bordeaux and Ballet National de Bordeaux and a lot of shows are given during the year, sometimes with prices that cannot be beaten when the Opera itself organizes shows for students.
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To finish the first article about Bordeaux, we share with you some places that were symbolic for us during the two years we have lived there.
The bookshop Mollat: this is the biggest independent bookshop in France and it is a real goldmine. However, we regret the commercial aspect because we lose the intimate atmosphere and the contact with a second hand book seller.
Cheap restaurants:
– Bo-Bun: this Asian restaurant is located « 37, Rue des Augustins » and was for us one of the places we spent most time to eat in. The prices are very affordable and the portions are good.
– Bacana: this Columbian restaurant located “22 Rue des Augustins” offers authentic food and is one of our most beautiful discoveries.
– Café Caruso: Located “160 Cours Victor Hugo”, this amazing pizzeria treated us to a meal more than once. Their tiramisus in particular are exceptional.
– Totto: You can find this pizzeria “10 Place du Parlement”. It is one of the most famed in Bordeaux and it has a very good quality.
– La Mère-Michelle: This creperie is located « 22 Place Meynard ». We really enjoyed it thanks to its unique and atypical atmosphere (the menu is given on school notebooks for example) and the dishes are delicious.
– Waffle Factory: We were pleasantly surprised: the food has an amazing quality. If you go through the Rue Sainte Catherine, don’t hesitate to taste.
– Mangez-moi: This kebab located Rue Sainte Catherine saved us more than once thanks to its very affordable prices and the opening hours.
– Ay Pizza: To finish this little list, this pizzeria is not the best but offers unbeatable prices: 5€ for a little pizza, 14€ for 2 big pizzas.
Bordeaux welcomed us as residents and not as travelers. The two years we spent there allowed us to discover its good and its bad aspects and became a home for us, a city where we feel good, where we live, where we laugh, where we wander.
Useful links :
TBM, Transport Bordeaux Métropole : https://www.infotbm.com/fr
Le Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux : https://www.opera-bordeaux.com/
2 Steps Abroad 