We spent two wonderful days with our friends who now live in Bordeaux.

After a leisurely breakfast on our first morning, we left their apartment for a day of exploring. They live in Chartron, a lovely residential area of Bordeaux.

We took the same route they took every day to go to French language school. From their apartment we crossed the street and entered a beautiful garden.

After a quick stop to buy a two-day tram pass, we got on the tram to the city center. The tram system is great for getting anywhere you want to go in Bordeaux. Since we did not use it the last time we were here, I was excited to try it.

We walked around the beautiful city and introduced our friends to Dunes Blanches. The name is a reference to a beach near Bordeaux on the Cap-Ferret Peninsula. The Dune Blanche (white dune) is an amazing little cream-filled choux bun that is a not-to-be missed pastry in Bordeaux. The original Dunes Blanches are white, but they now have chocolate varieties.

Dinner at our Favorite Bordeaux Restaurant

The last time we were in Bordeaux, we had one of our best meals ever at Le Mirabelle. I was so excited to go there again and to share this wonderful restaurant with our friends. As sometimes happens, the reality did not live up to our memory. Although dinner was fine, it was not as spectacular as we remembered.

However, many parts of the evening were spectacular. The company was wonderful, the wine good, the servers delightful, and the dessert amazing. So, overall the evening was great and will be a lovely memory.

Bordeaux Memories

After another leisurely breakfast with great conversation the next morning, we walked through the park, caught the tram and went to the historic city center.

Although the beautiful cathedral was closed, seeing it brought back wonderful memories of our last trip to Bordeaux. We had gone on a walking tour, and it was raining so hard our guide took us into the back of the cathedral to escape the downpour.

It was so much fun to wander the streets and find places we remembered. We were especially happy to find our old apartment.

Wine Tasting

We wanted to schedule a wine tasting but couldn’t schedule anything in advance because our friends were waiting to hear about seeing an apartment they were hoping to rent. On the way to see the apartment we passed this wine gallery that looked promising and didn’t require advance registration.

After looking for the apartment open house, we returned to the wine gallery. Although their wine tastings didn’t start for an hour, they welcomed us in.

Louis, who had just graduated from college with degrees in business and wine marketing gave us a great overview of the Bordeaux wine region. It was especially interesting to learn about the “satellite regions”-his name for the wine areas adjacent to and with the same terroir as more famous (and expensive) areas. These wines are great values.

We each tasted four different wines and could choose white, red or some of each.

By the time we finished our tasting, the table was covered with empty glasses.

After finishing our tasting, Paul discovered he could get a two-ounce tasting of a very special (and costly) wine, one he had heard of but never expected to drink. So, of course he had to try it. He loved it, and we all got a little taste.

Protest

As we left to go home, I noticed a huge police presence on each corner and then saw police vans and a group of police marching in front of the Opera House. I wanted to know what was happening.

A little farther on, I saw a group of girls with cardboard signs and asked them what they were protesting. They were so excited to talk about their concerns, which all had to do with secondary and higher education, and how they had been affected. I was so impressed with their dedication. Their concerns surprised me because I thought European countries prioritized education.

We ended our day with one final wine and cheese feast before we left for Florence the next morning. I was so sad to say goodbye to my dear friends.