9. Journal Entry 9--Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014--Chinon-Tours-TGV to Bordeaux
I put my bag out early and went down to breakfast. Yesterday had been tiring, and I packed most
Adieu à l'Hotel de France!
things before going to bed. We would soon be leaving Chinon and driving to Tours to catch the TGV. I had loved being here and in this hotel on this wonderful little square, and I would never forget it!
I still marvel at the fact that as many times as I went up and down this terrific old oak stairway, it was so well built and perfectly supported that IT NEVER CREAKED ONE TIME!
Breakfast was good and plentiful, and after a brief return to our rooms, we headed across the square to the bus. Louis and Hervé had brought most of the bags to the lobby, but we helped carry them across the square where they were loaded on.
My large suitcase and flight bag would remain on the bus all the way to Bordeaux. Hervé would drive the bus minus passengers from Tours to Bordeaux and meet us there. Though my laptop-shaped tote and cameras would remain with me on the train, I had a vague sense of having left something behind. We crossed the square for a last time and slowly rolled out of Chinon.
We were leaving Henry II's capital city and heading for Eleanor's. He called the Aquitaine, "The sweetest province in Europe," and we were going there! How the British must have hated losing an area that produced so much good wine.
Au revoir, Chinon.
Chris Pendley sat in the seat in front of mine, Geraldine Russell and Sara Uehara sat across the aisle, Miriam Stauff was in front of them, and Howard and Susan Hian were at the back. Everyone else was positioned from the right of the middle door to the front of the bus. We conversed pleasantly as we retraced our route to Tours.
Geraldine had travelled more extensively than most of us and regaled all with a description of Romania which she recommended to us as a great place to visit. I was incredulous and pictured myself being impaled by Vlad, but she persisted in her rosy description and reiterated much of it later in the tour.
La Gare Saint-Pierre-des-Corps--Tours, France
The venerable old train station in Tours was not where the modern, high-speed TGV ran. Rather we drove to a more industrial part of the city's core closer to the Cher River, just off Avenue Stalingrad. Hervé let us all out, and we proceeded to the lobby where Louis checked on our tickets. We would wait here about thirty minutes. Some looked through the gift shop, others bought refreshments, and I decided to withdraw some cash from the lobby's ATM. Joe Kratovil tutored me on how to do it, since this was my first time ever, so while Joe watched my backside, I gave it a try--but to no avail. Since French people were crowding me, I gave up the idea for then.
We boarded the train, and a few of us sat in a part of the car where four seats faced each other; however, most of them faced forward--two deep with a central aisle. The seats reclined and were very comfortable. This was something I had really been looking forward to, and it did not disappoint.
The trip would take about three hours.
TGV from Tours to Bordeaux
Though the train was capable of going over 188 mph, I have no way of knowing if it did. We had little sensation of speed inside the smooth-riding cars. Between Tours and Bordeaux there were stops, among them Poitiers and Angoulême. Considering that, high speed was hard to maintain on this leg of the TGV route.
Florence Gross lives near New York City where she grew up and chatted pleasantly with me for a while and said she lived in New Rochelle. I remarked that we would be passing near "Old Rochelle" pretty soon, and she said she realized this, and we discussed the fact that La Rochelle had once been a bastion of French Protestantism.
As we came closer to Bordeaux, it seemed that our group, and a few more besides, all had to go to the rest room at once. This included me. The facility was in the next car down. I waited my turn for the single-occupancy cubicle, and made do with the cramped, compact quarters.
Outskirts of Bordeaux
Medieval Entrance Gate--Bordeaux
The approach to Bordeaux was exciting; this city is legendary and was our largest since Paris. As we approached the middle of town, the track paralleled the wide Garonne River flowing to the Atlantic beyond. We saw a beautiful old French city once held in by medieval walls and gates; now it seemed replete with art and lovely park amenities on the riverbank to our right.
Arrival at Gare St. Jean
Leaving la Gare St. Jean
We rolled into a large, covered arrival area next to the Gare St. Jean. I took my tote and crossed the tracks to the station with everyone else. We met a woman who would be our specialized guide and exited the building right away. Her name was Marie Charlotte. The weather was mild, and we were pleased to be here. We walked south for a few blocks to our lunchtime restaurant, Le Fils du Boucher. It was interesting place with gauze-like, spun-glass (?) light fixtures that intrigued me. The room where we ate had a valuted, limestone ceiling that seemed very "solide."
Lunch in Bordeaux was not far from the train station.
No, I'm not being ostracized. Miriam got up to take the picture, and Susan had stepped out.
As if lunch had not been generous already, each of us received this for dessert!
Le Fils du Boucher
Lunch was copious and delicious and was served with plenty of delicious Bordeaux wine. Maybe that's why I recall so little about the actual experience of eating there. Afterwards, Marie brought us out to the front of the restaurant, and we walked farther south for quite a way to the Place du Parlement. There Marie explained the appearance of the buildings we were seeing. She said Baron von Haussmann redesigned Bordeaux BEFORE Napoleon III brought him to Paris to work on it. Then she led us down a very narrow street toward the Place de la Bourse by the Garonne.
La Place du Parlement
I admired the beauty of the buildings and their uniform height. We would soon see that practically all of central Bordeaux adhered to this. The French love sunlight and these open squares surrounded by low-bearing buildings maximize the daylight that reaches the surface.
The meeting of medieval streets
Approaching La Place de la Bourse
Looking at fountain with river below and beyond
Place de la Bourse from the Garonne River--showing the original counting houses and offices of the port of Bordeaux
Closer in from Le Miroir d'Eau
Walking on Le Miroir d'Eau
Across from the Place and on the river bank is a modern work of art called Le Miroir d'Eau (The Mirror of Water). It is the world's largest reflecting pool, and the water stands only 2 cm deep over black stone rectangles.
While our guide lectured on the cultural and financial importance of La Bourse, I stared across the scenic old square at the river which had been cleared of numerous wharves and redeveloped into art work and parks. Families were all over the place enjoying walking paths, tables, swings, and bike trails. Not only had the entire area been remarkably repurposed, but the Bordelais were making full use of the facilities! A palpable sense of enjoyment of a fine public space emanated from the people beyond us.
One interesting stop we made was in front of Eglise St. Pierre. This church is on the famous pilgrimage route from Paris to Compostella in Spain. We even saw the steel street marker which these pedestrian pilgrims touch at each holy destination on their route.
Eglise St. Pierre
Next, we walked to St. André's Cathedral and viewed the exterior. I shot pictures of the gothic tower at the back and the awesome statue of Mary at its top. I also photographed an impressive, recent statue of a mayor of Bordeaux. I would later send Andy a few pics of his namesake cathedral.
La Cathédrale St. André
Tower topped by statue of St. Mary behind St. André's
We gather in front of the cathedral. (Who's that guy walking ahead of the group?)
Side altar
Mayor of Bordeaux
The docent took us inside the cathedral and explained how the slow process of building gave this structure features of both the romanesque style and then the gothic style which followed it. She also pointed out "flamboyant" features of the windows and doors, the flame-like points and intricacies which medieval artists produced. This place is still on a famous pedestrian pilgrimage route that starts in Paris and ends in Spain at Santiago de Compostela.
While all this was going on, I left the group to spend some quiet time on individual wooden kneelers with arm rests and prayed. By now I knew of Aaron's running accident and had been considering ending the trip early. Later, I had received strong advice from home NOT to cut the tour short and return--that everything that could be done for him was being done. I prayed hard for his full recovery and pondered my options.
Then we walked by a huge square with a statuary centerpiece and an amusement area for children with a Ferris wheel. The Bordeaux Esplanade des Quinconces is the largest public square in Europe. Tomorrow night I would see the wheel lit up and be so impressed. Now we walked by the famed Grand Opera de Bordeaux where we would see the ballet Friday evening. In front of the elaborate hotel across the square from the opera house, I spotted a large, modern, steel sculpture. Here Louis and Hervé met us with the bus to take us to our hotel.
Column des Girondins à L'Esplanade des Quinconces
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Our group in front of the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux
Jaume Plensa
We rode the bus to Rue Saint Remi; there we got out and with the help of Louis and Hervé walked our luggage a few blocks down a pedestrian street called Rue Ste. Catherine.
We had come this way from the opposite direction earlier and had passed by our hotel, so we knew how to recognize the green Quality Bordeaux Centre sign sticking out from the wall.
We again passed down the long, straight street that ended with what looked like a church building FAR in the distance.
Pedestrian St. teaming with people which my hotel room looked upon
Louis said one reason for the crowds was the start of a two-week holiday leading up to All Saints.
Quality Hotel de Bordeaux Centre
Our hotel entrance was off Rue Ste. Catherine on a side street.
Breakfast in Bordeaux
I met the others down in the lobby at 7:00 and we headed back to the square in front of the opera house. Our group was going to eat at a well-known cheese specialty restaurant called Baud et Millet. We strolled across several busy cross streets, and I was surprised to see how active the town was on a Thursday evening. People headed to and fro and filled the sidewalks.
Arriving at Baud et Millet, we filed through the street level over to a basement stairway. The first level was loaded with displays of cheese and wine, though there were a few tables for dining. Down the long, narrow stairway we went into a "cave" that had once served as a wine cellar. Now it was set up as a dining room--with a separate chef's work area at the back. The ceiling was arched, and netting covered the walls. Near the back corner what looked like dark, sealed-over mold covered the lower corners--to add to the rusticity.
Baud et Millet
Featured cheeses and regional meats
Dinner was pleasant, and Louis and the proprietor explained the wine and food to us ahead of the meal. We ate and drank well and walked the same route back to the hotel. We turned in after Louis showed us the second-floor breakfast room. After petit dejeuner in the morning, we would take the bus to St. Emilion village/monastery and visit a neighboring winery.
I met briefly with Louis and told him about the clothing. He said he would call the hotel in Chinon and ask them to send the clothes ahead of us--probably to Lyon.
Before falling asleep, I contemplated and planned tomorrow afternoon. Five of us had already bought tickets to the ballet at the opera house tomorrow night. More still were trying to do so. The Kratovils and Andrews and I had also gotten tickets to a chamber music concert of Mozart's Requiem at the Ste. Chappelle in Paris, and the Robinsons and I had seats for The Abduction from the Seraglio by Mozart at the Opera Garnier. I hoped I would be able to arrange for us to eat at Le Petit Commerce (a small place that specialized in seafood) down the street tomorrow evening and that my ticket was valid and all would go smoothly. Now my job was to rest for the wine tour tomorrow morning.
Fin
