We were scheduled for a 2-hour walking tour of Bordeaux scheduled to start at 10:45 am. The ship was scheduled to leave at about 7:30 pm, so we must be back on board at 7 pm to leave for Le Havre, France.
Our walking tour of Bordeaux started at 10:45 am with an American working and living in Bordeaux. Jamie was a delightful guide and was a fount of information on the history and local sites. While I can’t repeat much of the history, I’ll try to point out some of the highlights.
Off we go!
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| Pont de Pierre
This stone bridge was the first bridge across the Garonne River and was built by Napoleon Bonaparte I so that he could move troops and assets across the river. It took three years to build (1819 to 1822) and there were significant challenges to its construction due to the swift currents in the river at the point of construction. There are seventeen pillars in the bridge, the same number as the letters in name Napoleon Bonaparte. On the sides, each pile of bricks is capped by a white medallion in honor of the emperor. It also carries the coat of arms of the city (three intertwined crescents).
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| Earline at the World's Largest Water Mirror
This is the world's largest water mirror and is placed in front of the Place de la Bourse facing the river front. This river front is all reclaimed land. The river used to extend close to the buildings.
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The Place de la Bourse was built from 1730 to 1775. Originally, there was to be a stature of Louis XIV but this statue was destroyed in the French Revolution and was replaced by a large fountain called "The Three Graces."
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| Three Graces Fountain - Bordeaux |
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| Porte Cailhau |
There are four gates to old Bordeaux and this one, Porte Cailhau dates to 1494 and remains nearly unchanged. The old walls of the fortified city used to extend to each side of the portal.
The waterfront area has been reclaimed from the river that used to go up to the entrance of a 12th century gate into the city. Thus, the new soil is sandy and cannot support high buildings. You therefore mostly see buildings of maximum height of about 4 stories. The newer construction is towards the river and the older city is inside of the portal. There were palaces within the fortified walls but these have been removed and the area extensively changed. There are remnants of buildings with carved faces that showed they were wealthy and ostentatious people living there. There are many quaint squares and a beautiful areas containing the opera house and old hotel. To keep the character of the city, the new electric trams have no overhead wires but instead use a third rail that is only powered when the tram is directly over the rail. The guide stood on the rail to show it was safe when there was no tram.
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| Grand Hotel |
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| Opera House |
APS uses a third rail placed between the running rails, divided electrically into ten-meter rail segments with three-metre neutral sections between. Each tram has two power collection shoes, next to which are antennas that send radio signals to energize the power rail segments as the tram passes over them. At any one time, two consecutive segments under the tram will be live. Tram System of Bordeaux
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| Tram tracks |
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| How does the white car get out? |
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| Airbus Wing going through Napoleon's Bridge |
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| Tight Fit - All hell to pay if Napoleon's Bridge is damaged! |
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| Bordeaux City Streets |
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| Marker showing the path of the pilgrimage of St. James through Bordeaux |
Place des Quinconces is located on the site of the old Château Trompette - the “Castle Trumpet”. This castle was built after the Hundred Years War as a way to protect Bordeaux against future English aggression. The castle was demolished in the early 19th century and made place for this magnificent square which was built shortly after the castle demolition.
Place des Quinconces
The name, “Place des Quinconces”, comes from the original formation of the trees planted on the square. A “quincunx” is a geometric pattern consisting of five points; four of them forming a square or rectangleand a fifth at its center, much like a “5” on a regular dice. The square has also been a center of transportation since the installation of the tram network in 2003.
After returning to the ship, our departure was cancelled by the captain as there have been a number of acute gastroenteritis cases on the boat. They are therefore enforcing hand washing with soap and water upon entering and leaving the food service areas. Self service of food items is suspended. I never thought the game they played a few days earlier, whereby the cruise director and the captain and others raced around the ship to see who could shake the most hands was a wise thing to do. I am surprised it took this long to spread disease.
Because of departure cancellation, we will be spending an additional day in Bordeaux.
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