Alright, so the last month and a half or so has been certifiably nuts. I'm STILL behind on writing, not only on here, but in my other projects as well, and so I'm desperately trying to catch up as things are now beginning to calm down.
I've been in Bordeaux for about a month now. I have an incredible apartment painted at least 5 different colors with vaulted ceilings, a porch/small terrace and an electric stove on Rue Notre Dame - a small, charming street in Chartrons famous for its antique shops.
The Notre Dame is probably only a block and a half away, yet I have never heard any bells ring from it. But don't jump to thinking that the "noise pollution" hasn't followed me here from Paris - my walls (and ceiling) are paper thin, allowing me to be very conscious of the couple who live above us and their attempts to have another baby at either 12 midnight or 7 a.m.I'm spoiled rotten - Ryan and I got placed together to be roommates, and since he wants to be a chef, I am eating very well. Even when I go out though, I have yet to have a bad meal. The food here is about the same price as Paris - but so much better. There is more small town pride and charm that goes into preparing the simplest dishes... it's all just so delicious.
My second week here, us Californians were taken to St. Emilion for a tour of the town, as well as the wine union of production and some tasting. I swear I behaved.
We were all piled onto a bus and taken to tour the medieval town which was desolate on account of it being tourism offseason. We were taken into the catacombs and told about the religious history of the town which is ow inhibited by no more than 300 people. After the tour, we were put back on the bus, and taken to the wine production center, where we were given a tour of the facilities and were able to "taste" one of their successful wines. I ran around taking pictures with Sarah and Ryan inside the building, outside I watched the perfect winter sunset rouge the vineyards, and spent my time on the bus getting to know new friends like Suzi and Hala.When we arrived back in Bordeaux centre, a group of us went to dinner at a small place on the quai near our apartment which Ryan and I had been eyeing everyday as we waited for the tram. Quai 65 was quiet that night, and the owner who waited on us was very kind and funny - something new and refreshing from French servers who I had begun to stereotype during my time in Paris. He sat at the table with us, helped us to order our dinners and wine (even helped me to order with my celiacs), and brought out Suzi's raw entire fish before cooking it for a little entertainment value. The food was absolutely incredible, I've been holding myself off from going back because I know there are so many other phenomenal restaurants in this town, but I think next weekend I might have to go back and try another dish.
I feel I've already explored the entire town. It's so small compared to Paris that I could have done everything in one week(end) if I had wanted to, but I'm trying to take my time and spread things out. I still have one or two museums left to go to.
On Sundays there's an incredible market just a block away from my apartment on the quai, the walkway that follows alongside the gironde river which flows through Bordeaux. I've taken up the new tradition of buying a half-kilo of traditional seafood paella from one of the stands as my Sunday lunch, though I may have to be tempted to try something new soon. There's fresh produce and flowers, but also handcrafted atrisan cheeses, fresh oysters, wine, home-made jam and my favorite - olives. The market itself is infused with color and sound - there's always at least one man playing an accordion, maybe a drummer - last Sunday there was a full brass band dressed in goofy outfits and dancing about in the cold with their horns. It's my favorite day of the week, and not only because it's such a great market, but also because it is not a typical French market, and opens later in the day so I can still enjoy a couple extra hours of snoozing.
city is beautiful, especially near where I live. I love being near the quai and going to walk on it whenever I please (I hope it will happen more often once it gets warmer). Though it is smaller, and not as bustling as Paris, the spirit of Bordeaux makes me feel like I'm going to have even more trouble leaving here than I did with Paris.
