Bordeaux
We're in Bordeaux, first stop on a trip through the Dordogne, Provence, lago di Como, and then Venezia. Here in Bordeaux we are staying at L'Hotel Particulier. It has five rooms and is overseen by its charming owner Julien. It's a short walk to the train station, the metro, and the Europcar office.
Bordeaux is an old city with beautiful buildings, atmospheric streets, and inviting squares. The wide river Garronne that cuts through the city is an uninviting muddy brown, but it's lined with sidewalks, parks, and bike trails, all of which get a lot of use. And while we didn't have a need to ride them, the city's modern streetcars are quiet and look to have strikingly big windows.
This bridge was first commissioned by Napoleon to get troops across the River Garonne. Built from 1819 to 1822. More at Wikipedia.
This bridge was first commissioned by Napoleon to get troops across the River Garonne. Built from 1819 to 1822. More at Wikipedia.
This bridge was first commissioned by Napoleon to get troops across the River Garonne. Built from 1819 to 1822. More at Wikipedia.
The Bordeaux river front is lined with parks and some pretty buildings. This spot is known for its large but very shallow reflecting pool.
The Bordeaux river front is lined with parks and some pretty buildings. This spot is known for its large but very shallow reflecting pool.
The Bordeaux river front is lined with parks and some pretty buildings. This spot is known for its large but very shallow reflecting pool.
The Latin inscription on the inside of the Grosse Cloche (literally "Big Bell") reads "I ring the hours and my voice is a call to arms, (…) I sing for happy events and weep for the dead". The bell was cast in 1775 and weighs no less than 7,750 kilos! Christened "Armande-Louise", it rings 6 times a year for major celebrations such as Bastille Day, VE Day, and Remembrance Day and also the first Sunday of each month at noon.
The gateway where the bell is hung also had a defensive function and served as a prison. Young people who misbehaved were confined there, shut in by a door 10 cm thick with enormous bolts. It was joked at the time that they stayed in the "Hotel du Lion d’Or" – an allusion to the weather vane on the central dome with a representation of a lion, symbolizing the kings of England. bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
The Latin inscription on the inside of the Grosse Cloche (literally "Big Bell") reads "I ring the hours and my voice is a call to arms, (…) I sing for happy events and weep for the dead". The bell was cast in 1775 and weighs no less than 7,750 kilos! Christened "Armande-Louise", it rings 6 times a year for major celebrations such as Bastille Day, VE Day, and Remembrance Day and also the first Sunday of each month at noon.
The gateway where the bell is hung also had a defensive function and served as a prison. Young people who misbehaved were confined there, shut in by a door 10 cm thick with enormous bolts. It was joked at the time that they stayed in the "Hotel du Lion d’Or" – an allusion to the weather vane on the central dome with a representation of a lion, symbolizing the kings of England. bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
The Latin inscription on the inside of the Grosse Cloche (literally "Big Bell") reads "I ring the hours and my voice is a call to arms, (…) I sing for happy events and weep for the dead". The bell was cast in 1775 and weighs no less than 7,750 kilos! Christened "Armande-Louise", it rings 6 times a year for major celebrations such as Bastille Day, VE Day, and Remembrance Day and also the first Sunday of each month at noon.
The gateway where the bell is hung also had a defensive function and served as a prison. Young people who misbehaved were confined there, shut in by a door 10 cm thick with enormous bolts. It was joked at the time that they stayed in the "Hotel du Lion d’Or" – an allusion to the weather vane on the central dome with a representation of a lion, symbolizing the kings of England. bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
