Besties in Bordeaux

Georgie came down to Bordeaux with me after Paris, so we had another 5 days together. It was spectacular. It was so nice being in B-town with a friend and having someone to hang and chat with. I was pretty devastated when we had to part ways again. I can safely say that I am terrible at saying goodbye to people. Definitely not an activity for the public arena! Here is the breakdown of our 5 days together in the form of our major activities. 

1. Eat.

My favourite activity! The first night we had a slightly liquid diet with wine, and then couldn't make a decision about what we actually felt like eating (typical!). Eventually we ended up at an Italian place and had pizza. Gelati afterwards of course! 

We also tried out L'Entrecôte, which is a french chain specialising in a one dish menu- entrecôte! It's served with unlimited chips, and a secret recipe sauce. (If butter is a secret ingredient, I think we cracked the code) Georgie and I went with some of my new found Aussie pals, and I think we were all a bit apprehensive about how it worked. I have to say though, I was pleasantly surprised! Let's face it, I'm always going to be won over with chips! 

Chip Partayyyy

For our last meal together (sob) we went to the most well know bistro in town, La Tupina. It's won all kinds of awards, and is written up everywhere as the place to eat in Bordeaux, so we were looking forward to it. Long story short though, we were both kind of disappointed. The wine was insanely expensive for what we got, the service we received was awkward, and our mains were not particularly inspiring. After sharing a starter of foie gras (which was good), I had the roast chicken, which was a bit dry, and Georgie had duck, which came with no sauce. Literally just a lump of meat on her plate. Very strange. I think maybe the lunch menu would have been better, or maybe we're just spoilt (probably both). The comment was thrown around that we could both have cooked better roasts at home, which is never what you want to be saying when you're paying for a meal. So I don't know you guys, I feel bad giving such a negative review, but I was just expecting more.

Chicken, served with a variety of fats.

Of course there were also boulangerie trips thrown in for good measure too! Bread is essential, so we made assorted trips to Paul and also a patissierie called David which was nearby at the Galerie des Grands Hommes. (Who are all of these men, and why haven't I met them yet?!)  

2. Drink.

Bordeaux. Home of wine. Of course we were going to have some dranks! We tried out the wine bar at the Ecole du Vin (where I had previously done a wine class) and would definitely recommend. Glasses of wine are only around €2 or €3, so it was really easy to try a few different sorts and not feel guilty if we didn't like them. Not going to lie, I can't remember any of the names, but the setting is really cool, and there are some nice tasting plates too. We had some cheese and charcuterie, and combined with the people watching, we had a merry old time! (Honestly though, Georgie and I could probably have the time of our lives watching paint dry- miss you gurlfrand!)

A wall of wine.

We also went to the rooftop bar at the top of the Grand Hotel, which promises panoramic views of the city. All of the balcony tables at the edge of the building were taken, so we didn't get to enjoy the view as we sipped our crazy expensive drinks, but it was something different to do! 

Pano roof shot with some bonus cranes. Lucky!

3. Day trip. 

A trip to Bordeaux would not be complete without a trip out to one of the wineries! We went to Saint Emilion on a bus organised by the tourist office, which was great. Our tour guide was so lovely, and was very informative. We visited one of the chateau in the region and were given an extensive guided tour, and were shown around all of the wine production areas and had the processes explained. Then there was the much awaited tasting, and we nervously shared our thoughts on the wine and picked out the flavours we could taste. "Don't be scared!" 

Just a couple of barrels. 

Then we went into the town of Saint Emilion and had a look around the crazy old church and sampled original recipe macarons. It was a really lovely trip, I would recommend to a friend! It left after lunch, and we were back for dinner, so you can definitely maximise your time! The bus trip is only about 40 minutes each way, so it was really quick. Perfection!

St Emilion pano with bonus tourist.

4. Shop.

I took Georgie to the very strange rue Sainte Catherine, which is apparently the longest pedestrian mall in Europe, and we checked out what was on offer. A nicer wander was through Chartrons, especially rue Notre Dame, which has lots of antique shops and trendy little places to eat.  

5. Walk 

We did a lot of walking! Luckily we were really centrally located, so everything was really easy to get to. I normally catch the tram, which is really easy to use, but George and I walked everywhere. Such fitness junkies! Haaaa. 

This is not a picture of us walking.

Bonus 6. Work! 

I had to work during Georgie's visit which I was a bit depressed about, but whatcha gonna do? It meant that I didn't spend the whole day crying in the apartment when she left. I had to pull myself together so I could make salads for the people of Bordeaux! 

In summary, I had a lovely time having a friend to stay! Come back! And to anyone reading, come and visit! I can give you the same crazy tour as I did for Georgie. It basically just involves eating all day, every day. What more could you want?!

And now it's back to "normal life." Working all the time, and trying to settle into my new place. Sending all my love to you possums back home. xxx