The cool thing about Bordeaux is that we stayed there overnight and had 2 days there-- one in the city and one in the countryside. Because we got to stay out as long as we wanted for that one night, we got to see European night life for the first time, and it was BUMPIN. But don't worry, we didn't stay out too late because we heard the pick-pocketers were especially bad here at night. In fact we only took our camera and one credit card that I stuffed in my bra just to be safe haha.
It sounds weird to say, but it was interesting how french Bordeaux looked, and how each country so far had such a different look and feel. We were definitely no longer in colorful Spain and now were in gothic-romantic France-- creamy colored buildings and cobblestone roads for miles.
Bordeaux was HOT HOT HOT. Like 97 degrees and humid hot, which explains the clothing change half way through. I could not handle another second in those jeans!
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| The street lights...are you kidding me?! |
I also have to mention that Bordeaux is ancient-- built in 600 BC, and you can tell by some of the buildings. How they built such huge and intricate buildings back then that are still standing today will always be a mystery to me. A lot of World War II took place there too!
I have to mention this because Brennan thought it was pretty cool. This was taken on an iPhone sitting inside a tour bus BUT during WWII the Nazis forced the French prisoners to build a port for the German submarines and this was it!
Bordeaux was the dirtiest country we visited, but it also had the best food of the countries we visited. We had a ham and cheese crepe and then this doner kebab that BLEW OUR MINDS. There were doner kebab cafes on every corner, and now we know why!
Bordeaux had great shopping so after we did that for a bit we went back to the boat to take a break from the heat and change. We then headed out again that night and decided to rent bikes which was sooooooo fun. And scary at the same time. Those tiny one way cobblestone streets are not bike friendly. But we still went for HOURS.
Speechless.
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| Every single restaurant was PACKED with people...and this was on like a Wednesday night. Europeans live everyday to the fullest and I like that. |
We asked someone to take this picture for us and Brennan told me later that he said a prayer right before that it would turn out haha. People struggled using his camera and I don't blame them, it's tough! We couldn't believe how well it turned out. This one's getting framed!
The whole city lit up at night and
IT
WAS
BREATHTAKING.
There was like a little splash pad in the center of the city (that was more like wet cement haha, very basic) that kids were playing in all night. People were having picnics and playing music all around-- very cool environment.
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| Blurry picture I took from the ship-- it was cool how close we were docked to the city! |
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The next day was all about the countryside of Bourdeaux-- the Medoc Vineyards. Something that Bren and I quickly learned is that these insurance trips are sometimes revolved around alcohol-- a culture that is not big in Utah haha. Still, we were all for seeing the vineyards since Bordeaux makes a TON of the world's wine. Aaaaand the free virgin pina coladas on the ship...we were all about those too.
It was a 2 hour bus ride to the countryside and another 97 degree day!
DISCLAIMER: I am aware that every single one of these pictures is of me-- it's comical. Brennan had no desire to get a picture in a vineyard, and I kind of don't blame him. And since we skipped out on the wine tasting, it was senior pics 2.0 for me while we explored haha. Once we have a dog or a baby I'm sure I'll be forgotten when it comes to pictures so it was fun to do these days before my 22nd birthday.
A beautiful Chateau I thought only existed in movies.
Hey there's my boy!
Some random art inside a winery
We drove by at least 10 of these unreal castles.
The cutest bakery I have ever seen in my 22 years.
The tastiest éclair and croissant we've ever had
Reasons we loved Bordeaux:
-The FOOD!!!
-Listening to the locals speak the beautiful language. It's funny, whenever we'd see a dog in Europe we'd think, "That dog understands Portuguese! That one understands French!" And if you said "sit" in English, they'd have no clue what you were saying. Kind of crazy if you think about it for too long.
-The countryside! We loved getting off the beaten path and away from the touristy things.
-The shopping!
-The Chateaus, castles, and cathedrals-- constant heart eyes.
-The bike rentals at night. That was truly a highlight.
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To be continued!
