Bordeaux: revisiting old memories & making new ones!

Earlier this month we went to Bordeaux in southern France for a long weekend. I lived and worked in the city in the early 1990s during my degree and had never been back since that time. France was the first time I'd lived abroad, lived alone or had a job. I learnt a lot about myself and looking back now I realise that a lot of the foundations of who I am today were laid down during that time in Bordeaux.

So I knew it was going to be a trip down memory lane, and I was keen to go back with Mr DI and make some new memories in this beautiful city ~ little did I know what was in store for me!

Here are a few 'then & now' shots I've collated from the archives & from our recent trip...
'Thens' are on the left, 'Nows' on the right!


One of the first places we headed to was the flat where I lived

The big shocker here was that they've changed the name of the street, which made it a little hard to find our way there. Luckily I recognised the building!

Next up, the school where I taught English ~ it hasn't changed a bit!

Place Gambetta, close to where I lived

Cathedral St Andre. There's now a tram network running through the city centre streets...

Grand Theatre. I used to queue up for free tickets here & go to Saturday classical concerts.

Maison du Vin ~ I spent quite a bit of time here researching the region's viticulture for my dissertation. There may or may not have been quite a bit of wine tasting involved...

Grosse Cloche. This is a good example of how much of the city has now been pedestrianised.

 Monument aux Girondins ~ an iconic Bordelais site...

Pont de Pierre, across the Garonne

Porte Cailhau

Place de la Bourse ~ the old customs house, which faces the Garonne

It was interesting to see how things had changed: the trams, the renovated riverfront walk along the Garonne, new shops, restaurants, bars. I was a bit sad to see a few things had disappeared, like the bakery close to my flat I used to go into every day ~ the owner called me La Petite Anglaise ~ but overall the place had the same feel & of course all the monuments are still the same.

On our final morning, the weather was beautiful so we went down to the river to walk a bit & enjoy the sun.

 

And then THIS happened!!

Yes, there and then on the banks of the Garonne, opposite the Place de la Bourse, a new Bordeaux memory was made. It was the perfect place, time & setting, I couldn't be happier!

Claire