Bordeaux is a medium-sized French city with about 230,000 inhabitants. It is located in a picturesque estuary – a funnel-shaped mouth of the Garonne River, which is a hundred kilometers from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The ideal navigability of the river and communication with the ocean makes Bordeaux an important port city, serving as one of the largest ports in France with access to large ocean-going vessels.
Although first of all Bordeaux is the capital of wine. Probably, each of us has heard about the famous wines produced in local wineries. By the way, the vineyards themselves cover an area of more than 280 thousand hectares. It produces as many as 57 varieties of wine, which are bottled in 850 million bottles.
Most of the wine produced here are from the “every day” category, but the range also includes more refined varieties that are among the top five most expensive wines in the world. Among other things, Bordeaux is an important cultural and scientific center of the country.
However, the real pearl of Bordeaux is its historical part. The city has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are about 350 such objects scattered throughout the city. However, the strictly protected and historically valuable Old Town, with an area of about 150 hectares, is especially interesting.
It is also worth taking a look at the remains of the defensive walls with the city gates and the amphitheater, which has remained since Roman times. A number of churches deserve special attention, including the most curious ones: the medieval basilica of Saint-Seren, the temple of Saint-Evlali and the Cathedral of Saint-André. Most of the most famous and beautiful monuments of Bordeaux are concentrated on the left bank of the Garonne.
Quinconces Square is located in the heart of the Old Town, built in accordance with the so-called. the “quincunx” plan, which is based on the arrangement of four objects in the corners and one in the center of the square. All this is a bit like the “five” on the dice. The central point of the square is the fountain with the Monument to the Girondins. The height of the monument reaches 50 meters.
Bordeaux is a city of bridges connected by a promenade where you can stroll along enjoying beautiful views of the city. The most beautiful of the bridges is the Pont de Pierre stone bridge, built at the beginning of the 19th century on 17 arches, symbolizing the letters of the emperor’s name and surname. Unusually picturesque hanging at a height of 58 meters Aquitaine bridge – Pont d’Aquitaine, which is 1767 meters long.
You can walk along the promenade to Burs Square or Exchange Square, which today has become a shopping and tourist center full of souvenir shops. On the square there is a characteristic water complex, which on sunny days reflects the buildings that are visible in the tiles as in a mirror.
In the Old Town, you should also visit Place Gambetta – a very special place full of stalls and street noise; also here are the most expensive boutiques in the city. Nearby, in the Pays-Berland area, is the most beautiful Cathedral of St. André in Bordeaux with the famous Royal Gate.
In addition, Bordeaux is a real paradise for students and lovers of multinational cuisine. There are many schools and universities that provide education in almost every possible direction imaginable. Therefore, at the beginning of the school year, Bordeaux is literally replete with an abundance of young people of different skin colors and diverse costumes, and the streets of the city turn into Babylon, from the abundance of foreign languages and dialects that sound on them.
Bordeaux is a culinary paradise for gourmets. First of all, in some local restaurant you should try all kinds of seafood, accompanied by fine wines. However, the main culinary Mecca of the city is the Capuchin Market, where you can buy literally everything, and, in addition, have a nice chat with the seller. This city never sleeps. It is always full of life, fun and songs.
