Meng's Travels: Bordeaux

In the morning we drove almost straight south on the A10 Highway to Bordeaux. It took about 3 1/2 hours and we arrived at about 4pm. When looking for hotels in Bordeaux I decided to stay at a Hilton Garden Inn just slightly outside the city center. Why? Because I found a good room rate and being a Gold HiltonHonors member I get free breakfast. Other hotels in the city center are small and expensive. It turned out to be a good decision. Since we were going to spend 4 nights here we might as well be comfortable.

We were hungry after we checked in. We asked the front desk where we can get some food. Their restaurant was closed. So were some nearby restaurants because it's a Sunday and holiday. We started walking towards the city center. We saw the train station and thought there might be some restaurants opened there nearby. Nothing looked interesting. We ended up at a grocery store and bought a baguette, a rotisserie chicken and a bottle of wine. That was our dinner that night.

We had a very nice buffet breakfast at the hotel the next morning. Normally it'd have cost 20€ but it's free for us. It included all the favorite French bread, egg and cold meat dishes and coffee. We were planning to visit one of the châteaus but it was raining. The front desk recommended we drive to Arcachon, a resort town about an hour west of Bordeaux. The town is known for its oysters, because of the many oyster farms in the area. Amidst a cloudy sky and rainy day we walked around the town and admire the scenery. Since we had a big breakfast we were not quite hungry. When we were ready to eat a little after 2pm, the restaurants that were selling oysters were closing. We had to settle for steak for lunch.

Oysters is the Specialty

A View of Arcachon Bay

The Waterfront

One of the streets in town

Late that evening at the hotel we heard a very loud alarm. We thought it was a false alarm. Doris looked out the window and saw people waving at her to come down. Others opened their doors and looked out the hallway, wondering what was happening. Then it dawned on everyone that there was an emergency. We walked down the stairs and were directed to an area across from the hotel. We looked up and saw that the sign for the hotel was burning. It was a while before the fire trucks came. A fireman had to climb to the roof and sprayed water on the fire. It looked like an electrical fire.

Hotel Sign Fire

What the sign looked like the next day

Before we left for Archachon the front desk at the Hilton Hotel helped us make reservation for a tour of one of the châteaux. Every week the Bordeaux wineries designate four wineries that are opened for tours. The hotel recommended Château de Pressac. The tour of the wine-making itself was short. However, our guide led a very educational and interesting discussion about wine and drinking wine. She talked about what drinking wine means to her family and French tradition. She taught us the proper way to drink wine and how to taste wine. The French grew up with wine. It's part of their culture. Asked what is considered the price of a bottle of good quality wine, she said about 12€.

Château de Pressac

Rolling Hills of Vineyards

Another View of the Vineyard

Barrels of Wine

Wine from Château de Pressac

With our Wine Guide

We stopped in the nearby town of Saint-Émilion. It's one of the popular towns that was highly recommended that we make a stop. It is the center of the Bordeaux wine region.

The Cathedral

Downtown Square

Store selling Bordeaux Canale

On the way back to the city of Bordeaux, the GPS took us through some of the most beautiful wine country I've seen. I've been to wine countries in the US, South America, South Africa, Italy and New Zealand. This is arguably the most beautiful. The French have been growing wine grapes in this region for centuries. The rolling hills and weather is perfect for that.

On our last full day in Bordeaux we decided to explore the city center. The night before we had driven to the city center for dinner, at a restaurant recommended by the hotel. It was fully booked so we had to go to a sister restaurant. It was crowded with locals. The food was good, but not great. Unfortunately, right after dinner we had upset stomachs and had to go straight to the bathroom. What's scarier is trying to navigate the narrow streets to drive out of the city center. It was like driving through a maze. You can end up at dead-ends. You are not sure where to turn, whether that part of the road belongs to a tram. Eventually, we followed some cars out of the area and headed back to the hotel.

On that last day we drove to the La Cité du Vin, the famous wine museum. It is an impressive museum, with the history of wine-making and everything you need to know about wine. After touring the exhibits we went up to the top floor and were given a sample glass of wine each, as part of the admission ticket that we paid for. From here you can also have a beautiful panaromic view of the city.

La Cité du Vin (Wine Museum)

Inside the La Cité du Vin

We then drove a few miles to the city center so that we can see what it's like. It was a busy place. The tourist sites are not that impressive. The outstanding spot is the Miroir d'eau, the reflecting pool that is next to the Garrone River. There were many families with their young children enjoying the beautiful weather. We met a woman from China with her two children. She married a Frenchman who is from Bordeaux, so she moved here. We also met a group of international students from all over, studying French here.