Day 2 in Bordeaux

 Another lovely day in Bordeaux. Late breakfast followed by coffee in the sun opposite the Cathedral. We spent a little while at the Transport Office sorting out tram tickets. The trams here are really modern and clean and they run every few minutes. The ticketing system, however, isn't quite so user friendly. After a little bit of queueing, we got 72 hour transport passes sorted.

I had a thought of going to the beach later this week as the weather is forecast to be hot. Thankfully, I asked someone at the Tourist Office about my idea. She told me that the beach is 1-2 hours away by bus (depending on the route). But she discouraged us from going as there are strikes happening all over France right now and we may not be able to depend on the bus. I'm glad we asked.

Next, we headed to the beautiful Place de la Bourse with the even more beautiful Le miroir d'eau (Water Mirror) in front of it. They really know how to build a public space in France. The sandstone buildings are build around in an arc with a bit open space in front of it. Then, the Water Mirror is a huge rectangle of very, very shallow water that is pumped up from underground. I managed to get the iconic shot of the buildings in the Place de la Bourse reflected perfectly in the water.

Next stop was BAG  for gluten free bread and French pastries. Thank you, Mary Robinson, for the recommendation. I may need to stay at work for a few more years to pay for all the treats I bought but it has filled my desire for beautiful French food.

Aside from morning coffee, we have developed a habit of a lunchtime glass of wine. For the second day in a row, we parked ourselves at the Apollo Bar in the Place Fernand Laffargue. Sitting outside in the sun, it is a great place to people watch.

After a little rest at home, I went for a walk down the incredibly long Rue St Catherine and a walk through Galeries Lafayette (just for a look, no purchases). Dinner at Le Cafe Francais and our second day in Bordeaux was over.