Bordeaux is the world's major wine industry capital, located in the south-west of France and needs little or no introduction to anyone with an interest in wine. Bordeaux is one of the world's most prolific wine regions, it also manages to rank among the most famous and prestigious wine country. Beside the wine, the city itself is drawing the attention of tourists thanks to the vision of city mayor Alain Juppé who turned streets/boulevards into pedestrian streets, development of the quays along the Garonne River, the restoration of many façades, and created a high-tech public transport system.

Bordeaux is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble".

It is also home to the world's main wine fair, Vinexpo, while the wine economy in the metro area takes in 14.5 billion euros each year. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century.

Le Grand Theatre -Opera House

  The opera house called Le Grand Theatre is a few minutes from our apartment.

The Opera house, built in the 18^th Century by architectural masterpiece by Victor Louis, the same architect that designed the Opera in Paris. The Opera house is classified as Historical monument in 1991 with a neo-classical style.

The Opera house is composed of 12 statues aligned on top of 12 Corinthian columns.  They represent the 9 muses and the three goddesses from Ancient Greece: Urania (astronomy), Venus (the goddess of love), Calliope (epic poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Melpomene (tragedy), Thalia (comedy), Polyhumnia (sacred poetry), Juno (the goddess of fertility), Minerva (the goddess of war), Erato (lyric poetry) and Clio (history).

The plan this morning is to walk around and discover Bordeaux. 

We lucked out and stayed in a very nice and area on Allée de Tourny, the equivalent of the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Very nice and very well maintained apartments in this area.

We are now on Rue Jean Jaurès (a very popular French Socialist that was assassinated at the outbreak of world war I)

Nice building

Place de la bourse

Place de la Bourse, also known as Place Royale, is one of Bordeaux’s most beautiful squares. Place de la Bourse, and its surrounding buildings, are seen as a perfect example of Bordeaux architecture at the end of the 18th century. 

Originally built as a royal square, dedicated to the French ruler Louis XV. The planning for the new royal square started in 1728 and was later realized between 1730 and 1755. The architect of Place de la Bourse and the surrounding buildings was the famous French architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who also is responsible for several other major projects, such as Place de la Concorde in Paris and parts of the Château de Versailles.

In the original plan, there was a statue of King Louis XV. However, the statue was destroyed during the French Revolution. After the destruction of the statue, a Corinthian column-fountain was built on the square. Finally, in 1869 "Three Graces" was installed in the same location.

Place de la bourse is one of the most recognizable sights in Bordeaux.

King Louis XV wanted a royal square to be laid out in Bordeaux.  A part of the city wall was dismantled in order to create a square that is meant to be a symbol of the Bordeaux's prosperity.

Really beautiful square!

View of the Place de la Bourse from the other side of the street, next to the Garonne River

In the back ground you get a view of the Pont de Pierre (Stone Bridge) on the Garonne River from place de la Bourse .

The Bridge connects the left bank of the Garonne River to the right bank.  It was the first bridge built over the Garonne River at Bordeaux until the construction of pont Saint-Jean in 1965.

The Pont de Pierre was commissioned by Napoleon in 1810 during the First French Empire.

The bridge is supported by 17 arches as the emperor's name comprised of 17 letters (Napoleon Bonaparte).  The white medallions on the brick pillars are in honor and tribute to Napoleon. The bridge also display the city's the coat of arms (three intertwined crescents representing the curve of the Garonne).

We are right now on the left back of the Garonne looking at the right bank.

See the wooden house on stilts? That's L'Estacade restaurant which we had a chance to dine with our family last night.

This is the main street with the Garonne river running in the middle.

Porte Cailhau

Built in 1494 this large, beautiful monument remains practically unchanged. It was built to commemorate Charles VIII's victory at Fornovo, Italy.
What does the word Cailhau mean? No one seems to know for sure! Historians have various theories, but it doesn't really matter!

The Port Cailhau, 114 feet tall, was integrated into the city walls.
Above it s entrance a niche contains a statue of the King. 

Quartier Saint Pierre

We now in the "Vieux Bordeaux" Old part of Bordeaux called Saint Pierre, the birth place of Bordeaux.

The neighborhood was named after it's church (see below) which was listed as a historical monument in 1908.  Since Bordeaux is located on the banks of the Garonne, one of the five main French rivers, its harbor played a key role in its development.  Saint Peter was the Patron Saint of the fishers and the seamen, and Saint Pierre church was built on the location of the former Gallo-Roman harbor.  Legend has it that, before Saint Pierre, Hercules used to watch over the harbor.  His statue, a tall Hellenistic bronze that is now one of the most beautiful pieces of the Aquitaine Museum, was found in 1832 under Saint Pierre square.

Église Saint-Pierre

The first church was built on the premises of the former port in the Middle Ages. 

The current church Saint-Pierre of Bordeaux dates from the 16th century.

The interior of the church-vaulted gothic ceiling.

Beautiful stained glass windows.

Organ on top of the exit door

Next..Walk continuation