While living in France, one of my goals was to drink more wine! Wine is a favorite of mine, and I realized that although I have done wine tasting in some great places- Sonoma, the Finger Lakes, and quite a few one-off wineries across the U.S. and Europe, I felt my wine experience was incomplete without traveling to a mecca of sorts- Bordeaux! I couldn’t imagine a better time to visit Bordeaux than the fall, since I was seriously missing some foliage while living in the French Alps.
A new addition to the city that I was most excited to visit in Bordeaux was the recently opened Cité du Vin wine museum, which hosted President Francois Hollande at its opening in May 2016. It was an easy tram ride from the city center, but we also saw quite a few people riding rented bicycles and parking them outside.
We spent about 4 hours here, soaking up all the fascinating exhibits, featuring information about the history of wine, interactive activities (including trying to distinguish between different scents and flavors that you could find in different varieties of wine), and games to learn more about both local wine and wine around the world. Although there isn’t any wine tasting included in the museum admission price, there is a beautiful rooftop wine bar that overlooks the cityscape of Bordeaux, with some unique decorations (wine bottles cover the whole ceiling) and a fun vibe (who doesn’t love applying their newfound wine knowledge in a fun bar!)
We worked up enough of an appetite that we decided to grab a light lunch at Latitude 20, the wine bar downstairs. Although the menu wasn’t extensive, there were some good options for both my dining companion (a meat lover), and myself, a vegetarian.
After lunch, we took the tram back to the town center, and stumbled upon a very interesting site- an out of season carnival! We spent about an hour checking out the rides and food stands, and comparing them to our usual sites at Disney World!
We then capped off the day with a visit to one of Bordeaux’s most famed sites, right in the city center. Place de la Bourse is home to the stunning Miroir d'eau ,which is the world's largest reflecting pool! We had a great time just people watching and exploring the area, and watching the sunset over the Garonne River.
The fountain water in the Place is dyed to look like the red wine the city is famous for, and there were lots of tourists and locals alike taking photos of the unique site.
We finished the afternoon off with some delicious gelato from a nearby shop, and reveled in the beautiful autumn weather that southwest France is known for.
A final view of the beautiful Garonne River before heading back home!
Au revoir!
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