Bordeaux Blog: First Day Surprises

The french life of an almost 21 year old: it's not all about the croissants and wine

Bordeaux feels special by night, and during winter there are less tourists so you feel more Bordelaise sipping a glass of Bordeaux rouge with a candle light dinner

When I first arrived in Bordeaux I was surprised at how everything is so pretty. I arrived at the end of August which in French fashion is 100% still summer, and boy could I see it. Bordeaux is so clean and feels fresh, the city itself in summer doesn't feel polluted and there's plenty of green parks for sunbathing. Bordeaux even has it's very own beach at lac de Bordeaux. And not forgetting Miroir d'eau at Place de la Bourse, which is a must see, imagine a massive pool of reflecting water like a mirror in front of in my opinions one of the most impressive buildings in Bordeaux.

Transport

The flight from England to Bordeaux is simple, it takes about 1 hour 30 minutes and the transfer from the airport to the city centre is easy, there's a bus called the 1+ bus (TBM), which is a bargain considering all other transport methods are ridiculously expensive here - don't get ripped off by paying the 8 euros for a coach. The TBM is just 1.60 euros!!

Flying in to Bordeaux is easy but I recommend getting the 1+ TBM bus instead of booking as taxi or taking the coach as it's much cheaper.

My first day was exhilarating. I travelled with my parents who love travelling, we are normally very laid back, but today we managed to get all our timings wrong. Everything was going smoothly until we arrived in the centre of Bordeaux.

It was a Sunday which in France means nothing is open after lunch, this is something I always forget and end up not having enough food to last me for the whole of Sunday so I tend to have to wonder the streets of Bordeaux searching for a small independent shop who may or may not be open. It's a hard life the french lead..

Anyway, back to the story, I can feel you all on the edge of your seats already! As we had just arrived we had no change (or la monnaie in french). This made it impossible to take the tram as the machines do not accept notes, so obviously we had to sit down and have a cocktail to get change!! Typical Ellie style. I had a mojito which I enjoyed very much.

We had to check in to our apparthotel (it's a hotel that has appartments for each room- clever huh) by 8pm, which considering our flight arrived at 5pm was doable, but in typical Pryor family style we left it down to the second to check in on time. Luckily I managed to catch the receptionist just as he was closing up by saying a simple 'Excusez-moi Monsieur' and we checked in right on time! 

Typical Ellie style. I had a mojito which I enjoyed very much

Keep posted for more updates on useful facts about Bordeaux (and random ones) as well as the typical life of an English girl trying to be French in a foreign city. 

Much love

Ellie xx