France - Bordeaux

Early Monday morning out our hotel room.

Huge waterfront fair with mainly bolts of fabric, clothes, sunglasses, purses and the like.

Bordeaux has La Garonne river flowing through it and has a lovely riverside with walks and bike paths.

Pretty French architecture as usual. 

This city feels like a mini Paris and has nicer, chic places as well as the not-so-pretty side that every big city has.

The restaurant called The Belle Epoche had a magnificant tile and wood detailed inlaid ceiling and was founded in 1865. 

 The transit system in Bordeaux seems efficient and very modern.  We walked everywhere so didn't go on but this is my kind of bus stop.

Check the hooves on these horses! This is the Monument aux Girondins in the Esplanade des Quinconces. 

We arrived to see the Cathedral St. Andre and it was closed between 12 and 2 and we were tired of walking so decided to sit down on a long stone bench in the plaza outside and have lunch. While we hung out, we "people watched" and saw the Bordelaise in their natural environment.  So many people walking back and forth, dressed in a standard casual elegance and kissing each other on both cheeks.  The thing I liked the most was all the people on bicycles going by and small groups stopping like us, to eat lunch on the bench.  The church itself was exceptionally tall and wide. 

Cops in Bordeaux don't seem very menacing. In fact they are quite approachable.  Interestingly, they have several who work in the pedestrian areas on rollerblades! Now tell me how they chase someone through cobble stoned streets?