Bordeaux

Monday 22 December.

Today we have walked and walked and walked! Once again the weather is clear with blue skies and the streets are becoming very festive with the approach of Christmas. Today’s initial mission is to do some Christmas shopping so lots of whispering in corners & then the kids are sent off on their mission while Steve & Bron head off to fulfil theirs. A meeting place & time is agreed, however as Simon & Rose do not turn up for over 45 minutes, there is a bit of panic starting to build (from Bronwen’s side anyway!). Eventually they turn up, and yes, (we really don’t know how as they only had to head to the end of the street), they did get lost & were wandering around all that time trying to find their bearings.

The afternoon’s excursion has been decided by Steve – a LONG circuit through parts of the city we haven’t previously explored. One of the highlights is a walk through the large city park which was very peaceful & delightful. We watched a young girl walking her guinea pig on a lead alongside the lake – all the ducks avidly swimming while watching the guinea pig. The girl would then turn back & en masse the ducks would turn, ramming into each other in their haste to again follow the guinea pig. It was very amusing (or maybe we were all so tired by this stage that a mild hysteria had set in?).

Dinner is at a delightful little cafe down the street from our apartment. Another adventure with a waiter with very little english language & as Steve’s French didn’t really stretch to understanding the intricacies of the menu, it was an interesting meal – fabulous, even if not what we thought we had ordered.