Two days in Bordeaux

In the middle of the European heatwave, I was lucky enough to be in Bordeaux for a couple of days. It’s one of those places that had been on my list for years; but, as with all travellers, my list is very long. Although there is much more to see in Bordeaux than can be seen in 48 hours, it was a great chance to see this gem of a French city – and that’s from someone who isn’t interested in wine.

I started my first day early and followed a downloadable walking tour. If you read my earlier Substack about my own Dickens walking tour of London (https://open.substack.com/pub/lucindahawksley/p/my-new-dickens-walking-tour?) you’ll have heard about Voice Map, but before Bordeaux, I hadn’t used them as a customer, only as a creator. I was eager to see what it was like to use one of their walks in a place I didn’t know. The tour I chose was “Classic Bordeaux: A Walking Tour Through France’s Most Elegant City”^[1]. It has made me a fervent convert. The tour was written by a local, with a beautiful voice, and she guided me effortlessly around the city, until I felt I had my bearings. Highly recommended and so interesting, It really made me look up, look around me and take notice of things I would otherwise just have sauntered past.