Bordeaux Blew Me Away: A 24-Hour Journey of Discovery

After my stay in Bayonne, I had one more day before flying back to JFK from Paris. I had to switch over trains in Bordeaux anyway so I decided to spend a night there and check out the city a bit. Bordeaux blew me away with it’s old world charm and great culture. Join me on my journey of discovery!

I arrived to the train station around early afternoon and I was within walking distance of my hotel. I really like the train station there, it’s old and has interesting features on the walls and ceilings. The hotel I stayed at was very nice. It was the old University of Zoology built in 1900-1903 but was abandoned years later. In 2021, they renovated and transformed this old building into a 4-Star hotel. The normal room rate is pretty pricey but I was able to get a cheap last minute deal.

After checking in and getting settled in the hotel room, I set out to explore the city. Across the street from the hotel is a park. If you walk through the park and down the next street, you get to the river front park. There is a free light rail train that can take you into the city center. I actually didn’t take the train to begin with and walked in the park along the river. The weather was beautiful that day and a lot of people were outside – this was a Friday afternoon for context.

I watched some live music in the park next to the water fountains. They have a huge water fountain called the Water Mirror which is super kewl to see. It’s located across the street from one of the main parts of the Old City called the Place de la Bourse. Such a great place to walk around and chill out. I did stop and enjoy the music/views for a bit before moving on.

Decided to walk further into Old City, and honestly, I was walking around aimlessly for awhile. I came across so many great city squares full of people and live music. The cafes were full of people having Friday afternoon cocktails enjoying the amazing ambience. It was such a good vibe that day and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a place quite like that before.

The architecture is impressive and I never knew what to expect next. One minute you are walking through a modern walking street mall and next you are face to face with a massive old cathedral. I thoroughly loved walking through this wonderful city.

I also learned that Bordeaux is famous for Canelés, which is like a spongey creamy cake with a firm crusty exterior. You can get them regular or infused with alcohol. I stuck with the alcohol-free version and I gotta say… They are amazing! I’ve had canelés in the past but these were so much better. Highly recommend trying them if you are visiting Bordeaux. 😊

After a long bit of walking and hanging out in different squares, I was starting to get hungry for dinner. I noticed there was a small hamburger restaurant, called Le Petit Mignon, where the owner was doing an interview on camera outside and recording the inside of his restaurant – most likely making promotional content. I was intrigued that this was a newly opened spot so I figured I would give it a try. Oh boy, was I a happy boiii ☺️

I got their high end burger, Le Double Chef, which is a double patty burger covered in a thick creamy cheese sauce. You had to eat it with a knife and fork since they cover the bun and everything with cheese. It was really kewl looking – even the guy sitting next to me asked to take a picture of it. In reality this would have been plenty of food for two people to share but I gobbled it all down by myself.. #ShlayedLyfe4Lyfe

I was very full after that meal so it was thyme for me to walk it off and start heading back to the hotel. Took a few more pictures of the main plaza by the river, then hopped on the free trolley train back to the hotel. Once back, I just relaxed for a few hours – possibly napped a teensy bit ☺️

At night, I decided to get out and go for a walk. I walked back in the direction of the train station and kinda checked out that area more. There were lots of cafes that looked interesting but I was still full from earlier. I think I got some chocolate or other snack and headed back to my hotel around 10-ish.

Got a great night sleep and woke up very early the next day. My room had a view of the park and it was nice watching the sun come up overlooking the park across the street. I had some tea while journaling and also meditated before heading out for my morning walk. Probably got outside around 7 o’clock in the morning and not too many people were out – some though. I walked in the direction away from the train station where I hadn’t been yet.

After a few blocks, I saw there was a market down one of the side streets. As I got closer, I realized this was a big market with a bunch of merchants selling almost anything you could want to eat. I gleefully walked around as I decided what I wanted for breakfast. I found a spot with seating and got myself a cafe au latte, a pastry dipped in white chocolate and fresh squeezed orange juice. I sat there enjoying my life choices and did a bit more journaling.

Next on my agenda was to have my quintessential baguette and cheese moment in France. I walked all around the farmer’s market and carefully selected what I believed to be the perfect baguette for me. I bought the baguette from a merchant that seemed to have the freshest batch of bread – it was still a bit warm. There were a few spots that had great cheese selections. I browsed a little bit but ultimately went with the aged gouda cheese – it’s a personal favorite of mine! 😊

With cheese and bread in hand, I wistfully walked down the street from whence I came from and with a bit of a skip in my step, might I add, because I was so excited for the nearly imminent explosion of flavor – yes, explosion of flavor is a technical term. I arrived at the park across from my hotel and sat down at a bench to enjoy my next shnack.

This might be one of the most perfect combinations I have encountered in all my travels – no exaggeration! Honestly, this may have been the best “meal” I had in all of my time in France! The baguette was perfectly crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Pairs perfectly with the little salty umami bursts inside the Gouda cheese. Wasn’t even trying to be fancy at all, so I bit into them separately and mixed them together in my mouth. Quintessential Baguette and Cheese Moment in France has now been completed ✅ 😊

All in all, I was in Bordeaux for roughly 24 hours and had myself a really nice thyme. I would love to come back in the future and stay for a longer time (sorry.. thyme) to really explore the city more intimately. Some of the souvenirs I picked up from Bordeaux were: artisanal soap bars, a really nice merino wool winter hat and I was able to smuggle about 6 of the canelés home with me 😉

Thanks for reading and see you next Thyme!