On the train form Blois to Bordeaux
I fell asleep for quite a while but when I woke up the view was enchanting. Its so easy to romanticise about France- it carries with it a mythical and impossible ideal brought on by films like Beauty and the Beast. But truly, this is so amazing. the train makes a beautiful rhythmic sound as it moves along the tracks, which is partially why I fell asleep so easily. We are going quite fast and when the vegetation is close it sweeps past in a dizzying blur. When the landscape opens out there are fields and crops on sloping hills. It reminded me of Uraidla at first and then I realised that it looked closer to a dream I have which I always attributed to Uraidla. There are sunflowers, fields of happy sunflowers (the happiest flower). Then every now and then a little village comes up. The church tower is always the highest and the oldest. Its weird to think that these towns were here before Adelaide was even a glint in Colonel Light's eyes. Fields follow forests and bridges over little creeks and then another little village and the clickety clack of the train on the rails.
Bordeaux
is weird. Its a constant contrast between old/dingy and old/restored. We stayed at a place just around the corner from the train station which was very convenient but also a little on the dodgy side of town. dodgy is always more fun and interesting, so that was good. We arrived around midday and it was gloriously hot, maybe a little too hot for walking around with a giant pack on. Lauren had had a twilight induced sleepless night and so she had a nap while i hit the town. I love wandering around new places with no specific aim- you always find exciting new things that you wouldn't have seen if you just went straight to the tourist hot spots. I walked along the boulevard next to the river until a beautiful old church caught my eyes down one of the side streets. Built in the 14th Century St Michels is the height of gothic. It was open to the public so I went and had a look inside, it was stunning- dark and cold but with the most beautiful light coming through the stained glass windows and hitting the structure of the interior architecture. Several parts of the cathedral were being restored, including the rose window above the entrance. The clock tower was also open, and who can say no when the entrance fee is only 2.5 Euro. The tower had a crypt underneath it which had been discovered containing a number of mummified bodies. Unfortunately the mummies were no longer there, but there were light boxes with illuminated photos as well as creepy gothic tomb music and spooky lighting. After i had a look i climbed up to the top of the tower (109m of spiral staircase, I was sooooo dizzy). The view from the very top was amazing, you could see the whole of Bordeaux spreading out in all directions with red terra-cotta roof tiles. From up there it was easy to see how the entire city is very old, with only a few modern buildings interrupting the rouge. It also gave a magnificent view of the other churches in bordeaux.
After I climbed down I had to get a quick glacee to recover from my dizziness, and then continued on my wander through the city. I walked through the back streets discovering lots of squares filled with cafe's and brasseries. I came across lots of fountains, monuments and beautiful buildings from a time when architecture was so extravagant.
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