Sunday, April 6, 2025 – Photo of the Day – Bordeaux, France

Where in the World Are We?

We are in Bordeaux, France.

BORDEAUX, FRANCE
The world’s most famous wine capital.
The name alone conjures images of sun-ripened grapes, splashes of refined flavour, and the joy of clinking glasses. Bordeaux is synonymous with quality and prestige, and the promise of endless opportunities to sample the city’s famous, full-bodied red wines. Visit this elegant French port city to savour it truly.

Sprinkled with scenic, turret-adorned mansion castles, which stand above soil softened by the Atlantic and winding flow of the Garonne River, the vineyards of Bordeaux consistently produce revered wines, enjoyed right across the globe. Explore France’s largest wine region, walking through vineyards where dusty clumps of grapes hang, before descending into cellars to see the painstaking processes that make this region a global wine centre. The acclaimed, sensory experience of Cité du Vin wine museum lets you put your nose to the test, learning more about the craft involved in producing world-class vintages.

Bordeaux is an intoxicating blend of old and new – a fact perfectly illustrated by the Water Mirror. This living art installation has reinvigorated one of the city’s most important historical sites, and it feels as though you’re walking on water as you step through the cooling mist of Place De La Bourse. The moisture generates a glorious mirrored composition of the 300-year-old, elegant palatial architecture before you. Water also flows freely from the magnificent Monument aux Girondins statue, where horses rear up to extol the values of the Girondin revolutionaries. Marche des Quais – the city’s lively fish market – is the spot to try this wine capital’s freshest lemon-drizzled oysters and juicy prawns.

SIGHTS

• Place de la Bourse
• Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux
• National Opera of Bordeaux Grosse Cloche
• Monument aux Girondins
• La Cité du Vin
• Porte Cailhau
• Musée d’Aquitaine
• Basilique Saint-Michel
• Pey Berland Tower
• Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts
  SHOPPING AND CUISINE
  The shops in the pedestrian streets of downtown Bordeaux has the longest pedestrianized shopping street in Europe, rue Sainte Catherine! It is a good address in Bordeaux, with all the major brands, luxury and designer boutiques with vintage or modern decoration, and independent cultural spaces. It is a temple of fashion, design,n and gastronomy! North of the street, do not miss its typical mall 19th century. Rue Porte Dijeaux is another commercial institution in Bordeaux, and Place Fernand Lafargue has a more bohemian atmosphere.

9:45 Enrichment Lecture with John Penycate: The Demographic Time Bomb

John confronts the future of humanity using the most reliable and scientific predictions about population: the spiralling numbers of people in some countries and the decline in others. He also examines the looming crisis of age imbalance—too many oldies and insufficient young workers—exacerbated by the baby boom generation’s retirement.

Today’s Excursion – Welcome Walk around the Chartrons district
Welcome to les Chartrons!A village inside Bordeaux. After a short walk from your ship, your guide will give you an orientation.
Tour this charming and lively district that runs along the edge of the Garonne River. Named after the monks who established an old convent there in the 14th century (les Chartreux), the district had become a thriving area by the 18th century, where wealthy merchants built fortunes, thanks to the booming local wine trade. Warehouses were built along the Garonne, where wine produced in the Bordeaux region arrived on flat-bottom boats, only to be shipped to northern Europe. Today, as trade has moved away from the river, Chartrons has become a quiet but lively residential neighborhood, perhaps better known for its many antique shops, wine bars, and pubs! A nice place to stroll and live. Local landmarks remained, like le Temple des Chartrons, built in the early 19th century, or l’Eglise St Louis des Chartrons and its neo-Gothic architecture (1870s). After the tour, you can either return to your ship or enjoy some free time on the famous Notre Dame street, enjoying a glass of wine in one of the numerous wine bars in the district.

Dinner was in The Atlantide Restaurant