“One open way of speaking introduces another open way of speaking and draws out discoveries, like wine and love.”

– Michel de Montaigne

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of France? 

Paris, the Eiffel Tower, croissants, and all the clichés…?
Never-ending protests and strikes? You got that right too!

Check out my posts on my Erasmus experience in France where all of the clichés got confirmed. None of my illusions were broken. For me, France turned out to be exactly the way I’d romanticized it in my mind.

If your answer was wine and you still haven’t been to Bordeaux, maybe it’s finally time to consider visiting the capital of the good wine.

Whether you visit the large vineyard area around the city, the Cité du Vin Museum, or you’re simply interested in the product, I am sure you’ll enjoy discovering one of the most beautiful cities on the Garonne River. 

Talking about Garonne, the Port of the Moon (le Port de la Lune) is the perfect spot to watch the sun dip into the water. I’ll let the photos below stand as a witness of the most magical sunsets I’ve ever seen. I assure you that there were no filters used. The only filter is provided by Mother Nature’s artistry. 

Leaving Bordeaux without visiting its gothic cathedrals would be a sin. Is it me or you can objectively say that there is something special about French cathedrals?

Once again, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

In Bordeaux, you can travel to the early medieval times and the Renaissance, but you’ll also be surprised to see later Roman architecture. 

In Bordeaux, I let the energy of the city be my guide. The sunset and the sweet little canelé (a pastry flavored with rum and vanilla) combined make Bordeaux absolutely mesmerizing. Here, as Baudelaire says, “be ready to get drunk with wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you choose.”