Why? You may be wondering? Why is Bordeaux my new best friend? Bordeaux, is the first independent voyage I have done successfully. The last attempt was a visit to Paris, and though I shared a moment with the city at its most vulnerable, in the days following we only saw a shadow of its personality, as many of the people had retreated into their homes. In the wake of the November 13th attacks, the only people just crazy enough to go outside were largely other tourists, which made the mosaic of Paris even more enigmatically awe striking but also served as a reminder of its wounds. It was recuperating, dozing fitfully. |
Bordeaux was a different story. We arrived in her arms during the quiet babble of the night, walking the 15 minutes to our apartment in tranquility and slowly taking in what was to either side of us as we located our lodging. From the beginning I found myself shocked by how much the city aligned with my quintessential imaginings of France. Our lodger arrived a little en retard( late) riding a bike and huffing with exhaustion. She switched effortlessly between French and English as she expressed her apologies. Our apartment was some older building that had been reformulated, and to arrive at the top we mounted winding, stone stairs that closely hugged a cobbled wall. Mounting still, we could see the criss-cross of pillars that did not support the building but once had been used to support potentially an old clock or some structure that no longer existed. Our apartment itself was a mosaic of the world at large, covered with items from the small country of Eritrea, and nonchalantly flaunting money from Ghana, Spain, and America sitting on the coffee table.
Aside from the city itself, the trip was distinguished by the comical nature of our successive blunders. We realized two days before departing that we had booked two bus tickets to go towards Bordeaux and none to return. We had a brief yet instructive run in with a woman pushing a stroller in the dead of night and asking for our attention as we entered into our apartment. We learned how to eat two meals on a budget of about $7, meaning a quick but strategic visit to the grocery store. We learned what it means to live in close quarters with someone for multiple days at a time, when the ratio of square footage to person is less than it is in your childhood bedroom. All of this knowledge aids our traveling team of four in preparations for our next trip to Spain, as we will spend four days in Barcelona, three days in Seville, and three days in Madrid. So Bordeaux is my new Best Friend for Life, not only because of her effortless but poignant mixture between ancient and modern, or her quaint cobbled streets that host a people as electrified and lively as the gushing river Garonne that fertilizes the spirit of its citizens, but also because of the insights accrued that have further refined my admittedly fledgling travel skills. I realize now that planning a trip to another country with a budget, though daunting and initially skeptical, is a perfectly attainable pursuit with enough foresight. We found flights for as little as 30 dollars and three day lodging for prices near the same (AirBNB is your best friend if you are visiting abroad). In knowing how to plan efficiently, we are able to circumvent so many obstacles of price and logistics. Bordeaux, which is now my favorite city, after seeing her various markets and museums and sleek metros that resemble the hovertrain from Hunger Games, was a test run. To her I always will be appreciative, and I am ready to do it again.