Christina's Cucina

An impassioned Italian Scot sharing how to cook authentically, and travel with enthusiasm.

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Home » Non Sequitur » The Day Two Ex-Pat Scottish Girls Met, and Discovered Bordeaux, France

The Day Two Ex-Pat Scottish Girls Met, and Discovered Bordeaux, France

October 31st, 2015 | 27 Comments

Bordeaux, France is often referred to as “Petit Paris” or Little Paris, and for good reason. It is very reminiscent of a smaller Paris. I met an online friend there, and discovered this lovely little city.

Cafe in Bordeaux France Christinas Cucina
If you live in LA, you’d say this was a movie set.

Okay, so we’re not technically girls, but it would sound silly saying “ladies”, “lassies” or “women”, right?

(continued from here)

This is the day that I met my online pal, Jill Colonna in person! There’s a bit of a long story in how this meeting was arranged, and I won’t bore you with it, but the stars were absolutely in alignment in order for it to have worked so perfectly into my culinary trip through Europe! You’ll remember Jill from her Lemon and Passionfruit Tartlets recipe which I posted from her book, Teatime in Paris.

Passion Fruit and Lemon Meringue piece on fork

Both of us were born in Scotland less than two years apart, but Jill now lives in Paris and as you know, I live in LA.

I had left Geneva on a 6:30 am flight, and arrived in Bordeaux early that Sunday morning. Although it was early, it was already getting warm. I didn’t have to wait more than five minutes for the bus that took me directly from the airport to the train station in Bordeaux.

Just after exiting Gare de Bordeaux St. Jean, I found a patisserie and nipped in for a chocolate croissant; after all, it had to be done. I was so excited to eat a chocolate croissant in France again (after 25 years) that I didn’t even take a picture. It’s true!

Bordeaux was almost eerily quiet, but I knew it was due to being so early on a Sunday morning.

obelisk in Bordeaux

square in Bordeaux

I walked from the station to our hotel in Bordeaux’s golden triangle, in the Grands Hommes district; essentially, the heart of Bordeaux.  Unfortunately, I lost my new cardigan along the way–new rule: never carry something loose when walking. There was a small market just outside St. Andrew’s Cathedral, which was near the hotel, and so my breakfast (part II) was a chocolate filled crepe–do we see a theme here?

market outside St Andrews in Bordeaux

crepe in Bordeaux

I checked into the hotel and had plenty of time to walk back to St. Andrew’s Cathedral for mass. It is an awe-inspiring building, inside and out.

tramlines to St. Andrew's Cathedral Inside St. Andrew's Cathedral Christina's Cucina

Jill wasn’t arriving until after lunch, so I scoped out the immediate neighborhood and loved everything I saw! This area of Bordeaux was so clean and had a wonderfully welcoming atmosphere.

view from my balcony
The view from my balcony.
Canele moulds
Kitchen shops with canelé molds!
Street in Bordeaux
Pedestrian friendly streets.
Park in Bordeaux
A beautiful park.

Dahlia in Bordeaux

I returned to the “movie set” restaurant, and although I’d give it 5 stars for atmosphere, setting and presentation, the tomatoes in my Caprese salad were lacking in flavor. (Insert sad face here.)

lunch in Bordeaux

Cafes in Bordeaux

I sauntered back to the hotel and spotted Jill walking towards me; we ended up meeting each other right in front of our hotel! We excitedly greeted each other and went up to the room to drop off Jill’s bag. It was extremely hot by then, and Jill wondered why I hadn’t turned on the air-conditioning. I had accepted the fact that I was in Europe and most places don’t have a/c so hadn’t even looked. Jill thought this was hilarious, given that I live in California. She spotted the remote and turned on the air–what a relief! Within minutes we were out, exploring Bordeaux, eating canelés and sorbet and taking silly selfies as if we had been friends for ages!

Fun with Jill in Bordeaux collage

After walking around and seeing more of Bordeaux, we went  back to the hotel for some cheese and wine before going out for dinner.

Street scene in Bordeaux Christina's Cucina

park in Bordeaux, France

Cafe and cyclist

Although it was later in the day, it was still very hot. Luckily, the restaurant where Jill had made a reservation was only a few minutes’ walk from our hotel, and directly across from one of Bordeaux’s most famous attraction, The Miroir d’eau (Water Mirror). It is the world’s largest reflecting pool, and with the temperatures soaring, it was popular with the locals and tourists alike.

Water mirror

Mist in the mirror

water mirror
You didn’t think we let the kids have all the fun, did you?

When I saw that our restaurant was directly across the street in the very center of Place de la Bourse, I couldn’t believe it. It was such a stunning location, and somehow we scored the best seat in the house, wait, maybe in all of Bordeaux!

View from our table in Bordeaux
Just wait until you see the view after the sun set!
Jill Colonna in Bordeaux
À votre santé!

Christina drinking wineGabriel Bordeaux Christinas CucinaWe wined and dined, chatted and laughed, all while enjoying the incredible view.

Gabriel food and view in BordeauxStrawberry Tart with a view Christinas CucinaJill Colonna and Christina Conte in Bordeaux

Post-dining picture taking was a must. There were endless possibilities for beautiful shots, but we had to get one of “our” window!

Place de la Bourse at night Christina's Cucina

Fountain under a full moon Bordeaux Christina's Cucina

We went back to the Water Mirror and were so glad we did!

Panorama at night of Place de la Bourse Christina's Cucina

It was so much cooler at night, so we took a leisurely walk back through the empty streets of Bordeaux, taking in the fabulous atmosphere which the full moon accentuated.

Miror d'eau BordeauxEmpty streets of Bordeaux Christina's CucinaNight scene in Bordeauxbronze head in Bordeaux

I think that if I tell you that we both went out like lights when we got back to our hotel, you’d probably believe me.

We had no specific time to leave the next day, but we were planning to go to meet another blogging friend, (who we had never met in person before): Karen Burns Booth (Lavender and Lovage). Karen and her husband run a bed and breakfast and cooking school in the Charente-Maritime region of France, less than an hour and a half from Bordeaux. (Update: they are no longer in France.)

The next morning we set off to find a little cafe where we could have breakfast. It didn’t take too long.

Breakfast in Bordeaux

croissant in Bordeaux Christina's Cucina

After to speaking to Karen by phone, we decided to catch the train to the station near her house so that we’d arrive in the early afternoon. That settled, we checked out of our hotel, and did a little more exploring. We then took a tram to the station.

arches in Bordeaux

Jill with wine bottle
Jill was so besotted with this bottle of wine, she almost left her bag behind!

Christina's Cucina large bottle wine

man walking across tracks in Bordeaux

Goodbye, Bordeaux, until we meet again!

Place de la bourse

My culinary tour continues in France. CLICK HERE to see where Jill and I went next.


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Bresaola, Parmesan and Arugula Appetizer (Cooking Lessons in SW France)
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Country, FRANCE, My Rants & Recommendations, Non Sequitur, Uncategorized · Bordeaux, cities, europe, France, friends, Golden Triangle, Restaurants, Scottish, Southwest France, SW France, Travel, traveling, travels, Wine

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  1. Cooking Lessons in SW France, Pineau Tasting, and a Simple Bresaola, Parmesan and Arugula Appetizer - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 30, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    […] if my trip couldn’t get any better after meeting Jill Colonna in Bordeaux, the next day, I met Karen Burns Booth from Lavender and […]

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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