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

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 who became like a sister in Bordeaux, and also discovered this lovely little city.

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

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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.

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 pain au chocolat; after all, it had to be done. I was so excited to eat a pain au chocolat in France again (after 25 years) that I didn’t even take a picture. That’s saying something!

Bordeaux was eerily quiet, but I chalked it up to being so early on a Sunday morning.

I strolled 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 brand 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 my hotel, and so my breakfast (part II) was a chocolate filled French crepe–do we see a theme here?

I checked into my charming 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, as you can see below.

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

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.)

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 simply accepted the fact that I was in Europe, and since most places don’t have a/c I hadn’t even looked. Jill thought this was hilarious, given that I live in California. She spotted the remote and turned on the air conditioning–what a relief! Within minutes we were out again, exploring Bordeaux, eating canelés and sorbet and taking silly selfies as if we had been friends for ages!

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

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 attractions, 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.

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!

We wined and dined, chatted and laughed, all while enjoying the incredible view.

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

We went back to the Water Mirror and were so glad we did! We took plenty of panoramic shots that night.

It was so much cooler by then, so we took a leisurely walk back through the empty streets of Bordeaux, taking in the fabulous atmosphere which was accentuated by the full moon. It was a perfect evening in France!

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 online friend, (who we had never met in person before): Karen Burns Booth (Lavender and Lovage).

The next morning we set off to find a little cafe where we could have breakfast. It didn’t take too long before we were sipping hot drinks and enjoying delectable pastries.

After finalizing plans for transportation, we checked out of our hotel, and did a little more exploring. We then took a tram to the station.

Goodbye, Bordeaux, until we meet again!

My culinary tour continues in France with Jill.

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