The month started off with record low temperatures and indoor fires here in the south west of France and looks to be finishing emerging from a monstrous heatwave - or ‘canicule’ as it is known in France - with temperatures hitting the low 40s across the south. Finally the storms have arrived and we are now in the mid 20s so normal service has resumed.
It’s a month of travel and holidays - for most. We have stayed at home thanks to a constant stream of Airbnb guest from mainly France and the Netherlands with the occasional Brit and a vast party of my daughters friends, who to the relief of the village have now returned home. The exuberance of youth and the retirement vibe of the Dordogne is not a match made in heaven. We escaped to Montalivet les Bains on the coast north of Bordeaux for a couple of nights camping and it brought back memories of my time working on a campsite in Soulac Sur mer, just north of Montalivet. The art of camping has changed somewhat in the 40+ intervening years and now most ‘campers’ seem to be semi permanent residents in semi mobile homes. Not many mini Decathlon tents like ours to be found. And back in the mid 70s this was one very naked stretch of coastline which now seems to have succumbed to its own version of cancel culture and everyone is fully attired. How times have changed!
We still prefer Biscarosse on that wonderful stretch of coast even if a French friend of mine thinks that it is home to the Bordeaux gang warfare scene all taking their holidays! Cooler beach bars and nicer restaurants in Biscarosse I would say. Soulac has definitely gone upmarket as well. It used to be a rather run down seaside town in the 70s but having realised that the beach and the waves are something special they seem to have finally taken themselves a bit more seriously. And some serious campsites everywhere. That seems to be the only form of accommodation these days with hardly any hotels. The drive north of Bordeaux to the Atlantic coast gives you no idea of the beauty to come. Long straight roads through the pine trees with barely a reason to stop until you finally see the sea. It’s worth it though.
But of course the other side of the ‘peninsula’ is an altogether different story. Some may remember my blog about wine and Chateau de Pez and yes we felt obliged to make the pilgrimage to the village of Pez. Sadly a roasting hot August Monday morning is not the best time to knock on a chateau door - at least in France. Not a soul to be seen in any of the Pez village vineyards so we headed to the Maison de Vin in St Estephe to buy some De Pez 2nd growth at €20 a bottle. What a great price that is. You feel that you can drink a bottle any night of the week whereas at €40 a bottle for their first growth wine perhaps not.
From Pez it is a beautiful drive south past some of the great and most famous wine names in the world. Latour, Margaux, Lynch Bages, Talbot, Pichon Longueville. All perfectly manicured estates exuding wealth and quality. The villages are as pristine as you would expect and the riverside town of Pauillac, which acts as the unofficial capital of Medoc, is a great base if you can afford the price of entry (or more likely exit) into some of these incredible chateaux. The ‘route des chateaux’ gradually comes back to earth with some more ordinary chateaux including Chateau Beaumont. As we live in Beaumont (du Perigord) we thought it rude to drive by without stopping - and knowing roughly the price of their wine didn’t feel too nervous about the visit. But of course it was 12.31 and this is the witching hour in France. It’s lunch time. We pleaded with the staff but they were stiffened in their resolve to eat and tried to persuade us to hang around for an hour by which time they could definitely serve us. It’s at moments like this that you wish you had a business card saying ‘Head Wine Buyer - Harrods’ that you could hand over. Still, this is la belle France and there is no interest in selling anything that might get in the way of a good lunch.
August is a great time to visit the city of Bordeaux. Like most French cities everyone is on holiday so the streets are quieter and the restaurants reasonably empty. OK you may have to battle the heat a bit but Bordeaux is not as daunting as Paris or Marseilles. Perhaps it’s the tram system. Perhaps it’s the local wine trade! Paris is now only 2 hours away by TGV and whilst the regular service is a bit pricey you can always catch the OuiGo ‘low cost’ train for a fraction of the price. And back to the tram system, if you are driving into Bordeaux then just leave your car at one of the many Park and Ride stations and get a tram ticket for €4.50 that covers a return trip into the city for up to 4 people so effectively a car load. Try as we might we can never fully avoid Europe’s longest shopping street - Rue St Catherine. It seems to be the central artery to the whole city and somehow seems to draw you in without you fully knowing it. Next thing you know you are in Zara and regretting it. Best to head to the quieter parts of the city no matter what time of year you might be visiting. One of our best ever Bordeaux trips was new years eve when we really had no agenda and more importantly no phones so we had to come up with a plan before leaving the hotel and pretty much stick to it. It worked pretty well until about 3am in the morning when the tram system for some weird reason suddenly became quite difficult to negotiate. Let’s just say it was probably no fault of the tram system. We will be back in the city in September for the rugby World Cup as there are some mouth watering matches being played in the Bordeaux football stadium. The rugby ground is just too small to host Fiji v Georgia! For those visiting Bordeaux for the rugby or indeed any time here are some Bolder suggestions to help your stay go smoothly. With La Rentrée (back to school) coming up shortly Bordeaux will once again be bustling and whether you have tickets to the rugby or not it will be a great place to hang out and watch the matches on a big screen somewhere. Just don’t expect to get a very good deal on a hotel!
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