Quai des Chartrons on a sunny morning

 

This guy sure knows how to travel

There really is no better place to be on a Sunday.  If the sun is shining all the better.  The Quai des Chartrons on Bordeaux's revitalised riverside is the height of chic and Lesley and I try and get down there whenever our work permits.  So on a recent Sunday with the sun shining down favourably we decided to lunch on the quayside. 

 

These banana boxes caught my eye,  maybe in an earlier time bananas would have been discharged riverside in Bordeaux

We have worked out that the most convenient way to get there is to take Bordeaux's state of the art tram system.  Park the car up at Le Buttinière and take advantage of the P&R (park and relax) option before dropping down into the city on a tram.  Marvel at Bordeaux's superbly preserved skyline as you glide across the Pont de Pierre before alighting at the Porte de Bourgogne.  Carefully cross the tram tracks before arriving at the Quai des Querries.  Here you can gently join the crowds and head westwards up the prom.  These Sunday morning people utilise all forms of transport to negotiate the quayside.  We observed monobikes, skateboards, rollerblades, rollerskates, and cycles; some people even walk. 

 

The Bordelais, totally chilled

 

This local looks a little bemused by it all

Young families are much in evidence, often pushing the latest labelled buggy.  The 'wheelie' people weave gracefully in and out of the walkers as they take their Sunday morning constitutional.  Along the way people stop to pause and chat with their friends enjoying a glass of wine or an oyster or two.  The promenade is thronged with market stalls representing all types of world cuisine vying with one another to capture a piece of this passing trade.  The place hums with activity and great vibes. 

 

Slightly more interesting than a MacDo

 

All your food needs are catered for on the Quai des Chartrons

Lesley and I chose a light lunch of flambeed crevettes flash fried with whisky and rosemary accompanied by a couple of glasses of Entre-Deux Mers, If you haven't tried this combination yet, you must.  It's really delicious, but make sure your crevettes are décortiquées. We were lucky enough to find a stall selling really lovely fresh bread and bought a beautifully crispy tourte as part of our lunch.  Finding a table to sit down at was a little more tricky, but Lesley's persistence paid off in the end and we were able to bag a table for two under a conveniently placed umbrella.   The pace is slow and it's a fascinating exercise to sit and enjoy one's lunch whilst undergoing a bit of people watching.  And believe you me, there is plenty here to hold and amuse you as Bordeaux goes about its usual Sunday morning ritual.  

 

This interesting building close to the Quai looks a little North African

 

The morning after the night before a la Bordelais.  You would think the recipient of this shoe might have realised he was hopping home minus one very expensive shoe