Saturday 21 April 2018

Bordeaux


As the spring brak comes, I have one question to you: fancy a trip? Today, we’re gonna move about 372,82 miles from Paris, to Bordeaux where I spent few days last November. 
What was I doing there in the middle of the semester? Well, I decided to benefit from the cheapest fly tickets I’ve ever seen and visited Ania, my friend from studies in Toruń who had been living in Bordeaux during her Erasmus.  And I swear, we had absolutely wonderful time! I am not going to tell you everything about my stay there, it’s probably the subject for another blog but I’ll shear with you some of the best memories.

Place de la Bourse – one of the symbols of Bordeaux built in 1730. Here, you can admire a colossal fountain inspired by Corinthian’s art. With the perfectly symmetrical buildings and mirror (made from flat water pool) the Place de la Bourse is absolutely unique and worth to visit, specially at night. Take a look at photos!

Cathedral of Saint Andrew of Bordeaux – I must admit that I’m really not into any religion. However, I love visiting churches, cathedrals and basilicas. They are the crowning achievement in human’s architecture skill. This one isn’t an exception. The seat of the Archbishop was consecrated in 1096 so about 100 years after the Mont Saint-Michel, one of the eldest churches in France! I assure you, the Cathedral of Saint Andrew is as beautiful as Notre Dame de Paris!

Rue Sainte-Catherine – If you don’t like visiting museum and churches, you’re probably one of those people who prefer shopping! In this case, you should definitely take a walk along the Tue Sainte-Catherine, almost one-mile-long pedestrian street. You’ll find here all kinds of shops and boutiques (except of souvenirs shops which I needed the  most…). But brace yourself – the crowd is so big that sometimes I was losing my patience for all those people who walk with speed of turtles!

Tour Pey Berland – one of my favorites! This belltower is located next to the Cathedral of Saint Andrew and offers you an unforgettable view of Bordeaux. It is a free-standing tower, called campanile in the language of art’s historians ;) It comes from 15th century. To reach the top, you’ll need to pit against 229 steps which will put you physical condition to the test. But the view is worth every single drop of sweat. We were lucky because the roofs of Bordeaux were decorated with the double-rainbow!

Musée du Vin – the association Bordeaux Historia Vini opened the wine’s museum in 2008. It is small but contains everything you might want to know about famous brand of French alcohol from the history to production and storage systems. At the end of your sightseeing, you’ll be invited for the wine tasting (the best part ;)). The museum’s workers will explain you what makes the wine sweet or dry and how the weather and soil can change the flavor of the speciality of Bordeaux. I hope your head is strong enough to handle all that information ;)


Remember then, France doesn’t end in Paris (contrary to Parisians’ point of view) and there are a lot of interesting places to visit! Maybe you can benefit from our spring break and go for some amazing trip to France?

Saturday 14 April 2018

Le temps des fleurs


So the spring has finally come. I’m gonna take the opportunity and invite you to benefit from this amazing weather in the gardens of Paris. You may think that the City of Light consists of museums, huge fashion galleries and some cathedrals hidden at the end of narrow streets but in fact, it is far from true. Ok, I must admit that Paris was never on the top place in the ranking of the Greenest cities worldwide (click here for more information) but trust me, if you are into taking walks in the green shadow you won’t be disappointed for choosing the capital of France as a destination of your next trip. Here are some irrefutable proofs:
Jardin du Luxemvourg (credits)

Jardin du Luxembourg
This is one of the most amazing places I’ve visited in Paris. It is situated at the center of the city, between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter. Created by Marie de Medici’s order in 1612, the garden is one of the favorite places to rest of Parisians’ choice. Just imagine 25 hectares of trees, paths and benches in the middle of the city center! Do you know the concept of French and English gardens? I’m sure you do. You probably prefer either one of them. However, there’s no need to make a choice because Jardin du Luxembourg combines both of the mentioned styles! While walking around you can feel the spirit from the Secret Garden – the book for kids you might remember from your childhood. In the North you can admire The Luxembourg Palace – nowadays it is a seat of The Senate. In front of the building lays a big pond with a fountain which is great for kids to play with paper boats. Children can also play on many different, yet well-equipped playgrounds with slides, swings, monkey bars and merry-go-rounds. Adults can play tennis, chess or Pétanque (which is considered as fancy activity loved by French elderly-class). For those who are more into art, Jardin du Luxembourg prepared 106 statues spread across the park – try to find them all :) You can be sure that the boredom never strikes you within this garden when the spring comes.

Parc Monceau
credits
It may be less likely to be visited by tourists, but it’s still really beautiful, the park is situated in the 8th district. I used to spend a lot of time there during the lunch breaks because it was located three minutes away on foot from my university’s department. The garden was designed by Louis Carrogis Carmontelle at the end of eighteenth century. Here you can find a lot of curved paths, as it is a true English garden. At the entrance you are being welcomed by rotunda which is quite unusual for places like this. Parc Monceau became particularly famous because of follies – the buildings made for decorational purposes only that look like normal-sized objects designated for a specific purpose. Given that you can find an Egyptian pyramid, a Chinese fort or a Dutch windmill – and yes, all of them hidden within one park!

Jardin des Plantes
We came to the 5th district of the city to visit the main botanical garden in Paris which was founded in 1626. Jardin des Plantes is one part of the biggest park complex which has a scientific purpose. Next to the park there is the French National Museum of Natural History, the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology, the Gallery of Evolution or the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology – all of them are worth booking the tickets, even if just for a few hours! What’s special about this garden is its variety - thanks to recreating the different climate zones, it is possible to admire a huge number of exotic plants. In the maze of flowers and trees you can let your nose guide you through the garden. Do you prefer the sweetness of the orchids or maybe the fresh fragrance of herbals? Search for the lovely scents and try to let them lead the way!

Jardin des Tuileries
credits
Well, this one obviously couldn’t be forgotten in this ranking! Let’s begin with explaining the origin of its name. When Queen Catherine de Medici built her palace in 1564 it wasn’t named Tuileries just like that. In fact, the mystery of the unusual name is quite simple. Before the royal house, the big tile factory had been established there and, as you can guess, tuile rhymes with tile and the meaning is exactly the same. I’m sure you don’t think about factory when you cross the thousands of square meters of grass, fancy-trimmed bushes, white paths and Rodin’s (and many others’) sculptures. In the very middle of it, the Arc de Triomphe is right upon you and invites you to visit the Louvre Museum. If you want to catch some suntan, you can follow the Parisians’ footsteps and use the green, very characteristic chairs at the edge of a huge basin to sit (or lie) and read a book or just observe the surroundings. But if you have a traveler’s spirit, you can benefit from free guided tours organized each day from March to December (unfortunately they’re carried in French only as far as I know).

Bois de Boulogne
Last but not the least, it is time to go into the wild to discover the enormous park called forest created by the Emperor Napoleon III himself (I like to believe that it was the only thing that he achieved with one hundred percent of success rate). In this area the nature had been ruling for a long time before people decided to bring this terrain into cultivation and prepare it for the higher-class Parisians who desired a place for picnics after Sunday’s masses. Over the next centuries, The Bois de Boulogne have been considered as a dangerous place (which started during the Hundred Years' War when local bandits happened to like the forest so much they decided to wander around it for longer) and even today it’s not safe to walk around after the twilight. But in the middle of the day the Bois de Boulogne can offer you a beautiful view of Paris, a lot of space for cycling, rollerblading or sitting on the blanket and eating a baguette with Camembert ;)