Walking Bordeaux

 October 15, 2021

Walking Bordeaux

 Although Bordeaux is about 40 km. up La Garonne River from the ocean, it is a major seaport as it is navigable all the way up.  This morning we walked to the riverfront where there is a broad linear park with gardens and paved areas for bikers and joggers:

 


The Place de la Bourse is a square surrounded by buildings dating to 1730.  It is set back from the river with an enormous Miroir d’Eau (reflecting pool) between it and the river:



We walked along the river to the Esplanade de Quinconces, where there is a temporary carnival ensconced on the huge park.  Among other more stomach-churning rides, there is a giant Ferris wheel which we had to ride:



The Monument to the Girondines is a bit hard to understand.  According o Gironde Tourisme it is an allegorical monument erected between 1894 and 1899 in memory of the Gironde deputies beheaded in 1792.  Some of the figures are sea horses—real horses of the sea, not the fish we call sea horses. Note the clawed hooves and lizard tails:



We strolled, had lunch and returned to the hotel where we’ll meet up with our Road Scholar group at 5:00 PM to begin our study tour.

Comments

  1. Mark JacksonOctober 15, 2021 at 8:04 AM

    Hm. Why the association of this particular political faction from the Revolution with Bordeaux? They're certainly serious about it - FC Girondins de Bordeaux is the local top-tier soccer club.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victor PoleshuckOctober 15, 2021 at 9:30 AM

      Lots of unexplained things about the monuments. Maybe I'll get some clarity when our lectures begin.

      Delete
    2. Mark JacksonOctober 16, 2021 at 1:09 PM

      So. . .the football club is doubtless named for the département (Gironde) of which Bordeaux is the préfecture. And the Girondins were so named (among other names, and by their opponents) because the early leaders of the movement were representatives from that département. What motivated the locals to memorialize them at the end of the 1890s remains unclear.

      Delete
  2. Ralph P. LockeOctober 15, 2021 at 10:13 AM

    Fascinating--French history has lots of factions and struggles.... I didn't realize that some of this got literally monumentalized.

    ReplyDelete

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