I’ve decided that I’m over it. I’m over the sitting-inside-because-its-cold. I’m over the never-walking-to-the-tram-because-it’s-raining. I only have a week and a half left in Bordeaux, and I’m not going to waste it sitting inside!
I formulated a plan… I had yet to visit the Jardin Public, which all of my friends had been to and said was absolutely beautiful, and I also wanted to visit the Marché de Noël, set up right next to Place des Quinconces. So I braved the weather, grabbed a scarf, gloves, and my parapluie and headed out.
First stop? Souvenir shopping, of course! I picked up some wine-openers and some corks that were handmade and said “Bordeaux” on them, as well as rounding out my postcard collection to send out to my family members across the states. From there, I headed back to Hôtel de Ville, where they have one of the many ice skating rinks that have magically appeared in Bordeaux since the start of the month. I happen to be a horrible ice skater, but I figured that I might as well glide around a few times with the native Bordelais and give them all a good laugh when I fell on my face… plus, it was a bargain deal at only 3 euro for unlimited rink time and skate rentals.
You will be happy to know that I did not fall ONCE while on the rink, although I did stay pretty close to the railing the whole time and the high schoolers on the rink with me were spinning circles around me while balancing on one leg while doing inverse zig-zag patterns… I tottered off the rink, down the stairs, and headed for the skate return window… at which point, I tripped and fell flat on my face. My fellow ice-skaters found that quite hysterical, and they proceeded to laugh and applaud for me… I decided that the only thing I could do (since, I’ll admit, it was pretty funny, probably looked pretty ridiculous, and the high-pitched squeal I let out as I was falling towards the ground sounded rather silly, I’m sure) was roll with it and take a bow, which is exactly what I did. After gathering myself and dusting ice shavings off my jacket, Lauren and I headed for Monoprix to gather supplies for our picnic in the Jardin Public.
We gathered what we considered to be a “French meal” (cheese, bread, and some Pepperidge Farm Soft-Baked Double Chocolate Chip Cookies) and meandered through Bordeaux, eventually landing at the gates of the Jardin (absolutely splendid… green, trees, carousel, lake), where we sat back and enjoyed what had turned into beautiful weather.
Then it was off to the Marché de Noël, a small little market of little cabins lined up next to each other, offering you a splendid assortment of Christmas goodies and sugary delights. I indulged in a freshly made gaufre (Belgian waffle looking-thing) topped with Nutella, and wandered through the stores.
Soon, after a short trip through the Christmas tree farm, it was time to head home and start studying for finals… a quick tram ride and I was back home, drying out my gloves and putting on thicker socks. I would say that my early Friday morning weather-defying attitude turned out quite well. Now I just have to get up the guts to visit the Miroir d’Eau in the freezing nighttime temperatures!
Bisous!
