BORDEAUX

Back to 1997, we continue with this third installment of The First Time I Arrived In Paris…

Well, well, well, its gets better all the time. Here I am sitting outside the station: Gare D’ Austerlitz, I left my place of abode this morning at 9:30am to Gare D’ Lyon, bought a ticket to Bordeaux for f330. Then took the Metro to La Defense, changed over at Chatelet and took the Port d’ Orleans train to Montparnasse. When I tried to board the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) to Bordeaux they tell me, ‘can’t take my bike’.
Merde!
But I’m cool. Go to information. By now my train had left already. I met Lorenzo from Italy and he helped me at the change-over electric gates when my bike got stuck. Gosh! Was I worried that I’d miss the 11:15 TGV which I did anyway due to this problem of ‘no bike on TGV’.
I changed my ticket for cash and got a discount because I’m under thirty; f297 so I cycled to Gare D’ Austerlitz and booked my ticket. Thousands, ok, hundreds of young sheople just sitting on the floor waiting for departures were everywhere and the magic that only stations can provide could be felt flowing like gossamer threads from soul to soul.
My bag is so heavy.
It would have cost me f150 to pack my bike and send it to Bordeaux but then I’d only receive it in 3 days time…bad news. On this train my bike could go along with me.
But I can only leave at 23:56 in the evening and would arrive in Bordeaux Monday morning at 6:30.

At the moment I’m thinking of my la vie en rose – Gail - while writing this in front of the station in the Parisien sunlight.
Next to me my new mate Alejandro from Mexico sat reading quietly, he was on his way to Madrid at 22:00 hours.
This morning for breakfast I had 4 baguettes, jam and hot chocolate, ha ha ha!

Alejandro Gongora V.
Guadalupe
Tampica
Mexico

Now we wait!
Oh, before I forget, I just paid f2:50 for a pee/piss/urine. Can you believe that? Unbelievable!


Its 19:19 now, Alejandro and I have been sitting at the station all day. We were so hungry at lunch time we went over to MacDonald’s to buy lunch.
Many cyclists have passed onto the trains today, what can be better than July in Paris.
After running around like a blue spider exchanging more money and sending my velo ahead costing me f150 I was now on board my train to Bordeaux. I was sharing a Gushet with two young women and a guy, with feet that smelt like old Dutch cheese and Europeans acting crazy since they discovered I am from South Africa. But it was great to know that South Africans were so appreciated on the continent.

Sleeping on an ergonomic bed, the likes of which I had never seen or felt and interrupted time and time again by noise making Spaniards and the smell of weed drifting through the air I came to realize I was in good hands and for a moment I could not be blamed for thinking I was in Woodstock with a bunch of hippies.

07/07/1997: 08:45 in the morning, Bordeaux was bathed in lovely sunshine in the little that I have seen since I left the station was beautiful.
I was soaking up the sun in front of ‘A La Memoire Des Girodins Monument for a while. The women are pretty dressed in chic dresses walking on sidewalks to the max and all the cars looked brand new.
The Tour de France arrives here on the 12th July; maybe I’ll stay here for two days. I must go and find me an Auberge des Jeunesse.

Last night two Austrians and I chipped-in and came up with f80 for a Gushet. Then at about 1:30 in the morning the Controle comes by and gives us the boot. He sends us down a couple of carriages because the one we were sleeping in was reserved.
We did find a Gushet eventually and the sleep was needed.

I booked myself in a Ville de Bordeaux Aurberge de Jeunesse for f56 a night, I cycled 77.61km so far and the day was wonderful. I visited Eglise Notre Dame, the silence was breath taking, so too the paintings and the architecture.
I visited the local museum but it was closed and so was Cycles Gitane apparently the best shop in the district.
I also bought myself 2litres of Coke for f15, a sandwich f12 and a Banesto bidon (water bottle).
In Centre Ville everything was solde (sale) as all things are in France in July.

08/07/1997
Last night we had an interesting night, my room-‘mates’ are a lot of Ozzies and Kiwis. The Ozzies went out to drink; and when they got back they could barely walk. Then at about 3:30am one of these guys peed at the door on the floor. The next morning some folk were confused where they were and didn’t know if they were in the hallway or the men’s lavatory.
I think his name was Rick, he then tried to get in next to me and I pushed him off the bed and onto the floor.
In the morning he had nothing to say.

The weather in Bordeaux was perfect, I meandered around and marveled at this great city, then at lunch I met Celine Assuerus at the pizza café, she flirted with me and phoned around for directions to Pau, a 250km journey..one I would have to cycle tomorrow. She scribbled th directions on a small slender piece of white paper:

Qu 215
Direction D. 932 Langon
Mont De Marsan N.134
AFTER PAU

Celine Assuerus
Bordeaux

Later on in the afternoon I tried to pump my wheels and the connection to the pump broke, I cycled over to Gitane Cycles and these kind French gentlemen fixed my pump, pumped up my wheels for me, greased my chain and then invited me to watch the ‘Tour’ with them.
When we had watched the stage finish having been won by the great German Eric Zabel I thanked them for their hospitality and cycled down to the esplanade where I bought myself a drink.
Jerome Simone, the Frenchman, was caught only a few kilometers from the finish having been in a break for 38km.
At 7pm we all walked down to the supermarket and chipped-in for supper.

I ended my last night in Bordeaux arriving back at my room at 1:30am then having to carry a guy by the name of Ankur to his bed as he was drunk as ever and had no direction.
Well, what can I say it is Bordeaux; it is the wine district, delightful to the palette in more ways than one. Narrow cobbled lanes are filled with la-di-dah boutiques and pretty girls cycling in short dresses and high heels.

I shall remember it always.