Bordeaux

 The city of Bordeaux has held a special place in our hearts since we stayed here thirteen years ago at the end of our first Camino.

It was lovely to reconnect to memories of that time. Here's the door to the church where Neil laid down his staff, under the sculpture of St James carved above the door.

On a warm evening, the reflecting pool at the edge of the Garonne is a fantastic place to cool feet, and for children to play and slide.

We found the street we had stayed in the old city, and the crepe restaurant which confirmed us in our love of the savoury Breton galettes - now a fixture of Christmas brunch in our house.

A colourful display of French cidre - which of course is de rigeur with galettes! Important not to break with tradition!!

The streets were busy and full of life.

And we made new memories too. Mila works for the WCCM organising Bonnevaux's retreat program and she lives in Bordeaux. She invited us to join her family for a beautiful Sunday lunch and then took us on a brief tour of nearby chateaux wineries. Her husband, Michael, happens to lecture in viniculture at the university and was able to inform us about the terroir and subtle characteristics of the stunning wine they served us for lunch!!

We returned to the city in the evening and had a lovely stroll along the banks of the Garonne.

And left next morning, as we'd arrived, from Gare Saint-Jean train station, where the neighbouring area is undergoing significant redevelopment.  

We're on our way to Bonnevaux near Poitiers, where Sarah will be leading her second retreat. 

Thankfully, she's well-fuelled for the task ahead!!

It's been lovely to read comments on the blog - thanks for following along. We're entering the last phase of our time away and will share images of Bonnevaux in a few days' time.