We managed to pick an extraordinarily hot time to visit Bordeaux as we made our way across France to our holiday spot last week.
We arrived on Thursday to windless 38degree heat and checked in to our Airbnb in a great central location.
We tried to find activities for the children that didn’t involve too much time in the heat so after lunch we went to Le miroir d’eau which is a large paved area covered in water with light sprinklers activated periodically. We put Jude and Alba in their swimwear, hats and factor 50 and let them run around to cool off in the water while Elio dipped his toes in the water and enjoyed the gentle spray. It’s in full sun with no shady spots so we didn’t stay long but it was fun for children and adults alike.
The following morning we went to the Jardins Publiques where we had a drink and walked around. It’s a pretty garden with a decent play area for children complete with merry-go-round. We found the service at the cafe a rather surly but they have a good selection of snacks and drinks as well as a restaurant in a lovely spot overlooking the gardens.
In the afternoon we visited the cité du vin - purely in pursuit of air conditioning 🤪. The parking is a little walk away so we hurried along in the sunshine and were happy to duck into the cool space. The tour is very interactive and at the start of the visit we were given a headset and device which we were told we could scan against icons around the museum to begin audio accompanying images/videos etc.
We could choose the language we preferred and there was a children’s version for Jude which he loved. Apparently there is more that 10 hours of audio so it’s wise not to attempt to listen to it all (unless you fancy spending a whole day there). Our visit was somewhat hampered by Alba who alternated between banshee screams (sorry for anyone visiting at the same time as us) and running in all directions waving at everyone so it wasn’t easy for us to follow the tour and instead we galloped up to any free displays when we passed them.
I imagine it would be quite frustrating to try and follow in sequential order as some of the animations last a few minutes and it’s necessary to wait until the person using it has finished before you can begin. The parts we did see were interesting and even Jude took it quite seriously and listened attentively to the explanations and enjoyed the films.
At the end of the tour we took the lift to the last floor where we claimed the glass of wine included in our ticket which was a great chance to try a glass of white wine from Serbia and admire the incredible view from the top of the building.
The visit was good value at EUR 20.- per adult including glass of wine. We found the car park quite expensive at €5 for 2 hours. The museum itself is a very cool design building and the facilities are good.
We found plenty of child-friendly restaurants, street musicians and things to look at as we strolled around and after dinner each evening we took a walk along the river where there is a large playground for the children to enjoy, next door is a basketball court and Alba and Jude sat mesmerised watching the game. We walked a bit further and found a salsa band playing and lots of people dancing which was a really great way to finish the evening.
We really enjoyed our time in Bordeaux and left feeling there was plenty to explore...maybe we plan another trip when the weather is cooler.