June 2018

Around Bordeaux

1. Archacon
   The city of Arcachon is located approximately one hour from Bordeaux by the seaside. We decided to spend a few days in this area to be close to the sea. With our fabulous Airbnb apartment as a base, we ventured out and explored a little. You could definitely tell it was still pre-summer season as many restaurants were closed and not too many people were on the street. The city however is nice for a stroll and some shopping in the evenings. We found a nice area close to the seaside to have a drink and dinner outside. Have a look for "Paris Pyla" a bar/restaurant in the southwestern part of the city which has a great atmosphere. We also liked "Etche Ona", a little further south towards the large sand dune. Another cool thing to do is climbing up the Belvedere Observatory. Only 8 people are allowed on it at any time but the view of the city and the bay is stunning. And it is free of charge!

2. Dune du Pilat
   Visiting the “Dune du Pilat”, Europe’s largest sand dune was high on our agenda and so we cycled there from our Airbnb apartment. We cycled through the pine forest and suddenly arrived at this impressive site. First, you see people walking above the trees and then you realize, they are walking on the dune which is right there, behind the forest. It felt surreal and we couldn't wait to climb up to the top. The Dune of Pilat is about 2.7 km long and 110m above sea level. Either climb up using the stairs or take off the shoes and walk through the sand (which we did). The amazing views totally made up for the climb! Walk down through the forest or on the other side of the Dune to go to the water or you just sit on top and take in the beauty!! Amazing!!!

3. Lacanau Ocean
   The French Atlantic coast is wild and beautiful always great for surfing. Now, I don't know anything about surfing but it is still great to watch them in action and see how they master (or sometimes not so much) the waves. So for a day, we drove to the beach part of Lacanau and walked around this summer location. We found a perfect spot with "Le Beach Bar" from where to sit in a semi-shade, enjoy a cool drink and watch the beach life go by. Nice!

4. St Emilion
   We also wanted to do something wine-related and decided to visit the town of St. Emilion, approximately 35 km to the east of Bordeaux. We found this beautiful, picturesque town which has everything to do with wine, especially red wine. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Romanesque churches and ruins all along steep and narrow streets. It is definitely beautiful to look at and roam around. The wine tradition was started in St. Emilion by monks hundreds of years ago and today the area is one of the main red wine regions of Bordeaux where wine is mainly made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc. We loved walking around town and trying delicious wines with our lunch. For a proper wine tasting and a guided tour of one of the chateaus one ideally has to plan in advance and book a tour before going there.