(September 11, 2025 – Bordeaux)
Our adventure continued with a goodbye to our home for the week aboard the Amalyra and a hello to our home for the next week aboard the Amadolce. The two ships were exactly alike aside from the lounge decorations and crews.
To get from the Amalyra in Paris to the Amadolce in Bordeaux, we rode the bullet train that only took about two hours.
Since we weren’t setting sail until the next morning, Pops, Tomi, and I decided to explore a little bit of Bordeaux before dinner that evening. We set off on foot to go see a fountain and monument my Mom and Pops had seen in Bordeaux during a prior visit in 2023.
Before reaching the monument itself, we walked through the Places des Quincones which is one of the largest city squares in Europe. Trees were planted on each side of the square in 1818. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees was beautiful.
On the front end of the square was a ferris wheel that we later found out was only temporary, since it was being dismantled when we drove past it later in the week.
After passing the ferris wheel, we walked through the pebbles of the square before arriving at the fountain we had gone in search of.
The fountain known as Monument aux Girondins was built between 1894 and 1902 to commemorate the Girondists, a political faction of the French Revolution who were executed in 1793 during the Reign of Terror. The fountain includes the Angel of Liberty at the very top of the monument, along with bronze sculptures of horses, cherubs, and figures surging forward to symbolize the energy of revolution and the spirit of freedom.
After visiting the fountain, we decided to take a coffee/wine break. Again, you get to guess who had what!
After our drink stop at a nearby cafe, we set off again to explore. Cities in Europe are so interesting to walk through. The views provided on foot are always so much better than when you drive.
We wandered in to a beautiful church that was built between 1874-1880 known as Saint Louis des Chartrons.
When we made it back to the boat, we had already decided we wanted to eat dinner that evening at a place my Mom and Pops had eaten at during their 2023 visit to Bordeaux. Pops had remembered this place because of the profiteroles they had eaten there, so we, of course, were happy to oblige and try it out.
But first: I wanted to include a few pictures of my Mom and Pops (and evidence of how much they enjoyed the profiteroles) when they ate at La Brasserie Bordelaise!
Now for pictures from our visit:
We finished with the profiteroles to make sure they were as good as he had remembered them being…….and they certainly were!
After dinner, we walked around the town center known as the Saint-Pierre district before heading back to the boat for the night.
One last view of Bordeaux at night, since we were setting sail on the Dordogne River in the morning for Libourne.
