Bordeaux

Written by Lucy Simmonds (M.A. Romance Languages and Cultures)

After Lisbon, I travelled to Bordeaux to meet my friend and fellow northern Brit, Anna. Our stay in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine capital was a working holiday: we gave our online lessons throughout the week and went to explore the city in our breaks and on the weekend. Although we did end up working more than you should when you’re on holiday, it turned out to be quite the “Weiterbildung” (further education/training). Anna and I both teach English to a variety of students of differing ages, backgrounds and English capabilities. Throughout the week we were able to exchange our ideas and methods whilst discussing issues we sometimes encounter and how to manage them. This was exceedingly helpful, and I was enamoured of Anna’s patience. I thought myself a patient teacher before I observed Anna’s style which takes the meaning of the word to new heights.

On some days, we were too busy to go into the city during our breaks, the silver lining of which being that we could instead look around our base of Mérignac. My favourite spot was the Parc de Bourran around the corner from where we were staying. The only time I managed to Wim Hof my way into the Atlantic-temperature pool was after a run around the beautiful former estate.

Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux

In Bordeaux, we went out for delicious meals, enjoyed local wine and walked all around the city. Nonetheless, we realised that we’d bitten off more than we could chew with the amount of lessons we were doing, so we agreed to treat our next trip as time off work. On our last day together, we paid a visit to the British tea room “Tea Cosy” which is one of many British establishments in Bordeaux. I wonder if the abundance of English and Irish pubs, such as The Sherlock Holmes and (my personal favourite) The Frog & Rosbif, is a relic of Bordeaux having been part of England from the 12th to the 15th century? Perhaps it’s partly a result of Brexit and more and more Brits flocking, or having flocked, to the mainland.

After our fair share of scones and coffee, Anna and I parted ways to our respective homes of Nittel and Stuttgart. I’d allowed myself a few hours in Paris on my train journey home and, as fate would have it, my friend Dom was also there having just completed the Paris marathon. It’s in these instances that I’m grateful for social media. Had he not posted about his whereabouts and had I not seen it, we wouldn’t have met for a cosy couple of hours in Parisian café. A welcome surprise for the end of my nearly 4-week trip to England, Portugal and France.