Day 1

After about 6 hours drive from Paris, we arrived at our Airbnb in Cavignac – approximately 38km from Bordeaux.

We were welcomed by the family who owns the little apartment (they live in the house next door) and the kids immediately started playing with their 2 boys (9 and 6 years old) – who couldn’t speak a word of English.

Day 2

The day started with a lazy morning, catching up on some work and then we headed into Bordeaux town.

Bordeaux is of course one of the most famous wine producing regions in the world, but is also an international tourist destination for its architectural and cultural heritage with more than 350 historic monuments, making it, after Paris, the city with the most UNESCO listed or registered monuments in France.

It is a beautiful city and we spent the afternoon walking the streets, exploring the following sights:

• Pointe de Pierre – the oldest bridge in city
• Palace de la Bourse square and the Miroir d’eau – the world’s largest reflecting pool, covering 3,450 square metres
• Grosse Cloche – ‘The Big Bell’ cast in 1775 and weighs no less than 7,750 kilos!
• Pey Berland Tower – the bell tower right next to the Cathedral, constructed from 1440 to 1500
• Cathedral of St Andrew of Bordeaux
• Promenade Sainte Catherine – pedestrian shopping street (with another quick stop at Decathlon!)

We didn’t have time to explore the wineries south of the city, but did enjoy a lovely local bottle of red wine.

Next stop: Barcelona