A better day in Bordeaux, with chocolate

A new day and all is fresh. I can’t say we slept any better last night, but everyone woke up with a new attitude. Schoolwork was a breeze and we spent a pleasant afternoon in the wilds of Bordeaux.

We ventured out to a boulangerie up the road and, equipped with pastries, visited the local park. A beautiful relaxing area with a lake and some huge sweeping trees. We’ve become adept at spotting playgrounds in Google Map’s satellite view but the approach has a serious limitation as the kids get older. This park did indeed have the playground we’d spotted from above, but it was stocked with equipment the kids were too big for. No problem: pastries and bit of people-watching went a long way.

On to our next planned stop – Cadiot-Badie Chocolatier. Beautiful, lovely hand-made chocolates. We had almost as much fun looking at the creations as sampling their more basic wares. There were soccer balls, cars, a violin and much more in the window..

Inside there was an entire display case full of high-heeled shoes made from chocolate. Just amazing. We bought a selection of smaller chocolates and travelled on a tasty sugar high to the cathedral that was our next stop.

Unfortunately, the Cathedral was closed and the tower we aimed to climb did not open for another 30 minutes. We threw a ball around in the nearby plaza to pass the time while waiting but then got told the tower was only opening for school groups that afternoon. Undaunted, we moved on to one of the old gates and then found the tourist office to ask where we could rent bikes tomorrow. Finally made our way back to the river and then home.

Can’t say it was a day where we’ve achieved a huge amount, but it was so much more pleasant than yesterday.