26 09 07 getting in touch with the world
Today the plan is to go to Bordeaux. The idea is to try the tram system, because we will most likely want to use that on Saturday to get to the game. Thank heavens the French also have their games at a sensible time.
We travelled the unfamiliar route, thanks to tom-tom – what a wonderful instrument- and managed to get to a large shopping centre close to where we were to get the tram. The journey was about fifty minutes – and Glenn was unable to find his tom-tom here (it seems a fruitless search, he’s been looking for one since he got overseas and experienced Paul’s success with it.
We did manage to get the tram – wow, the park and ride was just over four euros for the five of us. That wasn’t what the sign said, we expected that much each, but we presumed the guy knew what he was doing. The trams were efficient and comfortable, and we were at the end of the line. It filled up pretty quickly, that’s for sure.
We got off in front of a magnificent church – absolutely huge- St Andre, we found out later. So of course we went inside for a look around. It again was quite different to ones we had seen before. There were great works of art, paintings – throughout the whole church, and then a massive pipe organ. What a sound that would make!
We then went on the hunt for an internet cafe. They aren’t numerous, and the search took us past many exciting looking eating places, but we were on a hunt and couldn’t deviate! Well, not until we found a Lafayettte store with rugby gear in it. Here we found lovely hats – Stu almost got one for his birthday, but Phil didn’t like them enough, so sorry Stu! We did find something for you tho. Phil likes subtle, not loud. Sarah, Maryanne and Elizabeth, the children’s gear here is so fashionable and so very cute. I wish your babies were already born, because the clothes are very definitely male or female. I looked for general ones, but oh they are so stylish and so gender specific.
We were lucky enough to get to the internet, thanks to directions from a security guard who did not speak English. It was a good price – only about 2 euro for an hour and a half. All work things done, we went to find a bit of lunch. No problem in a French town! Phil has become a little too fond on their pastries. Then too soon it was time to catch the tram back.
We travelled according to the tom-tom bible, and of course met up with road works again, and have had to resort to the old hard copy of maps to find our way around. Tomtom is an invaluable aid, but it is really best for my sanity to have the old style map to understand where you are going. Paul had the machine on ‘walk’, and that was funny, because yo can walk where a car cannot go, so we ended up in some strange places! Back at home Ann and Lesley cooked up a mean minestrone, so it was a good day in all.
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