Because I love Bordeaux

Last Wednesday I came back to Belgium for another section of my mobility scheme in my PhD project. All I could say about Belgium when I arrived: c…c…COLD!

Alright, I guess I shouldn’t be expecting gorgeous Bordeaux weather here in Louvain-la-Neuve. After all, from what I’ve heard, even the temperature in Bordeaux has started to drop. It seems like my second European winter is about to begin. I’m excited! No sarcasm here, Canadian girl <3s winter!

Of course, before the snow arrives, rain likes to knock on our door as an unwanted guest. For two days straight. Saturday and Sunday were spent rather dully in my residence as there was nothing but rain outside my window, though I did get some nice time to rest, unpack everything, and tidy up my place a bit. I was gonna start adventuring right away and try going to Dinant last Sunday, but when I woke up and saw the rain, that idea had to be completely scrapped, or at least delayed for another (few) week(s).

So what did I do? I rummaged through my external hard drive and realized how many pictures of Bordeaux I’ve taken during the summer. It’s been awhile since I’ve done a proper “Bordeaux” entry (this one doesn’t really count), and even longer since I’ve bothered with Louvain-la-Neuve, but I’m here for another 3 months, and I’ll certainly take Mr.Nikon out on a stroll when the sky is just a tiny bit sunnier. For now, let’s take a look at some of the scattered photos of Bordeaux that I’ve taken at various places in the city during the past few months. No theme, no category, just Bordeaux, just home.

This is what I see every time I look outside my window, offices behind glass windows at the Palais de Justice. I can wave and say hi to the people working across from me!

Random snapshot of a bus stop nearby where I live, as friend and I were waiting for the bus to come…

Many have seen this obelisk at the Place de la Victoire while passing by the area by tram or on foot, but at least for me, this was the first time that I actually sat down beside the column and observed it closely.

Quiet streets of Bordeaux by night.

Bikes lined up at Place Gambetta.

This picture of the “pine cones” of Palais de Justice (some may call them mushrooms) was taken at around 4am as I was walking home from a friend’s house after an epic night of card game battles. It was actually quite dark, the camera was set on auto, and this was how it turned out…and I rather liked it, although my unstable hands made it slightly blurry. Of course, the sky wasn’t really that bright, but the clouds (and as a result, the entire atmosphere) do look quite mystic…

…and after a year, I finally visited the famous gothic St.Michel cathedral. I hesitated many times before because it was supposedly in the “sketchy” area of town, but I eventually ventured over, with a friend of course. Teehee~

 
After the visit to St.Michel, I realized that cathedral interiors are interesting places for photos. I especially liked how the colours from the stained glass reflected onto the floor, forming a beautiful natural rug. I also liked the candles in the various corners of St.Michel, their flames burning ever so silently with faith, hope, and love…

This fountain, the “Fontaine des Trois Grâces”, features the three daughters of Zeus at the Place de la Bourse. It should come as no surprise that this picture was taken on the day of the mid-autumn festival, a traditional event celebrated by the Chinese every year on August 15th of the lunar calendar. The moon appears especially bright and round on this day, and we had a stunningly clear blue sky that night to complement that pristine globe of light.

Pretty sure I’ve posted pictures of the Grosse Cloche, or Big Bell, before. The more I look at it the more I’m convinced that Cinderella met her prince there.

Out on the balcony on the 17th floor, at a friend’s apartment in Pessac, a suburb of Bordeaux and mostly a residential area. The layout of the two buildings seem to form the number 51, but when I noticed it, I was more inclined to say it’s SI…as in SI units. /nerd

I love Bordeaux. Did I mention that already?