Foggy Bordeaux

Winter didn’t happen in Bordeaux this year. No snow, although snow is rare in Bordeaux in any case, but last year, we had at least two days where snow paralyzed the transit system. I guess even I’m tempted to say, “Spring is coming soon?”

Well, to be fair, there were two days last week where the temperature was slightly lower than the rest of the week, dropping to a low of approximately -3 degrees Celsius. During these two days, fog and mist wrapped Bordeaux in a sheet of translucent white. The air was particularly fresh, even though everywhere you went, fog followed you around and visibility was almost non-existent.

It was beautiful, as if I was seeing everything through a thin screen, a little blurry, a little eerie, a little intricate.

Enshrouded by the delicate mist as I was walking to work one morning, the exterior atmosphere was unusually yet pleasantly refreshing, even mildly invigorating.

I take almost the same monotonous path to work every morning, but on this day, mist continued to guide the way as I approached my lab building. The slightly graying air formed a nearly continuous gradient with the pastel blue sky.

Waiting for the tram at the station in the afternoon, the blue sky has disappeared and transformed into an invisible background, fused with the fog that showed no sign of retreat. The rails further down the tracks were barely visible. Were we waiting for a ghost train to arrive from the eleventh dimension, or have we been unknowingly swapped into Platform 9¾?

Aside from the green grass, there were no traces of colour on this chilly winter afternoon. This felt like the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. I was seriously starting to think that I somehow entered the world of Harry Potter.

Palais de Justice with its pine cones, in the fog, before it got completely dark. After living across from it for a year, I still haven’t taken the time to go inside the actual building. I hope I get to it before I leave Bordeaux for good.

Gas station right by where I waited for a friend to pick me up for dinner that night. Seems a bit deserted, but I assure you Bordeaux is not a ghost town.

Heading back home at around 10pm that night, the fog still lingered. Even as a Canadian – no we are not immune to cold, contrary to popular belief – I’d have to say it was quite freezing that night. The tram, with heated interior, couldn’t have came too soon.

Following the fog attack, we had a few days of gentle, drizzling rain, barely enough to merit the hassle of bringing an umbrella. And now we’re back to sunny days of 13 degrees Celsius, warm like spring. I’d better enjoy the sunshine while I can, before heading back to Belgium next week, because I know I won’t be seeing much of it when I return. Sorry Belgium, you’re a nice place and all, but unfortunately the sun shuns you, and that makes me sad 😦