THE MORNING LIST
Of course, there is the Arcachon basin and the ocean. But the TER trains which leave Bordeaux also lead inland, reserving charming surprises on the Gironde estuary or the banks of the Dordogne.
In Pauillac, a panoramic walk
“We suddenly see, on the left of the river, eight to ten beautiful three-story houses which look like opulent country houses: this is Pauillac. (…) Would Pauillac be completely new? It seems like three-quarters of the city isn’t thirty years old. I take a room at Mr. Delhomme’s hotel on the quay. » : it is here Stendhal who holds the pen, in a letter written on March 22, 1838. If, since then, Mr. Delhomme’s hotel has closed its doors, the quays are still there, constituting the longest ( 1,300 meters) and the most beautiful facade of the Gironde estuary. From the station, you can reach them on foot in a few minutes.
Walking there is a treat. By following the river which slowly carries often dark waves, the visitor discovers a panoramic view of the island of Patiras from the marina, inaugurated in 1977, and the squares, these fisherman’s huts on stilts which mark the banks. The harmony of these quays is almost perfect, a succession of rich one-story houses, an almost geometric response to the clutter of the streets of the small town. The La Fayette esplanade pays homage to the Marquis’s journey to America. You have to walk with your eyes raised, look at the tympanums and pilasters of 4, quai Léon-Périer or admire the town hall, a very fine example of public architecture from the end of the 19th century.e century. Right next door is Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, the only one of the famous Pauillac wine properties to be located in the city center.
In Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, bastide and boatmen
It is the oldest bastide in Gironde, built in 1255 by Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of King Louis IX. Well preserved, we find the Temple tower, a vestige of the 13the century, and beautiful half-timbered houses, most dating from the 15the century. The Notre-Dame church had a chaotic history: destroyed in 1561 then rebuilt in the 17th century.e century and enlarged in 1850, it has one of the highest spiers in Aquitaine.
A stopover town on the way to Compostela, Sainte-Foy-la-Grande would not exist without the Dordogne, which it dominates. The watercourse allowed him to both defend himself and develop his trade. The Dordogne boatman’s museum pays tribute to him, which evokes the gabares, these flat-bottomed boats transporting wine on the “Espérance river”, its nickname, which the writer Christian Signol borrowed for his successful trilogy.
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