I arrived in Pau on Sunday and the weather was cold and miserable. Nothing was open and I was not impressed! I walked 13,000 steps trying to find a grocery shop to buy some breakfast items. This town is hosting 2 stages of the Tour De France this week so there were signs everywhere of the impending road closures and I think the city was preparing for the chaos to come. Pau is famous in Tour history as it is a gateway to the climbing stages in the Pyrenees. So here I was thinking that the town is a dump, but yesterday woke to a glorious summer day perfect for exploring the city. I can see why it was and is, a favourite destination for rich Europeans with its fabulous mountain view’s (which I couldn’t see yesterday), palaces, and lots of little lanes full of interesting restaurants, although I ate at the same place both nights, as the first nights escalope de veau, jambon, fromage with sauce made of local wine about 1/2" deep was unbelievable. It is a very walkable city and I definitely changed my opinion of it! Be wary of first impressions!
Today I gave my hybrid car back to Hertz after 3000km and got the train from Biarritz to Bordeaux, where I'll be for a few days before flying to Amsterdam. Bordeaux is France's six largest city but I have never seen crowds like I saw today. The streets were absolutely packed. I am beginning to think I should have stayed in La Tour Blanche!!! I have been to Bordeaux before but I never spent much time exploring the city preferring to travel around to the famous winery's and chateaux's. So I am hoping the next few days will be interesting.
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