July 14 is France's national holiday. To celebrate (and to get reaquainted with the city) we went into downtown Bordeaux for part of the day. There is a very convenient Tramway (we can hear it passing by multiple times an hour from our house windows) that connects all the main arteries of the city. It is relatively cheap and removes all the hassles of parking, traffic, etc. Since this was the children's first time on the tram, it was quite an adventure. The middle picture in the collage below is not one we took, but I am including it because it shows the tram passing over the Pont de Pierre.
Once we arrived downtown we visited Place de la Bourse. This area has changed a lot (and a lot for the better) since I lived here as a teen. They have put in a reflective pool that Micaiah and Miriam found irresistible!
Below is a picture of the Place de la Bourse (again, not my own) at night. It, along with the rest of the historic part of the city, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century.
We then made our way to the Place des Quinconces, reported to be the second largest city square in the European Union, to watch a military parade that included all the branches of the military, the national police, the firefighters, etc. It was preceded by a flyover of four jets, who returned for a second flyover later on. The parade was supposed to have ended with the descent of parachuters into the square, but due to inclement weather, they were unable to take off from their base.
Our day spent in downtown Bordeaux was both enjoyable and profitable for us to get a better knowledge of the people and the city in which we live. Please pray that God will provide an inroad for the Gospel in this area.
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