Bordeaux, a beautiful old city

Hello everybody, how are you doing?

Well after a crazy July, I can, finally, write down something about my city: Bordeaux!





First of all, it's important to know that Bordeaux has a very rich history. A 'small' reminder about its history is important to understand how Bordeaux is entered lately on the World heritage list (UNESCO)!!!

• The first traces of the town of Bordeaux date from the first century AD. Burdigala, founded by the Biturgies Vivisques in the first century, quickly became a prosperous town. This prosperity was upset by a succession of barbaric invasions—by the Vandals, Wisigothics, Francs and Normans—until the 12th century.
  
  With the marriage of Alienor d'Aquitaine and Henri II Plantagenet in 1154, Bordeaux returned to peace. The town came under English control, which lasted for three centuries. During this period the town began to grow. The exportation of wine to England in the 13th century gave Bordeaux its reputation in the wine trade. The town reached its apogee under Edouard de Woodstock.

• After the Hundred Years War, as a result of the battle of Castillon, Bordeaux fell back under the authority of the king of France. The town only regained its sovereignty in 1462. Louis XIV gave Bordeaux the definitive status of a town in the kingdom of France.
  
  Bordeaux enjoyed a second boom as a result of the wine trade (its main activity), but colonial trading quickly increased. From 1660, trade between France and the West Indies intensified and flourished even more in the 18th century. As with Spain, the trading route was essentially triangular in nature: export of manufactured products and hardware from Nantes, Bordeaux, and Rouen.
  
  The town was hit by revolution, empire and the Terror. Once again Bordeaux became a commercial and industrial centre. Unfortunately, phylloxera, a disease which infects vines, had devastating consequences on Bordeaux's vineyards

• Bordeaux became a large urban area, and its existence was recognised and organised by the creation of the Town Council of Bordeaux (bill of 31st December 1966). Actually they are 230 600 living in this town, and if we count suburbs, they are 735 000 inhabitants! Bordeaux is actually considered like the 6th more important city in France.

Generally when I talk about Bordeaux with somebody, they talk about wine... It's true during ages the wine from here had been considered as the best one... but things change, notably with the increase of the Californian and Australian wine!






But still Bordeaux' wine is considered as one of the best throughout the world ;-)





Moreover the city is nowadays changing a lot. By decisions of the municipal majority, Bordeaux is becoming more and more pedestrian.

All started with the idea to rebuild a tramway. So many streets became only pedestrian or accessible by the tram!!






And to protect the environment and the view, Bordeaux try the first alimentation system without electric lines. All energy is coming from the ground. And even if at the beginning it was a very chaotic system, we can be proud now of this system.