Angouleme Train Station
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45°39’13.1868″N, 0°9’53.5428″W
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Bordeaux Train Station
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44°49’35.5008″N, 0°33’22.3488″W
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Maison Manege
27 Rue de Manege
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44°50’27.2148″N, 0°35’7.8756″W
After breakfast this morning we walked from our hotel to the Angouleme train station. It was an easy walk as it was downhill all the way.
Photo above – in front of the train station. I’m still working on taking decent selfies.
We arrived at the station at 10:30 & our train was not due to leave for another hour so we had a bit of time to reflect on our trip thus far & also about what was ahead.
Our train to Bordeaux arrived in Angouleme right on time & after a quick boarding process we were underway.
Photo above – the TGV to Bordeaux.
Riding trains in France is a totally different experience compared to Canada. These trains are electric, very fast & very smooth.
Screenshot above – I opened the driving navigation app on my phone to see how fast we were going.
We boarded the train at 11:20 am & by 11:34 we were speeding across the countryside at 293+ km/hr! Just like on the trip from Paris my navigation app was going nuts with all kinds of excessive speed warnings & sharp curves ahead. I had to mute the sound to avoid disturbing the other passengers.
The company that operates the trains in this part of France is called SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français or French National Railway Company). I think it could also be called Smooth Nice Clean Fast. It’s unfortunate that we can’t get this kind of service in Canada – at least in-between major cities & population centers.
Photo above – Bordeaux Train Station
We arrived in Bordeaux right on time. We still had 2 hours before we could check in to our hotel so we decided to have lunch at one of the restaurants across the street from the train station.
After lunch Catherine went back into the train station to get some information about public transit in the city. She learned that we could take a bus that would drop us off just a couple of blocks from where we were staying.
The bus ride was easy, even with our luggage & we found our “hotel” without too much effort. The place we are staying is really, really nice. There are only 5 guest rooms but they are large & very comfortable. The entire building was renovated a few years ago to a high quality standard. This must have been a large private residence at one time or a few apartments.
Photo above – Catherine standing outside the entrance to Maison Manege.
Photo above – our room
Photo above – luxury is having a queen size bed in a French hotel room.
In some of the other places we have stayed this bed wouldn’t even fit in the room! We feel like royalty!
The hotel is located near the center of the city & just a few steps away from a vibrant commercial area.
We would certainly recommend this place to anyone visiting Bordeaux.
Photo above – the view from our hotel room window.
Photo above – this part of Bordeaux has an interesting mix of classic & modern architecture. Look at how this office building is cantelivered out over the street below.
Tomorrow we will explore Bordeaux. Catherine has booked a tour of La Cite du Vin – The Wine Museum. That should be a great start to our adventures here in Bordeaux.
Cheers!
