Day 32- Tolouse - Bordeaux here we come!
We are leaving our cozy home in Toulouse today. It is funny how we get used to one place that we did not like that much at first. A family rented their home to us, leaving everything as is and with permission to use all their spices for cooking. At first, it felt odd but then we got used and enjoyed the shelves full of books and DVDs! Gregory went for the travel guides, I read the children's books and learned some history through comics. I particularly liked their WC, even if it didn't have a sink (we had to go to the salle de bain to wash our hands). They had postcards from all over the world covering the water closet's door. On the side wall, they had postcards from friends and even cards announcing a birth or a wedding!
We had breakfast, made lunches and got ready to go. I like to leave the houses clean not only to get a good review from the owners on Airbnb but because I wouldn't like someone leaving my home messy and dirty. Sunshine says that I'm like Monica from the TV show Friends.
We returned the rental car on time and had an extra hour at the bus station, which never seems long when you have free wifi! It will take 3 hours to Bordeaux. We were disappointed to find out that they canceled the first place we were going to stay in Bordeaux, especially because it happened so last minute. At that point, Gregory found another place with only one bedroom and a pull out couch for the kids. I'm not sure I trust somebody that posts a lot of nice pictures of the city at night, but no pictures of the bathroom or the kitchen, gulp! At least it has air conditioning and this point is all that matters because the weather report says it will be in the 90s while we're there.
You can probably tell that I was typing on the bus, which by the way was a pleasant 3-hour ride. We got to Bordeaux at 4:00pm. You can't exactly say they have a bus station. It's more an unused sandy spot on the side of the road, surrounded by some trees. We decided to walk to the train station when we found out that the guy we were renting the Airbnb from hadn't received Gregory's emails so we did not have a place to stay. The train station was 10 minutes away. No big deal, but it's not as fun when the temperature is 95 and you are pulling heavy suitcases. Anyway, we did it with no complaining. The train station was beautiful but unfortunately didn't have air conditioning. It did have seating and free wifi. They also have a piano for everyone to play, so Daniel did!
We didn't hear anything for two hours so Gregory found a hotel close by. We walked to this place which by the way, had air conditioning and we were informed that they were booked! Ok, now I was starting to worry. We asked the woman at the front desk if we could stay there, using their free wifi to find a place and they allowed it. I helped Gregory look and everything was booked. Literally, I could see people looking and booking every minute. I guess Bordeaux is a popular place!
Finally, Gregory found and booked a place in downtown Bordeaux with air conditioning. I love this man, he always finds a solution to anything, really he is amazing! Our Uber came to pick us up in a Mercedes and I felt rich! He was from Morocco and was very happy to hear that we had been there. He dropped us off at our place and.. ta-dah, an old building, and our place was up 2 long flights of old stairs. Every time we have to lug suitcases up stairs, I tell myself we need to travel lighter!
We made it to the apartment which is really more like a studio for a couple or one person, with NO air conditioning. They have a fan and that's what they called "air conditioning." You can tell that they were not expecting last minute guests because the man who lived in the studio and his girlfriend were finishing cleaning. They were really sweet and great hosts! They even open a bottle of wine to share, and they stayed to chat for an hour which was great, but we were tired and hungry!
At 9:00pm we left the place to look for a nearby restaurant. We found an Italian place that served "tapas" and had a wonderful small meal which was very satisfactory! Gregory and Sunshine went for a walk, and Daniel and I came home to make the beds. We were dying to take a shower but we couldn't figure out how to use the shower. We all managed to fall asleep despite the heat!
We had breakfast, made lunches and got ready to go. I like to leave the houses clean not only to get a good review from the owners on Airbnb but because I wouldn't like someone leaving my home messy and dirty. Sunshine says that I'm like Monica from the TV show Friends.
We returned the rental car on time and had an extra hour at the bus station, which never seems long when you have free wifi! It will take 3 hours to Bordeaux. We were disappointed to find out that they canceled the first place we were going to stay in Bordeaux, especially because it happened so last minute. At that point, Gregory found another place with only one bedroom and a pull out couch for the kids. I'm not sure I trust somebody that posts a lot of nice pictures of the city at night, but no pictures of the bathroom or the kitchen, gulp! At least it has air conditioning and this point is all that matters because the weather report says it will be in the 90s while we're there.
You can probably tell that I was typing on the bus, which by the way was a pleasant 3-hour ride. We got to Bordeaux at 4:00pm. You can't exactly say they have a bus station. It's more an unused sandy spot on the side of the road, surrounded by some trees. We decided to walk to the train station when we found out that the guy we were renting the Airbnb from hadn't received Gregory's emails so we did not have a place to stay. The train station was 10 minutes away. No big deal, but it's not as fun when the temperature is 95 and you are pulling heavy suitcases. Anyway, we did it with no complaining. The train station was beautiful but unfortunately didn't have air conditioning. It did have seating and free wifi. They also have a piano for everyone to play, so Daniel did!
We didn't hear anything for two hours so Gregory found a hotel close by. We walked to this place which by the way, had air conditioning and we were informed that they were booked! Ok, now I was starting to worry. We asked the woman at the front desk if we could stay there, using their free wifi to find a place and they allowed it. I helped Gregory look and everything was booked. Literally, I could see people looking and booking every minute. I guess Bordeaux is a popular place!
Finally, Gregory found and booked a place in downtown Bordeaux with air conditioning. I love this man, he always finds a solution to anything, really he is amazing! Our Uber came to pick us up in a Mercedes and I felt rich! He was from Morocco and was very happy to hear that we had been there. He dropped us off at our place and.. ta-dah, an old building, and our place was up 2 long flights of old stairs. Every time we have to lug suitcases up stairs, I tell myself we need to travel lighter!
We made it to the apartment which is really more like a studio for a couple or one person, with NO air conditioning. They have a fan and that's what they called "air conditioning." You can tell that they were not expecting last minute guests because the man who lived in the studio and his girlfriend were finishing cleaning. They were really sweet and great hosts! They even open a bottle of wine to share, and they stayed to chat for an hour which was great, but we were tired and hungry!
At 9:00pm we left the place to look for a nearby restaurant. We found an Italian place that served "tapas" and had a wonderful small meal which was very satisfactory! Gregory and Sunshine went for a walk, and Daniel and I came home to make the beds. We were dying to take a shower but we couldn't figure out how to use the shower. We all managed to fall asleep despite the heat!
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| Daniel at the Bordeaux train station playing the piano. |
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| Gregory trying to get a place for us to stay at. |
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