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| La Foire aux Plaisirs - Bordeaux |
Rides, Games & Fun!
Each year in Bordeaux since 1855, La Foire aux Plaisirs (roughly translates to a City Carnival Fair) arrives twice a year - once in the Fall and again in the Spring and is set up for a month in La Place des Quinconces. This attraction draws all ages and is full of color, fun, music and of course, the sweets of any fair! It's no surprise that as soon as my children realize of it's arrival, they beg to go. We can only hold them off so long! Like many carnivals and fairs, one can easily drop loads of money on rides and then multiply it by 3 kids! Oh la, la - we could go broke! What's nice about this Fair is that on certain days, rides are half price.
So this afternoon, on it's last day, we headed to Bordeaux with the girls and their friends and enjoyed the pleasures and the follies of this childhood (& adult) splendor! It's hard not to have fun here, no matter what age you are. There are over 150 attractions including rides, games and don't forget the food stands!
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| My oldest and her friends enjoyed this crazy & colorful ride! |
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| The Place des Quinconces provides such a beautiful contrast to the vibrant colors of the various rides |
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| Spring is definitely in the air! |
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| The Giant Wheel - La Grande Roue |
So a little something about me - I do not like heights. I've never liked open stairwells, leaning over balconies or climbing a tower. My legs get wobbly, I get hot and usually frozen in place! However, today was so beautiful, I decided to be brave and go with my middle daughter and her friend on the Ferris Wheel. A bit nervous and some sweaty palms, but after the first circle, I calmed down and enjoyed the ride and of course the view!! I was so glad I did - enjoy the next few photos - a truly unique & different view of Bordeaux!
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| Liberty "breaking her chains" - Monument des Girondins - Overlooking the city |
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| View of the Chartrons District of Bordeaux |
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| Cathedral Saint Andre |
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| Chartrons, Pont Charbon-Delmas (foreground) & Pont d'Aquitaine (background) |
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| Pont de Pierre built by Napolean - Bordeaux |
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| Bordeaux's newest bridge - Pont Chabon-Delmas - connecting the Bacalan District to the Bastide District |
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| View of Place de La Comedie - in city center |
What's a carnival without the sweets? Unlike in the States where fried dough reigns supreme. Here in France, it's the nutella-filled crepes, waffles or beignets (donuts) along with candied apples which are relished by all!
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| Nutella filled beignets & candied apples |
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| Candied Apples |
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| Nutella on a waffle |
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| Then add whipped cream! - Heavenly! |
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| The very popular - Churros and Chichi-Chichis - great with powdered sugar or filled with nutella! |
A few final shots as we say goodbye to the Fair until next Fall. This truly is a tradition in Bordeaux and it is certainly well attended, enjoyed and talked about! We've been here almost 2.5 years now, and each season, we have made a visit - definitely a highlight for my girls. If you live here, I'm sure you have gone at least once. If you are coming to visit or are planning a move to Bordeaux - this event is always lots of fun!
Au Revior la Foire aux Plaisirs- until we meet again next Fall! You have certainly been enjoyed by many and I know my children can't wait until your return next season!
Your photos are GORGEOUS! And I give you massive kudos for going on that ride while being afraid of heights. I don't know if I qualify for technically being afraid of them- but I def. get anxiety and my kids are always like 'let's go on the highest ride there is!" lol.
ReplyDeletePlus, yes- taking 3 kids to a carnival is so expensive. We should get a discount :)
Thank you. I got lucky yesterday - the light was beautiful for photos! Also thank you for the Kudos...my kids have learned over time that I have anxiety when it comes to stairs, heights etc..and they have been very supportive. I push myself because I'm their mother and want to show them, I can do it - even if I'm anxious. & Yes, we should get a discount for having 3 kids - that's why I always look for good deals or family rates! (Yesterday - was interesting too - as my younger daughters each brought a friend & my oldest had 2 friends with her! - Thank goodness the 13 years olds could wander on their own and just meet us at the end - my husband & I split up as 6 year olds and 10 year olds like different rides!- Quite the afternoon - felt like I was herding cattle on the way back on the tram - my husband and I with 7 girls!)
DeleteBeautiful pictures! I ve never been to Bordeaux (i'm originally from Toulouse, not so far) but It looks like a beautiful city.The Foire seems to be very fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your compliment. As you can tell, I think Bordeaux is truly a stunning city and has so much to offer. It's definitely worth a visit! Amazingly enough, I'm usually not a fan of carnivals, but for some reason, this one is truly very appealing and lots of fun - I think it's the combination of the "joie de vie" of all the rides/amusements and the beautiful surroundings of the city. Thank you for commenting - nice to hear from readers.
DeleteGorgeous photos ! As with many other European destinations, I would love to put this on my bucket list.
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