A Sunny Wednesday Afternoon - Jardin Public - Bordeaux

Jardin Public - Bordeaux

So it's finally a sunny warm day!!  This feel so great today.  We have had cloudy, rainy, cool weather for the past month and it's so great that it's finally turning a corner.  It was in the 70's today and full clear sky!  Happy May!


As it's Wednesday and the kids are off of school - I decided we needed to head outside - be one with the sun!  So after morning activities of dance, circus class and lunch - we headed downtown to the Public Garden in Bordeaux.  This huge park is sort of the Bordeaux equivalent of Central Park in NYC.  (Now I admit it's definitely not as big as Central park - but it's that great vast green oasis in the center of the city.).  The place when you walk around, you don't feel like you are still in a city.


This French garden, an area of ​​10 hectares, was established in 1746 in a style inspired by Versailles gardener Le Nôtre. In 1858 it was transformed into a landscaped French garden. The Jardin Public has an arboretum, a library and a Natural History Museum.  Additionally, there are many attractions for children: puppet theater, swings, playgrounds, a carousel.


As the girls and I entered - the first thing they found was, of course, a playground.  This playground was beautifully set on an island in the middle of a small lake.  One bridge led you on and off this island - and once on the island there was just a large playground and an adorable carousel.  The girls must have played there for over 30 minutes.  I loved it as it was totally self-contained and kids were just free to run around.  Many little French kids had their bikes and scooters and were also riding them freely around this area.  I laugh at my 4 year old - she makes friends anywhere and it didn't take her long to team up with another little girl.

After our time there, we walked across the park - enjoying the flower gardens along the way.  There is a beautiful botanical garden on the other side of a museum which is located in the park.  We didn't get all the way over there - but just took in the beautiful day & the park itself.  it was so nice to look around and see lots of people relaxing in the grass, reading, talking, or just having a picnic.  

We settled in at a fun little cafe - L'Orangerie,  for a "boule" of  ice cream.  It was a fun relaxing afternoon - and even though we only spent about 2 hours there - it was so nice to enjoy downtown Bordeaux in a different way.  We hopped back on the tram and headed home before dinner.  It's fun to enjoy Wednesdays with my girls!