04 July 2013

Fragments of time

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PasĂ© las Ăºltimas dos semanas en Francia, donde al principio tuve un serio ataque de nostalgia ya que despuĂ©s de diez meses de haberme ido Bordeaux parecĂ­a aĂºn mĂ¡s hermosa. Afortunadamente mi itinerario exigĂ­a que irme al dĂ­a siguiente en direcciĂ³n a Bretagne, que esta vez no me recibiĂ³ con sol a pesar de estar a inicios del verano. Jacques, mi guĂ­a durante este viaje, me llevĂ³ a Locronan, el pueblo donde se filmĂ³ “A very long engagement” y que fue elegido como el segundo pueblo mĂ¡s hermoso de Francia segĂºn un programa de televisiĂ³n. En efecto, el pueblo es hermosĂ­simo, como de cuento de hadas.

Visitamos tambiĂ©n el Mont Saint-Michel que es tan espectacular como lo habĂ­a visto en el documental “Vu du ciel”. CelebrĂ© mi cumpleaños con la familia de Jacques, comiendo una autĂ©ntica y exquisita comida china preparada por su cuñada y su madre. De regreso en Bordeaux me reunĂ­ con algunos amigos e hice un autĂ©ntico maratĂ³n para hacer algunas de las cosas que mĂ¡s me hacen falta, como comer en el Funky Burger o tomar una cerveza en el Sherlock Holmes; o ver de esas cosas que no tuve tiempo en los dos años que vivĂ­ allĂ­, como el Palais Gallien, los restos del anfiteatro romano.

Tuve la suerte de estar para la Fiesta de la mĂºsica y pude aprovechar a ver varios grupos tocando en distintas partes de la ciudad. Por primera vez le prestĂ© atenciĂ³n a la comuna de Pessac, que siempre habĂ­a ignorado porque mi vida siempre girĂ³ alrededor de Talence y Bordeaux Ăºnicamente. Recorrimos el barrio de MĂ©riadeck, un enclave de los años 60 y 70 en pleno centro histĂ³rico. El Ăºnico museo que visitĂ© fue el CAPC y Arc en RĂªve, obviamente. AprovechĂ© para ver el puente “Jacques Chaban-Delmas”, del cual habĂ­a visitado la construcciĂ³n y que fue inaugurado en marzo de este año. Paseamos en el “BatCub”, el nuevo barco sobre la Garonne que forma parte del sistema de transporte pĂºblico. Por primera vez vi la sinagoga de Bordeaux. Pude fotografiar un antiguo convento transformado en direcciĂ³n de asuntos culturales. Fuimos al decepcionante mercado del barrio Chartrons que no tenĂ­a absolutamente nada, pero nos hizo reĂ­r mucho con las grandes expectativas con las que Ă­bamos.

Pasamos tres dĂ­as en Carcassonne, donde hay una hermosa ciudadela medieval restaurada en el siglo XIX, donde la visita fue tan intensa (o el viento era tan frĂ­o) que terminĂ© con fiebre. RegresĂ© a despedirme de Bordeaux, justo a tiempo para los primeros dĂ­as de los descuentos de la temporada y para ir a misa a la catedral de Saint-AndrĂ©. Y los vuelos de regreso a casa fueron dolorosos a causa de mi gripe, pero descubrĂ­ que el aeropuerto de Amsterdam es el mejor del mundo: tiene un centro de meditaciĂ³n y un museo (!).

I spent the last two weeks in France, where at first I had a serious case of nostalgia rooted in the fact that after ten months of leaving Bordeaux it seemed more beautiful than ever. Luckily my itinerary demanded that I leave for Bretagne the next day, but this time it didn’t receive me with sunny weather even though it was the beginning of summer. Jacques, my guide during this trip, took me to Locronan, the town where the film “A very long engagement” was shot and which was chosen as the second most beautiful village in France, according to a TV show. Indeed, the town is gorgeous; it makes you feel like you’re in a fairy tale.

We visited the Mont Saint-Michel which is as spectacular as I saw it in the documentary “Vu du ciel”. I celebrated my birthday with Jacques’ family, eating authentic and delicious Chinese food prepared by his sister-in-law and her mother. Back in Bordeaux I saw some friends and planned an authentic marathon to do some of the things I miss the most, like eating in the Funky Burger or having a beer in the Sherlock Holmes; or watching some of the things that I didn’t get during the two years I lived there, like the Palais Gallien, the vestiges of an ancient roman amphitheater.

I had the chance of being there for the FĂªte de la musique and saw many bands playing in different parts of the city. For the first time I paid attention to the commune of Pessac, which I had always ignored since my life always turned around Talence and Bordeaux. We took a stroll around the MĂ©riadeck neighborhood, an enclave of buildings of the 60’s and 70’s in the middle of the historical center. The only museum I visited was the CAPC and Arc en rĂªve, obviously. I saw the “Jacques Chaban-Delmas” bridge, which I had seen while it was being built and which was inaugurated last March. We took the “BatCub”, the new bridge on the Garonne River that belongs to the public transportation system. For the first time I saw Bordeaux’s synagogue. I took pictures for a former convent transformed into a cultural affairs center. We went to the utterly disappointing Chartron’s market which had absolutely nothing, but it made us laugh because we came with very high expectations.

We spent three days in Carcassonne, where there is a magnificent medieval fortified village restored during the XIXth century and where the visit was so intense (or the wind was so cold) that I ended up with a fever. I went back to say goodbye to Bordeaux, just in time for the summer sales and for going to the mass in Saint-AndrĂ©’s cathedral. And the flights back home where extremely painful because of the flu, but I discovered that Amsterdam’s airport is the best one in the world: it has a meditation center and a museum (!).

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