Three ladies, a van, and a road trip to Bordeaux

I bought my petit maison in Segur le Chateau in 2007. Since this time, we’ve needed a sofa. However, there were a lot of priorities that slotted in ahead of the sofa: a kitchen, because there wasn’t one when we arrived; a new roof, because pieces of the old one kept falling off, and landing uncomfortably close to cars parked below; rebuilding the chimney; and a log fire, to keep us toasty through the winter months.

The list is likely longer than that, but they were the big ticket items. We’ve been slowly accumulating other pieces of furniture from local vide greniers and brocantes, but decent second hand sofas are difficult to come by. And of course we didn’t just need a sofa, we also needed a van to transport it in, as delivery times in France are lengthy, and some lovely friends to help me carry it in. When two friends Charlie and Vicky, mentioned they would be interested in driving their van to Bordeaux, as they also had some furniture requirements, I jumped at the chance.

So earlier this week we three ladies, set off for Bordeaux in a one tonne van. As Bordeaux is around 2.5 hours drive from us, and it was my first visit, we decided to make a night of it, staying at a small hotel on the edge of town. We arrived just as the sun begun to set and reflect light off the grand buildings constructed of sand coloured limestone. Strolling through the elegant pedestrian areas in the twilight, we admired the buildings, the sleek looking trams, and set about sampling the wines and food on offer. 

The highlight of the evening was Le Wine Bar, on Rue des Bahutiers. Not limiting themselves to the spoils of the Bordeaux vineyards, they serve a selection of wines from 26 countries, with the “lucky” 27th Morocco, being introduced soon. More impressive than the wine however, was the fabulous Italian fromage and bruschetta. We enjoyed buratta, fresh Italian mozzarella with cream, with tomatoes and rocket, olive oil and cracked black pepper, as well as tomato and garlic bruschetta. My first taste of  buratta was a highlight. The shell of the cheese was firm, giving way to a creamy panna as you cut into it. Fresh, rich, milky and perfect with tomato and rocket.

 

 Back home now, I'm busy constructing furniture, and dreaming of more buratta. Here’s some pictures, enjoy!