Samedi, 19 Août
This evening we dropped Oli off at the apartment of some expat friends (American/Aussie family with two boys), and headed out on a long-overdue date night. We walked around the corner from their place to a cocktail bar facing the river — I’ve always looked longingly at these popular bars as we’ve ridden by on the tram, and I was excited to finally have a drink at one. We got a table on the terrace at a trendy place called Simone, but we were quickly assailed by rancid clouds from the chain-smoking Germans sitting next to us. Nope, still haven’t gotten used to the smoking here. My agitation increased when a large, loud gaggle of British girls asked us to move tables so they could sit together outside. We quickly finished our gin & tonics and left the crowded bar behind to find some food. A few blocks away, we stopped at Michel’s, a very cute bistro that I have photographed countless times but have never actually eaten at. We snagged the last sidewalk table before a long line began snaking into the street. There was a slight chill in the air, so we leaned into the fall vibes by ordering orange wine, soupe à l'oignon, and duck confit. It was one of the tastiest meals we’ve had in Bordeaux, and we left kicking ourselves that we hadn’t visited sooner.
Dimanche, 20 Août
Our neighbors were up partying until past 5 a.m., so I slept fitfully. I have grown to despise these strangers who regularly wake me up with their thumping techno music and cackling. Their apartment is across the street from our bedrooms, but really just a few meters away, and it can sound like they’re in the next room. We finally had a nice, cool night, but I had to keep the windows closed just to try to dull their racket. I hate that I don’t know how to even yell at them in French, or how to call in a noise complaint, and instead I just fantasize about throwing bags of stinky garbage through their wide-open windows. I suppose I should be grateful at least that Oli and Todd are heavier sleepers than I am.
Lundi, 21 Août
We wanted to check out some furniture at Ikea, so we took the tram to Bordeaux Lac, a sprawling shopping area on the outskirts of town with lots of chain stores. We dined on the requisite meatballs, then dropped Oli off at the play area while we moseyed around. Afterward, we spent way too much time at Smyth’s toy store, letting Oli show us everything he wants for his birthday. (It's a lot.) I thought about how infrequently we shop here in France compared to when we’re in the States, and I truly hope we can bring this minimalist mindset back with us when we return. It’s just too easy to drive to Target and go overboard with the spending, or find random stuff you didn’t know you even needed at TJ Maxx. We browsed for hours, but came home with only a Monopoly game that was on clearance.
Mardi, 22 Août
Well, I said we don’t shop much here… but I guess we made an exception today. After a boring, lazy day, we decided to get Oli some new shoes for school, which is starting in two weeks. We strolled the 10 minutes into the heart of the shopping district, finding it surprisingly crowded and busy compared to our nearly deserted neighborhood. We quickly acquired the Converse… and then Todd found some stuff on sale at a surf shop, and I fell in love with some shirts at Mango, and Oli found a very ‘90s leather jacket at H&M. And suddenly we were loaded down with shopping bags, which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, if I’m being honest. We stopped at a little Mexican place and had some surprisingly authentic tacos and burritos before heading back to our apartment.
Mercredi, 23 Août
This evening we repaid the childcare favor to our expat friends, welcoming their boys to our place while they went out on a date. We ordered pizzas from a nearby spot I’ve been wanting to try, and though it was good, I have to admit that I miss American pizza. The French favor brick-oven pies, and though I like that sometimes, I’m kind of burnt-out on it (pun intended). Dinner with the hungry boys lasted about five minutes, then we headed to the park around the corner and let them run around for a few hours, laughing at how rowdy they were compared to the reserved, well-behaved, and well-dressed French children.
Jeudi, 23 Août
I was assigned a few articles about Richmond for a travel magazine, and the research and writing is making me feel seriously homesick. I just never thought I would be sitting in our French apartment and wishing myself back in RVA. But here I am, fantasizing about eating matzo ball soup at Perly’s and meeting friends for happy hour on the lawn at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Todd and Oli left to give me a few hours of quiet time to write, going to the climbing gym across the river. They stayed for nearly five hours, climbing and then playing paddleball with friends. I don’t know where they get the energy!
Vendredi, 24 Août
Oli and I walked to the Jardin Public this morning to meet up with a mom and her son who have recently moved to town. I’ve done a few of these meet-ups now, attempting to make new friends for both of us. Some are more successful than others. Oli gets along well with most kids, but it was clear early on that he wasn’t meshing with this kid. Back at the apartment, I made a cantaloupe/heirloom tomato/burrata/Serrano ham/pesto salad based on one I’d eaten in Provence, and it was magnificent enough to make up for the disappointment of our morning. Later on, the boys biked to the skate park where Oli met a kid from Bilbao who taught him some new tricks that he was pretty stoked about.
Samedi, 24 Août
We spent the morning doing a long-overdue cleaning of the apartment — scrubbing the baseboards, washing the linens, dealing with calcium buildup around the sinks and showers. Cleaning always eases my anxiety, and it feels like a relief to finally have a clean slate after letting it build up for too long. We still have two months before we move home, but my mind has already turned to purging and packing. I’m thinking about what we’ll bring back and what we’ll leave behind, and I have a few bags piling up for the donation bin in the hallway. I’m trying to soak up our final weeks here, but also feeling so eager to be back in our home.