Bordeaux 2

More sightseeing, more pictures and more surprises. My trip to southwestern France will actually see me experiencing some world's extremes which I had totally unexpected:

1. Rue Sainte Catherine - Europe's longest paved pedestrian street, just 2 blocks away from my apartment
2. Dune de Pyla - Europe highest sand dune just an hour away by train
3. The Airbus A380 aircraft - the worlds largest passenger aircraft in Toulouse, 2.5 hours away. Will be visiting its manufacturing plant this weekend.

An idle day starts with Perrier frizzy mineral water. Personally I don't find it anyhow different from the F&N Soda Water at home

Stairway of the house. The apartment is on the 3rd floor, which makes it a rather tiresome journey up and down

Université Bordeaux 2 - building for medicine and pharmacology. I however, do not work here

Arc d'Victoire on a sunny day

Rue Sainte Catherine or Rue d'Aquitaine (its old name) is Europe's longest pedestrian walkway. Flanked by shops ranging from student-class (on the Victoire side) to Galeries Lafayette and Lacoste on the Grande Theate side

Packed with shoppers on Saturday afternoon

Deserted and scattered with dog poo (typically French) by night

Nearer to home, Porte Dijeux, a smaller gate, marks the beginning of the city center, Gambetta

On Sunday morning, accompany your housemate's Mum to the market, for sightseeing mainly (we walked like 3km round and round just buying some banana and peaches)

Cherries at €2 per kg

Something familiar cooking back home?

JYSim with the ever-familiar A1-ready-to-cook curry (mutton flavour)

Then spend the rest of the afternoon sipping reds and reading a novel

Strolling in Jardin Public later, I spotted flocks after flocks of water birds along the man-made ponds

Swans or geese?

Talk about French gardens

Later, walk down the river Garrone for a taste of luxurious history

In the bid of becoming Europe's culture capital in 2013, engineers of Bordeaux designed this water-mirror that gives a perfect reflection of the Place d'Bourse, beautiful when no idiots try to walk over barefooted

For a taste of the Atlantic, watch our for Arcachon soon!