I guess I fall in love serially. Otherwise, it's hard to explain all the places I'm in love with (A divided soul We've already said it.) There have been a million studies on falling in love and there are a million more theories about what causes it. And it's clear that falling in love is subjective and often one-sided. But it's important to me that you know that I'm not frivolous... flowing, enthusiastic like that... because there are a lot of places that really don't do that to me.
For example, London, I have visited it several times, in different constellations, work trips, visits, family matters, 30, 10,3, XNUMX years ago and two months ago, and still, it just doesn't "do it for me" and may all Londonphiles forgive me. I have long wanted to write about Bordeaux, my love, and I didn't really know how and where to start, because she is so rich and has many faces. So I looked for DATA. It turns out that despite the complex (some would say brave or stupid) change, years of working in corporations (I wrote about it here.) They instilled in me the need for DATA. Who would have believed that this small post on Facebook would go viral and reach more than 7000 people in less than a day??
Who can help me with a little research... When you read or hear the word Bordeaux... what is the first association that comes to mind?
Posted by Artyelet on Monday, February 29, 2016
The responses to the post were very diverse, but in general: Wine came in first place by a considerable margin, followed by answers related to color (red, it's not Bordeaux, the second one on the left, etc.), and third place was taken by answers in a geographical context (city, France etc').
Bordeaux is interesting, diverse and has many contrasts.
Many foreigners have been linked to Bordeaux: “Paris The Little One”, the city of “art and history”, the “pearl of Aquitaine”, the “Sleeping Beauty” and there is even a breed of dog named after her, the “Dog de Bordeaux”. Which is a bonus in itself because I love dogs. Bordeaux is diverse, interesting and has many contrasts. Its ancient and magnificent architecture from the 18th century has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It has small streets, narrow alleys, cafes, restaurants and unique boutique shops. On the other hand, it has the largest pedestrian shopping street in Europe with chain stores that you can find in any other big city (in my opinion, from heaven). It has closed courtyards with staircases that lead to the unknown and open squares, wide with fountains and imposing and ancient buildings with turrets like in fairy tales. You can find a magnificent building next to a window that has seen better days. Daily farmers markets next to an annual and prestigious wine biennale with a huge wine market. In the summer and spring it offers festivals galore and in the winter it is quite sleepy.
And there are good people in it. On my last stroll in Bordeaux, I came across a cute little vintage shop, its window caught my attention, I took a picture and kept going. When I got home, I chose the same picture I took as the main picture for my website (at work). But… and there is a big one, upon closer inspection, it dawned on me that I had photographed unique works of art and if I used the picture, I would be violating copyright.
What do we do? I couldn’t find another picture that would convey the message, the colors, and the atmosphere… I almost gave up, but then I found some tiny caption on one of the products in the picture, a quick Google search yielded the store’s website and Facebook page (2). I had nothing to lose, I wrote to them on the page and sent them a short request through the website and waited impatiently. After two days, Ruth and Andrea got back to me with the long-awaited answer. Cute!
The city of art and history, we already said…
Modern and ancient art intertwine in its streets, alleys and squares. From ancient classical fountains (some built to provide drinking water for the poor and some built for splendor) to a modern statue (seven meters high) and an “open museum” style path that dot the entire city. Recently, they renewed the promenade along the river and built a water mirror that is a meeting place for lovers, friends, families and children. Bordeaux also has a long and very impressive history, and was ruled by the English after easily surrendering (shh… let’s not talk about that).
The combination of history and art is enhanced in two special historical complexes that now serve as museums and galleries. One is the Museum of Modern Art, the CPAC, which used to be a Colonial Lane warehouse, doesn't it sound something? Regardless of the works on display there (I really liked it), imagine yourself entering a large hall, with a high ceiling (like a knight's hall, at least two stories), full of arches, walking through corridors with surrounding balconies and archways, and finally visiting the roof, which is actually a beautiful enclosed courtyard.
The second is the Nazi shipyard fortresses (U Boat. Inside these enormous, indestructible bunkers, unique art exhibitions are held. The character of Mahkoum is no different, the very fact that they take such a place and turn it into something dynamic, artistic and vibrant justifies the title "City of Art and History", definitely different and worth a visit.
Once, at another time and in another place in France, in Saint-Nazaire, a factory manager for the corporation where I worked was very excited when he found out that I was from Israel. He took me on a private tour of the factory yard, opened a heavy iron door at the end of the yard and gave me a private tour of such a bunker. The electricity, water and sewage infrastructures were working, we visited the kitchens, the soldiers’ rooms and even the officers’ room, who had painted a window with a view on the wall. I tried to find the photos I took then to share with you, but I couldn’t find them… It’s a shame I didn’t post them on Facebook then. Maybe he would have saved me for the third time.
And back to Bordeaux and my little post… one comment reminded me of something forgotten. Here’s a short video clip from Ramat Aviv G – the Israeli telenovela that aired in the 1990s. Worth watching. Don’t forget, Bordeaux is much more than wine!
A huge thank you to all who responded to my little post-survey! For a collection of additional selected responses: https://www.facebook.com/Artyelet/
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