Picto Diary - 27 September 2018 - Bordeaux Steps

Above: Palais Galien. Bordeaux, France. 27 September 2018.

TiMDT observes Roman amphitheater ruin which once held 20K. Abandoned 3rd century. — at Palais Galien.

I've seen Roman ruins in England, France, Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, and Bulgaria. Roman culture was extensive and its impact, in our art, architecture, language and literature, lasting.

Above: Stained glass in St. Peter's Church, Bordeaux, France. 27 September 2018.

13,019 (around six and one half miles) steps today, walking around Bordeaux inner city. Lunch at a city center restaurant, Les Nouailles.

I was last in Bordeaux in 1966. I spent the day assisting LDS missionaries and local members working on the construction of an LDS chapel. I was then living in La Rochelle, 150 miles north on the Atlantic coast. My missionary companion and I had taken an early morning train from La Rochelle to reach Bordeaux.

During this stay, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) have enjoyed perfect weather. It gets a bit warm (low '80's) in the afternoon, but, we find shade to walk in.

There are quite a few tourists. Bordeaux has become somewhat of an "in" place of late. Its been on the outs for years. Rick Steve's doesn't even cover it in his travel guide on France.

Speaking of Rick Steve's, his book doesn't cover other places in France that I like: La Rochelle and Marseille to name two. Warning: Rick Steve's guide book should be entitled "Selected Locations in France," not "France."

In Bordeaux restaurants most of the guests seem to be foreigners.

We were in Rome a couple of months ago. Our guide told us that it was tourism that kept Rome going. There was no work for most people, she said. Romans could not afford to go out to eat in restaurants frequented, mostly, by tourists. The same phenomenon seems to occur here in Bordeaux.

Addendum:

Happy birthday to Margaret - she doesn't look a day over 38! PS, I love the photo of Margaret with the blue hat and red pocket book overlooking the vineyard. What a great painting that would make. I think that Shutterfly has a way to turn photos into brushstroke paintings.

Nathans,
Massapeaqua, NY

Margaret you are still as a lovely person as I remember. Steve is fortunate indeed. Happy Birthday!

Joe,
Sydney, Australia

C’est trés bonne!

Isetta,
Chicago, IL

Thanks for the review Steve.. Read a book "Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard back in the early 1960s. He made many of the same points long before there was an internet. I use the lessons learned in that book all of the time. Remember in Tokyo they used to have garage sales at the National Stadium parking lot? You rented a parking space for the day and sold anything you wanted to get rid of. I once went with one of my neighbors. I had a bunch of first class airline bags to get rid of. I put them all out at once for a couple of hundred yen each. Not one sold. Then I took them all back and just left one out. Bang it sold immediately. Then I put another one out - same result. Eventually they all sold. Proof that Japanese (and most people) want exclusivity. Another example that day, my wife had a Coach leather pocketbook she no longer wanted. I put it out lying flat on the table. Lots of people picked it up to look at it but no sale. When I stuffed it with paper to plump it up to look like a full pocketbook - bang! it sold right away. Amazing the things you can do to make people act on impulse. It is a little like getting a fish to strike at your bait!

Nathans,
Massapeaqua, NY

Dear Steve,
Please wish Margaret from all of us at Travel Scope belated birthday wishes. I did send a message to her on her FACEBOOK.
Hope you are enjoying your trip to France.

Mohan,
Gurgaon, India