Bordeaux 2016

Thanks to our charming colleague Anabelle Araujo,  I managed another day-trip to the lovely city of Bordeaux. For 2016, I was joined in this adventure by artist pals Terryl Whitlatch and Julie and Louie del Carmen.

Bordeaux is a one-hour train ride from Angouleme. Perfect time to catch up with friends and hear all about the progress on the BD Avenue bookstore. https://www.facebook.com/bdavenuebordeaux/

 The plazas and streets are full of details .. ideal for sketching!

 There is even a renovated area in Bordeaux known as the "American" section.. with exotic attractions like McDonalds and Starbucks....

 While construction continues on the store at its main location.. we were treated to a preview with a look inside the BD Avenue pop-up store that was open for the holidays...

The main location for BD Avenue bookstore will be here.... in the central square of the City. 

Also home to the Bordeaux Opera House...http://www.opera-bordeaux.com/l-opera/in-english.html

and the large Bordeaux le Grand Hotel http://www.ghbordeaux.com/uk/index.php#presentation-grand-hotel.php

 The store will be behind this large outdoor statue... next to the Apple Store.... Photo below also shows the modern tram that will deliver you here directly from the Bordeaux train station.

This view shows the square, looking out from the BD Avenue store location.... with the Opera House on the right and the Bordeaux Hotel on the left...

More views of the square... these are from INSIDE the store...

 one of the interior rooms.....

 The exterior for now...

This will really be an extraordinary store.. 3 floors... with gallery space.. and plans for workshops with visiting artists. Not just all that... but also in an amazing city with so much to see! Bordeaux has many of the charms of Paris.. with more manageable crowds and access.

 modern shopping plaza....

 City wide tram means easy access to all the sites...

 Monument below is typical of what you'll see at so many of the plaza areas around Bordeaux..

So much detail... on a massive scale...

Bordeaux has more outdoor monuments than any city in France except Paris...

Lots of museums ... catherdrals... culture.. university live... and shopping...  PLUS...Bordeaux has more handicap access than I've seen in other European cities. More pics from Bordeaux in this post from visit in 2015 http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2015/02/france-2015-bordeaux-and-bd-avenue.html

UPDATE -- BD Avenue bookstore temporary location is open! https://www.facebook.com/bdavenuebordeaux/