made up of these limestone buildings- the result of a radical city modern-
isation around 1750 directed by the
Marquis de Tourny at the time the
kingâs governor whose name graces
a square and some shops.
I pass the imposing structures
along the Quai Richelieu and stroll
the narrow streets behind it which
are lined with restaurants wine bars
and shops. This contrast is what I
always liked so much about Bor-
deaux the capital of the south-west-
ern region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. he
architecture of the Grand héâtre the
museums and the town hall under-
lines the fact that the word âgrandeurâ
is truly French.
At the same time its narrow streets
breathe a provincial â even parochial - air that many major European cities
lost decades ago.
But the city known in France as La
Belle Endormie (ât he sleepi ng beaut y â)
is waking up. A massive restoration
and development project is well un-
derway. Bordeaux is now more than
halfway through implementing the
plan which will continue until 2030.
One of the most visible features of
this massive undertaking is at the wa-
terfront along the crescent-shaped
curve in the Garonne River that gave
this Atlantic port its old name â Port
of the Moon. Once occupied by der-
elict warehouses and car parks the
riverside Quai Richelieu now boasts
a new tramline bicycle lanes and a
wide boulevard. he quay is the scene
of a daily parade of strollers runners
cyclists and playing children.
A newly opened high-speed train
hub sits at the centre of a huge mod-
ern building project called Bordeaux
Euratlantique which is designed to
spearhead a new economic and pop-
ulation boom pushing the current
750000 inhabitants to more than a
million.
he careful restoration of the Old
City has already led to the city be-
ing recognised as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. But will Bordeaux lose
PHOTO: PAUL ROBERT its Old World charm in the process?
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