Underground, overground: tracking the river Devèze from Mérignac to Bordeaux

Bordeaux is naturally associated with the Garonne, but historically the city developed along the banks of two smaller rivers which ran into the Garonne: the Devèze and the Peugue. Both streams continue to flow but, in central Bordeaux, have been driven underground. Invisible Bordeaux decided to follow the course of the Devèze to find out what remains of this significant river today.

The Devèze emerges from the undergrowth in Mérignac, just east of the runway of Mérignac airport. The source is easy to locate: a prominent permanent advert for the Sexy Center sex shop can be seen nearby! Whilst in its infancy, the Devèze runs behind a number of nondescript office buildings and bus depots. A path runs alongside it but there are a number of obstacles along the way… cyclists take note!

Chapelle Saint-Esprit: the alfresco place of worship

We find ourselves in Pyla-sur-Mer, and tucked away in one of the quiet residential districts, just a few hundred metres inland from the waters of the Bassin d’Arcachon, is a curious church: la Chapelle Saint-Esprit.

The chapel is a seasonal operation, with masses held there solely during the summer holiday period, in July and August, at hours which are part of a rota that includes five other chuches in and around Arcachon.

Join Invisible Bordeaux and Bonjour Bordeaux for a special evening at the Tapa’l’Oeil!

Invisible Bordeaux has teamed up with Bonjour Bordeaux and the Tapa’l’Oeil tapas bar for what promises to be a very special evening on Friday May 31st from 8pm onwards.

Daily photo website Bonjour Bordeaux will be celebrating its 2nd anniversary and, as part of the “apéro photo” festivities, you can take part in the first-ever Invisible Bordeaux mystery photo quiz, featuring a host of questions about some of the city’s lesser-known sights and stories.

In addition to the quiz, Bonjour Bordeaux - as well as sharing out slices of a rather large birthday cake (courtesy of Les Ateliers Pâtissiers) - will be unveiling the brand new version of its website. You can also play an active part in the event on the night itself by contributing photos that will be displayed throughout the evening on the Tapa’l’Oeil video screens!

Finally, the soirée will mark the start of a month-long photo contest, with full details to be revealed on the night!

Admission is free and for 15 euros you can also enjoy a drink with a selection of delicious pintxos and assorted delicatessen.

Hope to see you there!

• What: Bonjour Bordeaux 2nd anniversary apéro photo with Invisible Bordeaux
• When: 8pm onwards, Friday 31st May 2013
• Where: Le Tapa'l'oeil, 14 place Pierre Renaudel, 33800 Bordeaux
• How: Register online here or via e-mail

Joignez-vous à Invisible Bordeaux et Bonjour Bordeaux pour une soirée spéciale au Tapa’l’Oeil !

Invisible Bordeaux s’associe à Bonjour Bordeaux et au bar à tapas Tapa’l’Oeil pour une grande soirée le vendredi 31 mai prochain à partir de 20h.

Lors de cette soirée, Bonjour Bordeaux, site partenaire qui publie tous les jours un cliché pris dans le Port de la Lune, soufflera ses deux bougies. Dans le cadre de « l’apéro photo » organisé pour marquer cet anniversaire, vous pourrez participer au tout premier quizz photo mystère d’Invisible Bordeaux, qui permettra de parcourir virtuellement quelques lieux méconnus ou insolites de la ville.

De plus, l’événement sera l’occasion non seulement de déguster une part de gâteau des Ateliers Pâtissiers pour marquer les deux ans de notre partenaire, mais aussi de découvrir en avant-première la nouvelle version du site Bonjour Bordeaux. Vous pourrez également être acteur à part entière au cours de la soirée en téléchargeant vos photos qui seront diffusées en quasi temps réel sur les écrans vidéo du Tapa’l’Oeil !

Enfin, cette soirée spéciale verra le lancement d’un concours photo sur les semaines à venir.

L’entrée est libre et, dans le cadre de l’apéro photo, pour 15 euros vous pourrez déguster une boisson (avec ou sans alcool), quelques pintxos et de la charcuterie.

Au plaisir de vous y voir !

• Quoi : Apéro photo spécial deux ans du site Bonjour Bordeaux
• Quand : à partir de 20h, vendredi 31 mai 2013
• Où : Le Tapa'l'Oeil, 14 place Pierre Renaudel, 33800 Bordeaux
• Inscription : en ligne ici ou par e-mail

Chambrelent: the architect of the Landes forests

In the Pierroton district of Cestas, just off the main road that leads from Bordeaux to Arcachon, a monument to the agronomist François Jules Hilaire Chambrelent can be seen. It was Chambrelent’s work throughout the 19th century that went some way towards making much of les Landes of south-western France the pleasant and hospitable place we are familiar with today.

In the past, it had been a very different story. South of Bordeaux, the inland area was a succession of vast, barren plains that were frequently flooded. This extensive sandy marshland, which became known to many as the “French Sahara”, was a particular challenge to many pilgrims as they headed south towards Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain.

Sacré-Coeur: the 24-hour timekeeper near Saint-Jean railway station

The 70-metre-high twin bell towers of Sacré-Coeur parish church are one of the constants on the skyline of the residential streets near Saint-Jean railway station. 

They have towered over the surrounding échoppes since 1870. The church was one of many to be built during that second half of the 19th century as part of a drive led by the then Archbishop of Bordeaux, Cardinal Donnet. In fact, spires and steeples were going up or being restored at such a rate that Baron Haussmann, best-known as the Prefect and city-planner behind the tree-lined boulevards of Paris (but who had also spent time serving at Blaye, in Gironde), is quoted as telling Donnet that Gironde was beginning to “look like a hedgehog” (“Notre département, Monseigneur, ressemblera d’ici peu à un hérisson !”).

Mériadeck: this used to be the vision of the future inner-city

The concrete-and-glass development to be found in the central Bordeaux district of Mériadeck is far-removed from the city’s more traditional image of picturesque squares and harmonious façades. This large-scale urban high-rise jungle, which has always struggled to gain acceptance from the people of Bordeaux, began to evolve into its present shape in the 1960s. Its complex story began many years before that though…

This area, located just a few hundred metres to the west of Cathédrale Saint-André, was initially wetland which the city strived to drain to avoid epidemics in the 17th century. A monastery for the Chartreux community of monks was built there (where the Chartreuse cemetery, created in 1791, can be seen today) but was soon destroyed and the inhospitable marshland took hold once again.