We like to think of mysteries surrounding a city such as Bordeaux as being very much associated with the past, but thankfully there are also many modern-day mysteries that can be experienced very much in the present. Here are ten enigmas that haunt the good people of Bordeaux on a daily basis and which you too can enjoy in your own time. 

 

Where did all the public toilets go? 

Despite being a very tourist-friendly city, when those visitors (or, indeed, locals) need to respond to a call of nature, there are surprisingly few options. OK, so there are a few one-person-at-a-time “sanisette” installations dotted around the centre, but other than the inevitable wait while a previous user finishes up and the toilet is cleaned, it’s not exactly a very hospitable environment, and the piped music that plays while you’re inside is unreal. There are still a few “vespasienne” gentlemen-only urinals here and there (rue Robert-Lateulade and rue Paul-Broca, as pictured above, for instance), and back-to-basics toilets can be found in the Jardin de l’Hôtel de Ville and Parc Bordelais, but other than that the best option is to head for a shopping mall or a bar.

Which tram line is which at the Quinconces tram interchange station? 

Even when you’re familiar with the Bordeaux tram system, the Quinconces public transport hub can be a complex beast to master. There are four platforms that sit side by side with minimal visible indications as to which line is which, let alone which trams are heading north, south, east or west. To add an extra dimension to the challenge, one set of tracks is home to both lines C and D. One of the most spectacular sights in the city is that of passengers jumping off a south-bound Line B tram and rushing across the various lines to catch a south-bound Line C or Line D tram. It doesn’t always end well but makes for excellent spectator sport, which can also be enjoyed on a slightly smaller scale at Porte de Bourgogne station.

How many more Bistro Régent restaurants can the Metropole sustain?

Since its creation in 2010, the Bistro Régent concept of a minimalist menu and its “fameuse sauce Charmelcia” (so famous that I had to google the name, it’s not exactly entered anybody’s vocabulary) has developed quickly in and around Bordeaux, making the franchise’s founder Marc Vanhove a wealthy man and enabling him to branch out elsewhere in France, as well as displaying his logo on the shirts of the local Girondins de Bordeaux football team. In and around Bordeaux, it has got to the stage where just about every vacant building seems to have been turned into a Bistro Régent in recent years, resulting in an incredible statistic that I’ve just made up: wherever you are in the Bordeaux Métropole, you’re never more than a 10-minute walk from a Bistro Régent. That is either very reassuring or very scary. 

 

How do you get back to ground level from the Mériadeck quarter?

The Mériadeck quarter has often been covered on the blog. This large-scale urban experiment, which mainly developed throughout the 1970s and 1980s, is clearly unloved by the locals for various understandable reasons. One of the main specifics of the modern-day Mériadeck quarter is how raised walkways connect its different sections. In most parts it is fairly straightforward to get back down to ground level, but in some areas it can all be a bit hit and miss. Some of the secret stairwells are not signposted, some escalators are permanently out of order, and in places where you would expect to be able to get back down, you come up against a brick wall. 

 

How can Saint-Christoly shopping centre still be a thing?

If you’re in central Bordeaux on a busy Saturday afternoon and in search of some peace and quiet, just head to Saint-Christoly shopping centre. This 1980s complex, which is just a stone’s throw from place Pey-Berland and rue Sainte-Catherine, seems to have faded completely from the collective conscience of Bordeaux shoppers. Back in the day, a buzzing Fnac music and bookstore occupied the basement area and drew many visitors in search of the latest cultural offerings. Ever since the Fnac relocated to rue Sainte-Catherine, the mall has struggled to draw in customers other than those heading to the Monoprix which took Fnac’s place and the Picard frozen food store. Even before the 2020 health crisis, many of the smaller outlets were struggling here. Not sure how bright the future currently looks for Saint-Christoly*.

 

*Update: a Sud Ouest article published late December 2020 stated that the shopping centre was under new ownership and that it "will be subject to 'major restructuring' and its concept will be 'completely revisited'."  

 

Where exactly does the Pont Saint-Jean cycle path begin?

Pont Saint-Jean is the Bordeaux bridge that you never see on Instagram. The no-frills structure from the car-friendly 1960s also happens to provide a convenient and safe means of crossing the Garonne for pedestrians and cyclists alike. But the main challenge is simply to find how to access the bridge at all, given the density of the surrounding road network. Spoiler: the cycle path actually begins at an underpass towards the rear of a car park located opposite the Château Descas mansion, although the fact that the car park currently doubles up as a station where low-cost coach services depart and arrive makes it even more difficult to find the passageway. It is worth the effort though in order to take in the view across the Bordeaux skyline from the middle of the bridge! 

 

How come there are never any pile-ups between cyclists and pedestrians on the Garonne waterfront? 

The Garonne waterfront is one of the symbols of the transformation of Bordeaux and has become one of the go-to areas for a pleasant stroll. It also happens to be a magnet for joggers, skateboarders, rollerbladers and cyclists, and how there are not more collisions between people is one of the city’s greatest mysteries. Markings have nevertheless recently appeared in an attempt to at least channel the flows of walkers and joggers on the promenade which runs immediately alongside the river. However, the really hazardous hotspot is over by the multiple lanes of road traffic, where cyclists in a hurry are forced to cohabit with nonchalant pedestrians. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a great deal, although somehow it just about works. 

 

Why didn’t the Utopia cinema go all the way and just install their screens on the ceiling?

L'Utopia is the much-loved arthouse cinema that is the latest incarnation of what used to be Saint-Siméon church on Place Camille-Jullian. Some of the cinema’s smaller screens have been set up in an annex to the rear of the building, and so that all spectators can enjoy an unobscured view of the films, the screens have been installed at an impressive height. The stargazing position can initially seem surprising but you gradually get used to the concept. 

 

Why does nobody ever know where they are when exiting the UGC cinema? 

Sticking with cinemas, around the UGC complex on rue Georges-Bonnac, a regular sight is that of cinema-goers emerging from hidden exits with no idea of where they are. The cinema, installed in a building which used to house a theatre, comprises no less than 18 screens, some of which are at ground level, some upstairs, and some underground. The exits from the individual rooms lead to various spots around the complex and it invariably takes some time to find one’s bearings and work out where one has ended up. 

 

Will the anarchic queuing system at Mollat ever return?
 

There were not many upsides to the 2020 health crisis, but one may have been the renowned independent bookshop Mollat using floor markings to formalize the queue system at the checkouts, which are positioned along the side of a wall in a narrow corridor-like space ahead of an exit. In the old days, the queues had to stretch some way back before some kind of system naturally took shape. Before reaching that stage, several parallel lines would gather ahead of each checkout, with much jostling for position and discreet eye contact between customers as each opted for the checkout which they thought would progress the fastest. This inevitably resulted in a sense of injustice as three customers would get served at the neighbouring till in the time it took the person in front of you to purchase their single paperback. Will the anarchy of yesteryear return in the future or is the current formal queuing system here to stay? That, dear reader, truly is a veritable modern-day Bordeaux mystery.

> Ce dossier est également disponible en français !

Invisible Bordeaux is proud to have made a repeat appearance in the latest issue of Bordeaux Moments, Bordeaux Tourism's most excellent quarterly bilingual travel and lifestyle magazine. 

 

In the article, I provide a few suggestions of unusual outings in and around Bordeaux to be enjoyed, you know, when we're allowed to get out and about once again. The list of tips take the reader from the Parc Floral to Pessac's Cité Frugès, along the Eau Bourde stream, and over to Lormont to the national social security museum! 

 

In non-lockdown times, the magazine - which features a host of great items including some interesting suggestions of activities to take in with children, a guide to winter getaways on the Bassin d'Arcachon, and advice on where to find houses whose façades include sculpted cats - can be picked up in local "offices de tourisme", hotel lobbies, and municipal buildings such as mairies. 

> Or else, you can simply read it by clicking here. Enjoy!

Place Ravezies is one of the main entry points into Bordeaux proper and has long since been a public transport hub. Until 2012 it was also the location of Ravezies railway station, which was for many years the terminus of railway connections from the Médoc peninsula. That final portion of rail travel has in recent years switched from trains to a new branch of tram line C (with the creation of the tram-train connection in Blanquefort), and in 2015 the Ravezies station was dismantled for good, leaving nothing more than a derelict open space and the abandoned railway track.

The local authorities (Bordeaux Métropole with the Bruges and Le Bouscat town councils) put on their thinking caps, and soon came up with an idea to embellish the area in a way that also tied in with the Métropole’s "55 000 hectares pour la nature" programme aimed at incorporating and preserving nature and greenery in amongst new urban developments. The "Ligne verte" project quickly took shape! 

The brief involved converting 3.1 kilometres of the former line into a very eco-friendly walkway/cycle path, connecting Place Ravezies with residential quarters of Le Bouscat, with various low-key sights and activities to take in along the way. And, although work is still in progress and the "green line" is not quite the finished product, the walkway opened to the general public this year, so it made sense to head along and check it out.

The first major challenge though was simply reaching the start of the green line at Ravezies. The area located by what used to be the station is a car park that is a Tetris-style mass of automobiles that has to be ploughed through Indiana Jones-style to reach the path, which at this point in time is not signposted.

 

The entrance is... somewhere in the background of this shot!

Wooden barriers have been positioned at the entrance to the walk, and a handful of surviving poles, buffers and raised platforms serve as a reminder of the place’s past life. Before setting off, I attempted to replicate the photo I’d taken in 2012 around the time when the station was decommissioned.

Above: the view in 2012.

The same view today...

There was soon another reminder of the path’s railway heritage with the "petit train de Ravezies", a small wooden steam train/play area designed for children to get a train driver’s eye view of the track! (See picture at top of article.) The former lines remain visible, embedded into the surface of the path, and before long the walkway passed under a series of metal arches that previously held the overhead electric cables.

Another brand new children’s play area appeared, this time comprising swings, a hut and a slide, although this particular blogger got a bit more excited about the nearby sight of "le bassin de stockage des eaux de pluie Béquigneaux", one of the Métropole’s many defences against flooding in the area, there to stock excess rainwater whenever required, as detailed in a previous Invisible Bordeaux item about the network of "detention basins". The Béquigneaux flood plain, created in 1987, is an extensive beast, and can reportedly stock up to 102,800 cubic metres of water.

Part of the magnificent (and reassuringly dry) Béquigneaux flood plain.

Other than that, the surrounding landscape was made up of private allotments, back gardens and high-rise apartment blocks in the mid-distance, until it was broken up by a rather cool BMX dirt track that was being put to the test by a number of young riders. Before long, the pathway hooked up with the new tram line around the delightfully-named "La Vache" station and neighbourhood, with the grounds of a Bouscatais mansion on one side and one of Bruges’s municipal cemeteries on the other. Let’s just say there was a definite sense of space in spite of the urban environment, and the remaining walls blocking the view did not appear to be the most durable - but for now they do form great raw materials for street artists.

From then on, the disused railway line reappears and the path runs alongside it until, when reaching a bend, it comes to an abrupt, unexpected and, yes, premature end. There was no choice other than to leave the pathway, which I was happy to find naturally leads into the Gourribon housing estate, which has already enjoyed a starring role on the blog. By winding back towards the former railway line, there were promising signs that a further stretch of the green line appears to be in the making, and that will ultimately link up this area with Le Bouscat’s avenue de la Libération. The information panel on display promised that this "Phase 5" would be complete in 2020, but I think we’re all collectively prepared to provide extra leeway to anything that should have been delivered in 2020…

The "green line" comes to a sudden and unspectacular end here.

Information panel promising an additional stretch.

How does Invisible Bordeaux rate this new "Ligne verte", then? Well, it’s an interesting initiative and no doubt the residents of the Gourribon estate are delighted to now have such a pleasant direct connection with Place Ravezies! It’s most definitely a very enjoyable walkway but is a touch short as far as cycle rides go. The three kilometres whizz by and, when you consider that the standout visual delight is an emergency rainwater reservoir, then you just know that it’s never going to be be a serious competitor in those online "The World’s Greatest Bike Rides" listings. The message therefore is walk rather than ride! But fair play to everyone involved in creating this linear channel that provides a peaceful pathway running between Bruges and Le Bouscat, and is an innovative way of bringing another old railway track back to life.

> Find it on the Invisible Bordeaux map: former Ravezies railway station, place Ravezies, Bordeaux (departure point).
> Cet article est également disponible en français !

Invisible Bordeaux was one of a number of local structures and players who contributed to an innovative project focused on heritage in the area conducted this year by Bordeaux Métropole in conjunction with Deux Degrés, the publishing house and “agence de médiation” who have already occasionally featured on the blog (and, by the way, I’m a big fan of everything they do). The deliverables were recently unveiled and they consist of two highly desirable sets of cards, one being a “Happy Families” game and the other a classic deck of playing cards.

The twin objective of the project, codenamed “Vous avez une carte à jouer”, was to be able to identify and showcase some familiar and some lesser-known places of interest throughout the metropole, as well as providing a platform for local heritage associations and players to work together and get to know each other. The initiative was launched within the framework of the wider European Atlas World Heritage network aimed at boosting the sustainability of urban heritage (the other participating cities are Edinburgh, Florence, Porto and Santiago de Compostela), and the target was to complete it all in time for Bordeaux’s 2020 World Heritage week events in mid-September.

Above - Panels on display on Place de la Bourse explaining all about the Atlas World Heritage initiative during the city's 2020 World Heritage week.

Initially, the plan drawn up early in 2020 by Bordeaux Métropole and Deux Degrés was to hold meetings and collaborative workshops but - as you may have guessed - the pandemic-induced lockdown forced them to substantially revise their plans. Instead, the whole project shifted online and they conceived interactive maps so that those who wished to take part could locate points of interest and provide the reasoning behind their inclusion.

No less than 60 structures took part, identifying 400 points of interest, a shortlist of which was put to a vote in which 110 participants chose the subjects they thought to be the most significant. Then, by combining those results with other balanced choices to ensure every Bordeaux Métropole town was fairly represented, Deux Degrés got to work on producing the two card games.

Above - Even my hometown of Saint-Aubin-de-Médoc gets its own cards. These two sights are within walking distance of the Invisible Bordeaux household.

The resulting “Happy Families” game is aimed at a younger audience and has gathered points of interest into seven categories… or, indeed, families: nature, industry, water, habitat, monuments, contemporary architecture and châteaux. Each family comprises six members, the corresponding 42 cards featuring illustrations produced by the immensely talented Julianne Huon - whose style has become so synonymous with the distinctive Deux Degrés graphic look and feel over the years - and a brief overview of associated facts and figures. Interestingly, if the cards are laid out face down, they can also be positioned puzzle-like to form a far larger illustration reminiscent of the Bordeaux Métropole landscape.



The standard 52-card game (or rather 54 including the two jokers) provides a highly varied guide to some of the area’s well- and less well-known sights, along with a leaflet so that players can read thumbnail information about each one. The illustrations are the work of the also fabulously talented Jean Mallard. He is a young Paris-based artist with family in the area, but was not necessarily familiar with many of the sights. During a brief post-lockdown window, he was able to spend two days exploring the metropole and taking in the subjects shortlisted for the project. The resulting pictures capture much of that bright-eyed sense of discovery associated with seeing places for the first time. Mallard employed a variety of techniques, although the use of watercolour proves dominant. He also voluntarily kept to a relatively limited palette of colours in order to strike a degree of consistency across the cards. And to inject some life into the pictures, he always ensured there was some kind of human presence represented.

During an event held in September at the Maison Cantonale in the Bastide quarter (which itself features in the deck of cards) to present the finalized project to the network of contributors, both Julianne Huon and Jean Mallard were present to provide a first-hand account of their work, alongside Deux Degrés’ Pierre-Marie Villette and Bordeaux Métropole’s Anne-Laure Moniot. Jean Mallard even brought along the original artwork, i.e. all fifty-plus postcard-sized pieces which showed just how intricate and detailed the individual creations were.


Above - Illustrator Jean Mallard with the original pictures. On the right is his depiction of Stade Chaban-Delmas, included in the card deck under its former name, Parc Lescure.

The two sets have initially been produced as limited runs of just 500 units and were distributed throughout the World Heritage week from a special pop-up installation/mini-exhibition on Place de la Bourse. Beyond that, sets will be provided to libraries throughout the Métropole. Further down the line, a commercially-produced run may take shape… I for one certainly hope so.


Above - The pop-up exhibition on Place de la Bourse.

In the meantime, here at Invisible Bordeaux I am very proud to have been able to contribute to the project, and delighted to have seen some of my submissions (such as Bordeaux’s twin city gardens, Le Haillan’s Parc du Ruisseau, and the lone locomotive left positioned at the former railway station in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles) make it into the final sets of cards, all of which are really rather magnificent.
 

It all goes to show there’s very much an audience for local heritage, or petit patrimoine as they say in French… and it’s great to see Bordeaux Métropole is taking this very seriously as well as looking to bring local heritage players together on projects of the like. Congratulations to everyone involved!

> Deux Degrés website: www.deuxdegres.net

> Ce dossier est également disponible en français !

Arguably the biggest news on the Bordeaux cultural scene in this other-worldly year has been the rebirth of the city’s submarine base exhibition venue as a permanent digital son-et-lumière installation that embraces cutting-edge video projection mapping techniques. The news of how the eerie wartime edifice has been converted into a world-class multi-sensory experience – known as Bassins de Lumières – has travelled fast and wide, and after seeing countless Instagram posts on the subject, I really had no alternative other than to witness first-hand this latest incarnation of the place that also just happens to be the subject of the all-time most-read item on the Invisible Bordeaux blog.
 

Overall, four of the base’s eleven former submarine pens have been given over to the Bassins de Lumières exhibition area, which has been conceived and is managed by the Culturespaces nationwide network of museums and attractions. Work on converting the venue lasted more than two years, and while the Bassins de Lumières' official opening was delayed by the health crisis, it eventually welcomed the general public for the first time in June 2020.

There are four inaugural exhibits that run until early January 2021. The highly-anticipated headline attraction showcases the work of the legendary Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), as part of a lengthy audiovisual sequence conceived by immersive digital artists Gianfranco Iannuzzi, Renato Gatto and Massimiliano Siccardi, in collaboration with musician Luca Longobardi. The second main piece is an animated compilation of the art of the German-Swiss painter Paul Klee (1879-1940) set to music. Two other modern multimedia works are presented in a self-contained area known as The Cube: “Ocean Data” by Ouchhh studios, and “Anitya” by the Organ’Phantom collective.

The visitor experience involves wandering in near darkness from pen to pen, taking in the various video mapping sequences (which are played on loop throughout) from different vantage points, the colourful animations being enhanced by the reflections in the pools of water, and sometimes extending over the floor beneath one’s feet. The hundreds of projectors that are used mean that at all times visitors are either faced or surrounded by a seamless mass of images, all to the permanent soundtrack of music. And although there is a steady flow of visitors, there is never a sense that other people are getting in the way or intruding on the artwork – if anything the silhouettes of fellow punters add to the mystique of the place.

Two enclosed areas, the aforementioned Cube and the cylinder-shaped “La Citerne”, provide an unusual setting where visitors can even lie down and take in the audiovisual delights while elegantly sprawled out on cushions. Finally, a set of information panels provide the historical background behind the venue, so that visitors do not lose sight of the significance of the building and its cumbersome legacy.

Chilling out inside the Cube.

The history zone.

So, is it actually any good? Well, predictably enough Invisible Bordeaux was mightily impressed by the technology, the aesthetics, and the sheer high-grade wow factor of the world-class exhibits and their execution, although the constant darkness and the unrelenting flow of in-your-face imagery does make for a strangely impersonal experience. The quality of the sound does leave a lot to be desired in some areas of the venue, although the acoustics of the place surely do not make that sort of thing easy. As for the launch exhibits, the Klimt and Klee sequences were suitably stimulating... in a high-brow, knowingly stroke-chin-and-nod-head kind of way; while being in The Cube felt a little bit like being trapped inside a scary three-dimensional Windows 98 screensaver.
     

Whatever, following in the footsteps of the Cité du Vin and the Arkéa Arena concert venue both opening in recent years, this latest addition to the Bordeaux landscape is a sure sign that the city is looking to secure a durable and undisputed spot in the big league of renowned European cultural hotspots. Certainly, on the hot summer’s day I was there, the makeup of visitors was distinctly international, which is no mean feat given how so few overseas tourists have made it to Bordeaux this year.

But there is a part of me that thinks that the best is yet to come for the Bassins de Lumières, and that if some innovative, forward-looking creatives really get to grips with the venue and the possibilities that it offers, and conceive a mainstream pan-generation-friendly show that is not only technically impressive but also incorporates a touch of accessible fun, then it could truly make for something quite astonishing. And it would also give me a great excuse to go back!
 

> Find it on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Bassins de Lumières, Base Sous-marine, impasse Brown de Colstoun, Bordeaux
> Full practical information on the official website: www.bassins-lumieres.com
> Cet article est également disponible en français.

As you may have noticed if you're a regular reader, the Invisible Bordeaux blog has been a fairly dormant beast lately. But there's a good reason for the relative silence: during the recent lockdown period I worked on an exciting musical project which has resulted in a band being formed and an E.P. being released. Please meet Slowrush!

Slowrush has been formed with my good friend Olivier Rols on bass, and my son Dorian Pike on drums, while I do my best to sing and strum guitars. Both Olivier and Dorian were regular contributors to the Invisible Bordeaux words-and-music extravaganza The Shuman Show, so putting together an actual band seemed to be a natural development. Throw in the lockdown period and a number of long weekends, and we soon set ourselves the target of recording four songs (with Olivier recording his parts remotely). And, a few weeks on, those songs are now in the public domain and available to listen to on all streaming platforms. 

What, then, do Slowrush sound like? Well, I've always been heavily influenced by melodic pop artists such as Joe Jackson, XTC and Blur. Dorian brings in millennial percussion ideas inspired by bands such as Everything Everything, Foals and Tame Impala. Olivier, meanwhile, has eclectic tastes ranging from rock and jazz to punk. It all makes for a nice musical combination although there is a definite Britpop edge to what we do. 

This is the cover of the E.P.. And that might just be a building that can be spotted in the Mériadeck district of Bordeaux.

There also happens to be a little bit of Bordeaux in what we do. While two of the tracks (Parallel World and Mr Morality) were old songs that have been dusted down and given a new lease of life, the two others (Bordeaux Watergate and Four Walls) were written during the lockdown period, and are very much inspired by blog-related topics. Bordeaux Watergate recalls the 1970s "Winegate" scandal in the wine milieu triggered by the discovery of thousands of bottles of Bordeaux that in fact contained wine from the Languedoc region. And Four Walls is a celebration of places where things happened in the past but may today be little more than an ordinary street, an empty room or a whole district where things have changed beyond recognition (such as the Mériadeck quarter, the buildings of which feature on the cover of the E.P.!). 

But hey, enough of my yakking! You can listen to all the tracks on the streaming platform of your choice (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, etc.) via the page you'll find by clicking here: https://linktr.ee/slowrush

You can also follow and interact with Slowrush on Instagram (@slowrushband), Twitter (@slowrushband), and Facebook (@slowrushbdx). Hopefully we'll be able to announce some live dates before tooooo long!

And, at no additional cost, you can listen to the four tracks of The Parallel World E.P. right here! Enjoy! (If the tracks don't display, click here).

Back soon with some more conventional Invisible Bordeaux reports, I promise! Watch this space!

Hidden away in the woods not far from the banks of the river Leyre, in the hamlet of Lamothe just to the east of Le Teich, is the small and somewhat mysterious Fontaine Saint-Jean, housing a spring which has now run dry but which was believed to have miraculous properties back in the day.

The tiny edifice, which was restored in recent years, dates from the 17th century and, although I was unable to spot them, the dates 1645 and 1650 are apparently etched into the structure, in the concave niche which until 1772 contained a statue of Lamothe’s patron saint, Saint John (the statue was the unwitting victim of a dispute between the good people of Le Teich and Mios).

Although little information about the fountain is readily available, some of the more detailed descriptions available online (see links at the bottom of this article) refer to its past mystical and religious significance. This can mainly be attributed to its location on one of the oldest of the many Saint James’ Way pilgrimage paths through the area; it therefore served as a natural halt for walkers en route to or from Santiago de Compostela down the centuries. But some scholars have even claimed the story goes much further back and that the spring was hailed for its spiritual virtues prior even to the Roman conquest of Gaul.

To say the immediate environment is peaceful would be an understatement. 

Whatever, there are legends about the healing properties of the spring water that the fountain used to deliver. It was believed that the water cured skin ailments, although throughout the 20th century this belief faded when the spring ran dry (possibly due to the substantial work carried out nearby to build railway lines). Still, even in modern times it is reportedly possible to see cloths or rags deposited on the fountain, part of a traditional Landais ritual performed in the hope of a miracle. According to loyal reader Harvey Morgan, "You dip the cloth in the water, rub it over the affected part, usually repeating a prayer or ritual of some sort, and hang it to dry by the fountain. The ailment disappears as the cloth dries. There are several fountains in the Landes where the practice still continues."

A recently-deposited candle alongside the empty niche?

The day I was there along with my occasional travelling companion, my father-in-law Michel, there were no cloths or rags to be seen, although the area was so humid that we would have happily deposited however many cloths it would have taken to rid our skin of the unrelenting onslaught of hungry mosquitos! There were signs of recent visits: a candle had been deposited along with a Virgin Mary statuette. As a reminder of the fountain’s status as a stop for pilgrims, rudimentary benches have been positioned in a semi-circle around the fountain, although it would have taken a brave insect-resistant soul to stop there for too long. It was very peaceful, the silence only disturbed by two horse riders who arguably had the best form of transport to be able to contend with the marshy environment.

Horse-riding, bicycles and a miraculous spring. Quite a combination.

Upon departing, I noted that somehow I appeared to be unscathed by the countless mosquito attacks. Maybe the place does have miraculous qualities after all! But, above all, I was simply happy to have seen this unusual place, not least because it was far from my first attempt to find it! Indeed, the fountain is not easy to locate or reach. The secret is to aim for the car park of the Kayak Club du Teich, just off the D804 départementale, and then work your way south staying close to the river Leyre (or l’Eyre). You then pass under a railway bridge, before crossing a small wooden footbridge over the Craste Beneyre stream. By taking an immediate right, in effect following the stream, the woodland footpath will lead you to Fontaine Saint-Jean.

One final footnote: running parallel to that path, some distance to the north, is the aptly-named Allée de la Fontaine Saint-Jean, with a row of unusual timber-framed houses that seem to be facing away from the street and instead look out towards the railway line. The residences appear to be particularly desirable, although their appeal may dip momentarily whenever a TGV high-speed train whizzes past the front window!

Homes on Allées de la Fontaine Saint-Jean facing away from the street.

> Find it on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Fontaine Saint-Jean, Le Teich.

> Further recommended reading with more detailed information here: Marinelle Balades Photos, Info Bassin, Société Historique et Archéologique d'Arcachon et du pays de Buch.  

> Cet article est également disponible en français !

The lockdown period in France has come to a timid end, so the series of archive photos Invisible Bordeaux was publishing daily on Instagram and Twitter is now also in the past. Here are the final seven pictures which were published, following on from the four previous sets available here, here, here, and, oh, here. As you will have realised, some had already featured on the blog, others had just been sitting on my hard drive, starting with this magnificent bow window and accompanying ceramic tile features.

They belong to a bizarre micro-villa known as "Villa Quand-Même et Mépris", built in 1930 by local butcher A. Naturel (hence the A.N.), which even got its very own blog post some time ago! Even more spectacular is the remarkable Réservoir de Lavardens in Talence, a surprising 1927 reinforced concrete structure that is unlike anything else in the area. It was recently mentioned on the blog in the run-down of water towers in the area. 

Sticking with serious urban exploration, here we are in Soulac-sur-Mer, naughtily trespassing inside one of the derelict ground-floor apartments of the famously abandoned Signal residence on the seafront. What a fine view of the Atlantic ocean the residents once enjoyed! You can read about the apartment block's troubled recent history here. 

To stay in a high-rise mood, here is part of Cité Pinçon in the Bastide district of Bordeaux, which combines with the neighbouring buildings of Cité Blanche to form la Cité-Jardin de la Benauge. This and its twin building are also known as “les paquebots” (ocean liners). The complex was a case study in 1950s urban planning, as detailed here.

Next, we're off to Le Bouscat for this panoramic view of the 7,000-capacity Stade Sainte-Germaine. First built in the 1890s, it has always been the permanent home of Stade Bordelais sports club, and today also hosts matches played by FC Girondins reserves and women’s teams. 

Here's a multi-layered ghostsign in Carbon-Blanc that over the years promoted Meubles Bayle, a furniture outlet founded in Bordeaux in 1854. The “ET, Bx.” probably referred to Cours d’Albret in Bordeaux where their flagship store was located for many years. The Bayle concept has changed now and the group owns 13 outlets operating under various brands that make up the “Village du Meuble” in the Mérignac retail park.

And this meandering, random, 47-picture adventure ends up at a location where many journeys also end or, indeed, begin: Saint-Jean railway station in Bordeaux. This is a detail from the exterior of Café du Levant, the 1896-founded brasserie opposite the station whose distinctly oriental façade adds a bit of exotic colour to the landscape! 

> First selection of random archive photos available here! 
> Second selection of random archive photos available here!
> Third selection of random archive photos available, yes, you've guessed it, here! 

> Don't stop now, the fourth compilation is here!
> Ce dossier est également disponible en français !