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 !

If you're still following closely, you'll be aware of the fact that throughout the lockdown period, over on Instagram and Twitter, Invisible Bordeaux has been publishing random photos taken over the years in and around the city, and sometimes beyond. Some have already featured on the blog, others have just been sitting on my hard drive. There's no major underlying theme, they're just photos that possibly deserved to be dusted down and put out there! The first three sets can still be viewed by clicking here, here and here, and on this page you can views numbers 31 to 40, starting above with the view from behind the posts at Stade André-Moga in Bègles. 

Part of the Delphin Roche sports complex, the 6,000-capacity stadium was first built in 1920 and was originally known as Stade du Musard. It was the home ground of rugby club Union Bordeaux-Bègles until 2015, when the team switched to Stade Chaban-Delmas. It is still UBB's primary training ground.

Sticking with sport, this second picture was taken somewhere on the Bordeaux-Lacanau cycle path, possibly towards Salaunes or Sainte-Hélène. The 60-kilometre route was a railway line from 1885 until the 1970s and you can intermittently spot former stations along the way. Most have now been converted into private homes.

My daredevil blogging investigations are mostly solitary adventures but sometimes, believe it or not, I do actually get chatting to other people. This young guy approached me when I was taking pictures of the monument on Place Calixte-Camelle in the Bastide quarter of Bordeaux. He was quite a dude. If you recognise him, let me know (photo taken in 2015). Over on Twitter, the most excellent Sud Ouest journalist Jean-Christophe Wasner noted the Calixte Camelle monument looked a bit like a washing machine. He's right, isn't he?

Off to Le Bouscat to view this 1930s art deco building designed by Albert Dumons. It was originally Le Bouscat’s public baths and shower facility, which operated until 1980. It then went on to become the municipal library, until it was replaced by a modern, purpose-built establishment in 2015 (known as “La Source”). Today the building is home to l’Association des Familles du Bouscat, which runs an épicerie solidaire known as La Bous-Sol.

  

"Law, Peace, Justice" reads the inscription above the doors of the Maison Cantonale, the city hall annex in the Bastide district of Bordeaux. The unusual art nouveau building was dreamt up by Cyprien Alfred Duprat and completed in the mid-1920s.

Moulin de Lansac is a lovingly restored windmill located just to the north of Bourg on the right bank of the Gironde Estuary, and which featured in its very own Invisible Bordeaux report some time ago. In *Normal Times* the mill is open to the general public and it makes for an interesting visit… Check their website for opening hours; demonstrations of the mill in operation usually take place on Sunday afternoons.

Back in Bordeaux, this big neon “Papiers-Crayons” lettering - to be seen near to Barrière de Pessac - partly obscures the mention of the building’s previous incarnation as the “Halle des Girondins”. There’s a nice ceramic tile thing going on too, with (football fans take note) a bit of an Aston Villa/West Ham/Burnley colour scheme!

Next, we have this set of old petrol pumps (and a heartfelt request from Uncle Sam) behind what used to be the railway station in La Brède.

Just as heartfelt is this minimalist graffiti on rue de la Franchise in Bordeaux!

And we finish off this fourth random series with another picture taken during a memorable flight along the Atlantic coast and down the Gironde estuary (full set available here). This is a bona fide Unesco world heritage site, the rather splendid Citadelle de Blaye. Part of Vauban's fortified "Verrou de l'Estuaire" defences built in the 17th century (also comprising Île Pâté and Fort Médoc). Note the lovely brown waters of the Gironde Estuary!

> 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! 
> Ce dossier également disponible en français !