Cruise ships
This week in Bordeaux saw the 1000th lifting of the Chaban-Delmas Bridge. The Chaban-Delmas Bridge is named after one of Bordeaux' former mayors, a resistant during the Second World War and a man already honoured by an enormous statue in the town hall square. The bridge is the largest lifting bridge in Europe and raises and lowers to admit ocean liners and tall ships into the heart of the city. Ocean liners have been a matter of debate in the city for a while. They are very big indeed, towering over the already imposing buildings on the quays. They come into the heart of the city and moor at the bottom of the Place des Quinconces, the huge ceremonial square where two main tram lines cross. Tourists gain immediate access to the shops, cafés, restaurants, parks and museums of the city without having to take transport to and from their ship. However their presence causes congestion on the quays. Pat and I ride along the quays to the cafe most days, and when ships are in, sometimes two