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 at a time, it means a narrow path where cyclists, skateboarders, walkers, scooter-riders and dog-walkers have to try and not cause too much chaos or injury. It slows us down. We do not ride very fast, but it slows us down.

Already we are slowed down by our new-found respect for red traffic lights. People get Very Annoyed Indeed if cyclist do not obey the red traffic lights. The main crossing we have to do is from the ways to the road up to the cafe. It's a wide road, with four lanes of vehicular traffic, a one-way service road and two tram lines. However the trams cross about every 5 minutes and at the times we travel there is little or no vehicular traffic. 

The lights are reed. The road is clear. There are no trams. There is no traffic. What would you do?

Well if you cross on your bike you are just another of those accursed cyclists who do not respect the red lights. I refuse to do that.

I used, instead, to dismount, push my bicycle across the five empty lanes and the tram lines, then remount and proceed. That way I am just another pedestrian, and it's unreasonable to expect a pedestrian to wait, and wait, and wait until the lights change on an empty road.

Then we had a discussion about respecting the law, and it was made clear that French law requires everyone to wait at a red light until it changes.

So now I sit on my bicycle, like an idiot, for long minutes, greeting the pedestrians and cyclists as they pass, waiting for the lights to change. At least I am setting a good example for the children. If there were any.

I digress.

So the bridge was to be lifted for the 1000th time. The town hall advertised pyrotechnics and a mini-parade of boats. At three in the afternoon. Anyway we hied us down to the quays just by the bridge and found somewhere to sit next to two elderly ladies, just a little younger than us, hum hum. We chatted about the bridge. None of us had seen it rise or lower. We wondered if there would be a drone-show, and maybe a flotilla of canoes. 

Then came the time. Announcements in French and English to clear the bridge. Kaxons and horns sound. Men place extra barriers. The bridge seems to jolt a foot into the air, then begin to lift almost imperceptibly into the sky. It's very exciting.

As it reaches its zenith we notice smoke from the funnel of an ocean liner. Slowly, very slowly it moved into the centre of the river. We watched it begin its journey down stream. As it started coloured fireworks erupted all along the bridge and on the opposite bank with brightly coloured smoke. "Ah yes!", we said.

The liner reached the bridge and began to pass underneath. All along its decks the passengers were waving as fireworks saluted their departure. Some people on the quays waved back. The liner sounded its horn, once, twice... then three times. As the liner left it was followed by some of the river boats. One expensive cruiser showed off by going quickly back and fore. 

The fireworks over, the boats having left, we started our walk back to Quinconces to see the various tents that we had noticed from the tram on the way. 

Yesterday my journey home from the cafe was greatly impeded by masses of people on the quays. There were shows, exhibitions, music groups, festivals, a cruise liner, good weather promenaders, skateboarders, scooter-riders - essentially people everywhere, having a good time in the autumn sunshine. 

I rode, scooted, stopped, chatted with cyclists heading the other way (y'a du monde - ouais c'est com-pli-qué) and eventually got home, tired, but happy to be home at last.