The French city of Bordeaux beckons visitors with its historical and artistic sights, and good wine. One of the French Slovakists, Mgr. Vivien COSCULLUELA University of Bordeaux, which is currently PhD student at Charles University in Bratislava, will share his impressions of the city where he spent a slice of life.
Bordeaux, Source: Shutterstock.comThe difference between the perception of the Bordeaux local resident and sees him as a foreigner?
Visitors can see a completely different city than five years ago, when it was very dirty facades were black from the exhaust. We chose a new mayor who is trying to make the city look like a few centuries ago, we have quite a beautiful city.
The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, what are the practical consequences?
The Bordeaux now comes a lot of tourists, there is a marina, many restaurants, the city is focused on tourism.
Bordeaux, Source: Shutterstock.comWhat important historical monuments found there?One of the most beautiful theaters in the world, Bolshoi Theatre Grand Théâtre . The Bordeaux is also the largest square in Europe.
What is the nature around the city?
In the city center, the huge square is very beautiful park, and even the suburbs are beautiful parky.V around the vineyards, where you can browse. And near the ocean, about 70 km from the city.
I heard about an unusual sand dune, which is located in these parts …
Dune du Pyla is a huge dune, measured over one hundred meters, was not sure how. Is it the beautiful sea.
Bordeaux is known for its wine. It is really that good?
Bordeaux wines, call the city. The wine is produced there always, I worked in the vineyard … the best in the world, I think objectively, I tasted the wine is aa really good, maybe it’s a special soil, weather, near the ocean, the wind … I do not know.
She lives in a lot of immigrants?
The first wave of immigration was in the thirties of last century. Then people came from Africa and Morocco , from black Africa, from Benin , many Spaniards and Portuguese. My grandfather and grandmother immigrated from Spain under Franco. The town next to each other three quarters, one of which is Portuguese.
Bordeaux, Source: Shutterstock.comWhat are the social problems the city faces? Bordeaux are in some dangerous places?With the strike. Almost every day the strike, it’s almost a French tradition, once the teachers strike, sometimes drivers. The suburbs are a lot of violence, but about the silent. Media silent about how to make people afraid. This is referred to just before the election to vote for Sarkozy and leftists.
Do you meet with any prejudices people have against the French?
They think that we are conceited, haughty supposedly behave, say the French are cocky and do not speak foreign languages. When one listens to it every day, it starts to be tedious. Once I was with a colleague in a company and there was a group of Slovaks who thought that they understand. They said that the French are very rich and that they live like pigs in the Rye … then I was angry.
The French have a habit of traveling?
The French do not like to travel when they go abroad, so before the holiday, not because they want to live anywhere else.