Bordeaux vs. Paris

Gelin sizinle bir karsilastirma yapalim. Iki guzel sehre dalalim ve hangisinde yasamak isterdiniz karar verelim. 

Bana gore Bordeaux unlu bir top modelin hic taninmayan ikizi. Aslinda dunyanin en buyuk ve en lezzetli sarap ureticilerinden bir tanesi ve benim gibi sarap sevenler icin bu sep bile unlu kizkardesi Paris'i alt etmeye aday. Biliyorum biliyorum hadi Ezgi sen de dediginizi duyar gibiyim. Her ne kadar Paris duzenli buyuk bulvarlariyla, tarihiyle ve isiklariyla kalbimizin en guzel koselerinden birinde yer alsa da, inanin bana Bordeaux'da da hic kucumsenmeyecek guzellikler gizli. Bir cok baskentin en buyuk, 18.yy la ait bulvarlari Bordeaux dan model alinarak insa edilmistir ve toplu olarak UNESCO Dunya Miraslari arasinda yerini almistir. Sehre girer girmez dikkatinizi ceken baska bir sey daha var; sizlere bir anda ortadogu mimarisini animsatan kirec tasindan yapilmis binalar. Sehre neoklasik bir hava veren bu binalar belirli araliklarla parlatildiklarindan zamana karsi dimdik durarak, sizleri selamliyor. Anlayacaginiz isiklarin sehrinden farkli, Bordeaux sevginizi kazanmak icin cok cabaliyor.  

Let's make a comparison with you, let's dive into two beautiful cities and decide which one would you prefer. 

According to me, Bordeaux is like the non-famous twin sister of a celebrity. In fact, as a wine lover, even it could easily pass her famous sister Paris by being one of the largest and delicious wine producer in the world. I know, I know I hear many of you say come one Ezgi! But believe me although Paris able to steal your heart with a big, planned boulevards, its history and lights, there are many things in Bordeaux enough to bring you there. For example many of the capital's grandest 18th century boulevards and buildings were modeled after Bordeaux, which were collectively granted UNESCO World Heritage Site. As soon as you enter the city there is something else take your attention; limestone buildings which make you feel as if you are somewhere in Middle-East especially Syria. Thanks to revitalization effort, these neoclassical buildings still able to welcome you by making head to time. As you understand the difference of this non-famous twin sister is that she is trying a lot harder to win your love. 

Jardin Botanique of Bordeaux or Tuileries of Paris

Botanik bahcelerinin pek bana gore olmadigini soyler dururum fakat, ayni zamanda da sehrin gobegindeki kocaman yesil alanlara da hayir diyemem tabiki. Ozellikle de sonbaharda o sicak renklerin yaratmis oldugu manzaranin size verdigi sonsuz huzur hissine... Bence burayi Tuileries'in yogun turist yiginina tercih edebilirsiniz. Hem bu botanik bahcesi sizin icin onlardan kacmaniza yetecek kadar buyuk. 

I always say botanic gardens aren't my type. But at the same time I can't say no to big green grass areas in the middle of the cities. Especially the view and the colors of such places in the beginning of fall gives you eternal peace. So, you may prefer this nice garden to Tuileries' big tourist mass. Here, at least you have huge area to escape from them. 

CAPC Instead of Centre Pompidou 

CAPC, 1820 lerden kalma bir liman deposunun 1973'de Modern Sanatlar Muzesine donusturlmus hali. Her ne kadar Paris'in katalog muzeleri kadar genis bir koleksiyona sahip olmasa da - mesela Pampidou yaklasik 50.000 eser barindirken CAPC sadece 100 u kalici 600 esere sahip - Pampidou ile aralarinda bir kidem farki var ki, onunde saygiyla egiliyoruz. 4 yil daha yasli olan CAPS Fransa'da Keith Harring, Richard Serra ve Frank Stella gibi sanatcilarin  eserlerinin ilk sergilendigi yer. Ayrica her seyden once mimarisi dolayisiyla gorulmesi gereken bir yer. Pampidou'nun yapayligina karsi CAPS'in zamana meydan okuyan binasi. 

Opened in 1973 in an 1820s warehouse on the harbor, the CAPC Musée D’Art Contemporain de Bordeaux may not have quite the catalogue of the Paris' inside-out art museum (with 600 works by 100 artists in its collection, compared with the Pompidou’s 50,000), but it does have seniority: It’s a full four years older than the Pompidou and was the first museum in France to display pieces by Keith Haring, Richard Serra, and Frank Stella. More than that it's a place you should visit just because of its history. Plasticated Pampidou vs. full of history stand against time of CAPS... 

Chartrons instead of the Marais

Chartron'a Bordeaux'nun en yeni "bobo" bolgesi diyebiliriz. Bolgenin antikacilarina, yeni eklenen ve sayilari gun gectikce artan kafeler, butik hoteller, birbinden farkli sanat galerileri ve dizayn butikler ziyaretinizi daha da keyifli hale gitiriyor.  Her seye ragmen buranin bir Marais olmasina daha cok var diyebiliriz. Ama siz yine de bu adresleri gormeden donmeyin; Londra'dan eski bir moda editoru'nun sirin mi sirin butigi "Lily Blake", her turlu vintage esyayi bulabileceginiz "Ouai des Marques", bin bir turlu seyin bulundugu "La Patine du Temps" ve minimal tasarimlarini cok seveceginiz dekorasyon magazasi "O Design".

Bordeaux’s newest bobo district, Chartrons makes your visit more enjoyable with expat-run cafés, boutique hotels, antic shops, art galleries and design boutiques. Even for all that it still has long way to be like her elder sister Marais. But it doesn't matter, enjoy your trip and don't turn back without visiting these places; "Lily Blake" run by a former Londoner fashion editor,"Ouai des Marques" where you can find tons of vintage stuff, "La Patine du Temps" where you can find almost everything and lastly "O Design" decoration shop has nice minimal designs.   

Lastly Drinking -and more Instead of Smoking 

Bildiginiz gibi Paris kaldirimlara atilan sigara izmaritleriyle de unludur. Fakat pek de unlu olmayan ikiz kardesi Bordeaux daha masum oldugundan sadece sarapla yetiniyor. Bununla da kalmiyor her gecen gun acilan sarap barlariyla ve restoranlariyla da kotu aliskanliklari olan kiz kardesine meydan okuyor. Iste size bu guzel geziye kadeh kaldirip yaninda da guzel tadlar deneyeceginiz bir kac adres; "Molly Malone's", klasik Irlanda publarindan birinin biranin yaninda en leziz bordo saraplarindan sunan versiyonu ayrica Fish and Chips leri kesinlikle bu zamana kadar yediklerimizin en iyilerinden, "Chez Dupond" geleneksel leziz mutfagiyla kesinlikle menuden gozleriniz kapali secim yapabileceginiz bir yer ve son olarak geceyi Garonne nehrinin uzerinde bir teknede sonlandirmak isterseniz sizleri Bordeaux nun en guzel mekanina "I.Boat" a alayim. 

As you know Paris is famous with cigarette ends thrown on the streets. As her unknown sister is more innocent than her, she just makes do with wine. Even she challenges her day by day increasing number of wine bars and restaurants. Here some places you can rise your glass to this beautiful trip; "Molly Malone's" is an Irish Pub beyond the classic ones because it serves wide range of good wine also fish and chips are one of the best we've ever eaten, "Chez Dupond" with their delicious traditional cuisine i definitely suggest you can choose anything from the menu eyes wide shut, lastly if you wanna end the night in a boat on Garonne, I'm inviting you to "I.Boat" decommissioned ferry that hosts dance parties, rock bands, and cinema events on weekends.

Nereyi secersiniz bilmem ama ben bu 4 gunluk tatilin sonunda evime dondugumde agzimdan iyi ki de Paris'te yasiyorum diye bir cumle geciverdi aklimdan. Hadi itiraf edelim hepimiz kotu seyleri ve onlarin bizi goturdugu yollari az cok seviyoruz. Zaten birazcik kotu aliskanliktan kimseye bir zarar gelmez :) 

I don't know where would you choose, but when I turned back my home from this beautiful 4 days vacation, suddenly a sentence -which even shocked me- goes out from my lips "thanks God I'm living in Paris" . Let's confess we all , more or less,  like bad things and the point they bring us. Anyway little bit of bad habits does't kill anyone.  

Woolrich  parka / Zara top / American Apparel Jean / Nike blazers / Celine trio bag

Pics by me and JB