Bordeaux

I didn't love Bordeaux--it's very similar in appearance to Paris, just a bit more run down and with three times the dog poop on the street. I got the impression that the Bordeaux region is the place to visit, not the city itself.

I did like visiting the belfry of the Basilique St-Michel. At one time, it was a notorious prison--after the criminals died, their bodies were placed outside, for all to see. The pictures were disturbing, to say the least--dozens of rotting corpses propped against the wall. Now it's just a bell tower, but one that includes access to the inner workings of the bells. I enjoyed watching how everything works.