Squares (or places in French) play a unifying role in cities. As places where streets and avenues come together, easy-to-find points of reference and meeting places for children, OAPs, lovers and tourists, they allow us all to tak…

For many people, especially outside France, Bordeaux is synonymous with wine. But this city whose name is inscribed on thousands of bottles does not actually have any large vineyards within its boundaries. I have a few places wher…

As soon as the sun starts to shine, residents of Bordeaux are irresistibly drawn to the Bay of Arcachon. Yet the beach isn’t the only thing this little inland sea has to offer.Sixty or so kilometres from Bordeaux, the Arcachon Bay…