There are several major sporting event that provide a sideshow of scenic beauty that is almost as captivating as the event itself…..and The Tour de France is one of those events…..oh sure, The Masters is played on one of the most spectacularly beautiful golf course in the world….and when the azaleas are in bloom….the golf course become a visual delight…..while snow skiing in the Swiss and Austria Alps provides a panoramic view from atop the highest lift on the slopes of Zermaat or Sanist Moritz in Switzerland…..and Kitzbuhel or Lech am Ariberg in Austria…..have their undeniably majestic views from the top of Europe…..and for serene and tranquil beauty, nothing matches the fly fishing the Animas Riverr and Gunnison River in Colorado…..but when it comes to unequaled diversity and beauty surrounding the entire competition…..nothing, and we mean nothing compares with The Tour de France…..as the race travels up and down The French Alps…..while winding through wine country….with stopping off points like Bordeaux.
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne in the Gironde department in Southwestern France. The municipality of Bordeaux proper has a population of 246,586 as of 2017…..which together with its suburbs and satellite towns is the centre of the Bordeaux Métropole…..with 1,195,335 in the metropolitan area….thus making it is the sixth largest in France….after Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Lille. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region….as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called “Bordelais” (for men) or “Bordelaises” (women).
Being at the center of a major wine-growing and wine-producing region….Bordeaux remains a prominent powerhouse….which exercises significant influence on the world wine industry….although no wine production is done within the city limits. Bordeaux is home to the world’s main wine fair, Vinexpo….and the wine economy in the metro area takes in 14.5 billion euros each year. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble” of the 18th century. After Paris, Bordeaux has the highest number of preserved historical buildings of any city in France…..and CBS’s John Dockery provides a wonderful look at this distinctively beautiful city during the 1987 Tour de France.
