I’m writing this post on the train on the way to Toulouse. We’ve been in Bordeaux for the last two days and once again, we wish we had more time to visit. The weather wasn’t ideal for touring around the city – lots of rain and around 7 degrees but we had our umbrellas and made our way around town. Apparently, 10 days ago it was 25 degrees and sunny in Bordeaux. Most people recognized our Canadian accent and said we must be used to this ‘cold’ weather. Cold? It’s above zero! A woman we talked to in a market in Paris said the same thing, but it was clear she didn’t realize how cold it could really be in Canada. When we told her about our -30 winters, she looked confused and asked ‘but how do people get around to run errands and go to the market in that kind of weather?’ I think she’d have trouble in Canada.

Where was I…Oh yes. In Bordeaux, we spent most our time in the downtown area. Like many cities in France, the downtown was a web of narrow winding streets with so many unique food, clothing and wine shops. I love these streets so much because just when you think you saw all there was to see, you look to your right and there’s another neat place to check out. Apart from shopping, we checked out a concert our first night in town. Coeur de Pirate (Béatrice Martin) is a musician from Montréal who has become quite popular in France. All her songs are in French and she’s really a great artist. So when Jordan found out at 6pm that she was playing in Bordeaux that very night at 9pm, we decided we HAD to go. Here’s the pickle: the concert was sold out. Jordan, however, saw this as a challenge. So at 7pm we hopped on a Tram and were on our way hoping there would be scalpers. We walked around a bit and didn’t see or hear anyone selling their tickets. I got in line anyways so that if we did get tickets, we’d be close to the stage. Meanwhile, Jordan went up and down the big line asking….wait, I should say screaming: ‘Est-ce que quelqu’un vend leur billet?’ (Translation: Is anyone selling their ticket?). A few people didn’t really understand him said “Quoi?” but eventually someone said ‘Yes’. Too bad it was just one ticket. Now we were in line with one ticket, wondering if we should try to sell it or keep asking for another ticket. Every 10 minutes Jordan went back down the line and he’d hear people saying, “oh, il retourne encore” (Translation: “Oh, here he comes again”). Hahah it was too funny to see. Anyways, I’m glad to report that Jordan’s efforts paid off. Just as we were about to enter the building with only one ticket in hand, the guy behind us said he had an extra one and in we went.

The opener was a girl from Paris who sounded a bit ‘blues-y’ and she was really good. Then at 10pm, Coeur de Pirate took the stage! After her first song, she started talking and her voice sounded awful. Turns out she had strep throat but didn’t want to cancel the show. What a trooper. So instead, she asked for the crowd’s help to sing the songs. Raspy voice aside, she was great. But about six songs in, things started to get weird. A woman passed out and was carried out. Then, about 10 minutes later, the fire department interrupted the show and asked anyone felt sick because three girls had just fallen ill. Nobody said anything, so the show went on. But then, another 10 minutes later, a guy in the audience interrupts the show again saying another girl had just passed out beside him. Jordan and I decided that was it: we needed to leave. Something weird was going on there because it wasn’t that hot in the building and the girls who passed out came from around the concert hall. When we made our way out, the lounge just outside the hall was full of girls looking sick and one was convulsing. Very, very weird. We checked the news the next day and didn’t find a mention of it so whatever was going on that night will remain a mystery. That aside, the show was great and we’re glad we went.

Next stop: Toulouse!