I don’t have a ton to say about Bordeaux, so I figured I’d let this slideshow do most of the talking. The city itself has the same white stone buildings, narrow streets with tiny cars, cobblestone walkways and roundabouts that seem to compose most French cities. It’s cluttered with cathedrals and monuments and is cut in half by a river, from which can be seen a line of old buildings broken up by the dark, ornate steeple tips and a couple of long bridges.

I spent two days in the city, one by myself and another with a friend, wandering the streets, popping in and out of churches and snapping pictures of statues. As a poor college student, I couldn’t exactly afford the nice wine and gourmet meals that are the city’s primary draws, so there wasn’t much to do except seek out free museums and just walk around. The Garonne River and the historic-looking architecture provided some very picturesque views, and leisurely exploring the very French-looking streets was really relaxing, but in the end I’m glad I only had two days there.

Possibly the coolest part of the Bordeaux section of my trip was the train ride out, not because I was dying to leave but because of the vineyards and forest groves and small houses that I could see from my window. I couldn’t help but stare at the views and contemplate how such a humble-looking region could produce some of the best and most expensive wines in the world. As the train continued south, the hilly countryside gradually swelled into the Pyrenees Mountains, which line the Franco-Spanish border, and I suddenly found myself in Spain, where the next and more exciting segment of my trip began.