Some of the best wines in the world are produced here. Another fact about the city is that you’ll get the impression there are just too many posh cars zooming past, including those fancy, powerful sports cars being driven by priests with their robes flying.
When we talk about wines the word ‘Chateau’ gets associated with many of them. Fact is wines were never produced in chateaus. It was only in the nineteenth century that some of the winery owners who had made big money built chateaus for themselves and these have nothing to do with history. Once the word was associated with wines and brought results the others soon followed the gimmick for marketing even if the wine was being produced in a barn. Till date there are several momma and papa wineries operating out of humble buildings and produce fine wines in limited quantities.
All said and done, Bordeaux is an interesting city. While most of the inhabitants speak English, it is best to know French when you move here to study.
Apart from wines, the city is known for its architecture, exceptional cuisine, the city has an atrocious number of Michelin star restaurants, magnificent views, of course the world’s best wine museum, the usual night clubs both expensive and the affordable ones for students and the river Garonne a walk alongside which is a pleasure in itself.
As usual we would request you to check out the websites of the two excellent universities so you find the courses most suited to you:
Universite de Pau et Pays des L’Adour
Official website
Universite Bordeaux Montaigne
Official website
Those students who wish to earn while they learn often work part time in restaurants and during the season for grape harvesting that begins in August and goes on till October. Grape harvesting is hard work but pays the minimum wages which is just under 10 Euros an hour.
Cost of Living
Accommodations, including shared ones are fairly expensive and a monthly budget exclusive of your fees of between 1100 to 1200 $ should help you get by.
I know of what used to be a student couple who went to Bordeaux to study and after graduating set up a wine bar in Prague to great success. They didn’t do any wine tasting course but went about educating themselves on wines during their spare time.
Photos: Shutterstock
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