Libby and I strolled down the historic quai that once was once bustling with wine merchant boats but now the river is empty; although the beautifully and modern restoration of the old quai buildings has now brought a new kind of bustle – one of city folk, shoppers, old, young couples, skate boarders, dog walkers, roller bladders…. all kinds of people, and it’s great! We wandered down to the Chartrons area where we could see the magnificent new Bacalan-Bastide bridge construction beginning to surface from the now finished submerged foundations. 
The bridge that is being built is quite a feat and the biggest of its kind in the world. The bridge spans the Gironde and has an immense section that can rise horizontally from a low river bank position up to a height high enough to allow tall ships to pass underneath, and I now have even more in depth knowledge, from visiting the wonderful bridge exposition on the Quai that explains the full project. 
I also took the opportunity to have my photo taken at the early bridge building stage! 
Further to this there is another exposition of world’s greatest bridges featuring all the most famous and historical structures which included our very own Le Pont Neuf de Castillon-La-Bataille that was blown apart by the allies the same time as the Chai roof was - and there is the Chai Au Quai connection to our Sunday day out in Bordeaux! 
For any spider lovers there is also an amazing random guest exposition on spiders! So with my bridge and spider knowledge up to scratch I was fuller equipped to buy an entire belly of pork which I then spent the rest of the day cutting up and cooking, eventually eaten with an also long awaited 2005 Grand Chai St.Emilion Grand Cru, both well worth the wait! Visit laithwaites.co.uk
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