The quarter of Saint-Michel, built
around the flamboyant gothic style
Basilica, dedicated to the Archangel
is by far the most lively and
colourful quarter in the city.
There is a market under the beautiful
spire every Monday and Saturday morning,
and the shops around the square make
for a lively and authentic atmosphere
that the Bordelais poets such as Meste
Verdié and Ulysse Despaux have
always appreciated.
The flat-bottomed river boats loaded
with wood from Quercy, Rouergue and
Gascogne moored beneath Saint-Michel,
unloading the wood that was sent to
the carpenters' workshops in rue Carpenteyre,
and the coopers in rue de la Fusterie.
The blacksmiths and armourers worked
in the forges of the rue des Faures.
The salt, stored on the quai Des Salinières,
was used for conserving fish and meat
in rue de la Rousselle.
Craftsmen, seamen from around the world,
porters, passers by and the bourgeois
mingled and bargained; beggars and merchants
harassed all that came with their colourful
and vulgar language. There was singing,
card games and drinking in the numerous
cabarets that served drinks of the day. |
| Pierre
COUDROY DE LILLE |
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