Daily life
Titre de séjour
TEE-truh duh say-ZHOOR
Your residence permit. A long-stay visa becomes one once validated online within three months of arrival.
ANEF
a-NEF
The online platform where almost all immigration procedures now happen. Slow, occasionally broken, and unavoidable.
Carte Vitale
kart vee-TAL
The green health insurance card. Getting one takes months; until then you pay and claim back on paper.
Garant
ga-RAHN
A guarantor for your rent — the central obstacle in French renting. Visale is the free state-backed alternative.
Encadrement des loyers
on-kadr-MON deh lwa-YAY
Rent control. Bordeaux caps what a landlord may charge by area, size and vintage — the reference rates are public and the cap is enforceable.
Le bassin
luh ba-SAN
The Bassin d'Arcachon, an hour west — oysters, dunes and where the entire city goes at the weekend.
Culture
La pierre blonde
la pyair BLOND
The pale limestone the whole eighteenth-century city is built from, which is why Bordeaux looks like one continuous architectural gesture.
Le Port de la Lune
luh por duh la LUNN
'The port of the moon' — the crescent bend of the Garonne the city curves around, and the name of its UNESCO listing.
Chai
shay
A wine storehouse or cellar. The word is everywhere here, in place names, restaurant names and job titles.
Canelé
kan-LAY
The small fluted cake with a dark caramelised crust and a soft custard centre. Bordeaux's own, and eaten constantly.
Emergency
15 / 17 / 18 / 112
—
15 for medical emergencies (SAMU), 17 for police, 18 for fire. 112 works for all and has English-speaking operators.
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