Valerie was the best part of being in Bordeaux, which has plenty to offer on its own. She is genial and speaks excellent English. As a Bordeaux native, she knows the ins and outs of places that might get only a brief mention in a guidebook, like a very early Christian church with strange stone sculptures she recommended (for the next visit). She keeps a big stack of guides in various languages and a rack of umbrellas for Bordeaux downpours for her visitors' use.
Her breakfasts in the dining room with a view of the patio were terrific, too--mini-crepes, baguettes, yogurt, five kinds of jams including at least one, the fig confiture, that she made herself with the bounty from her garden. She gave detailed explanations of things like where to go for a weeklong transport pass when the machine at the tram stop wouldn't accept my credit card.