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    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 19

      Last afternoon and evening in Toulouse

      October 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      After our sumptuous lunch we decided we needed to increase our steps. Nathalie, our Airbnb host, had suggested the area immediately behind our apartment to explore, telling us it was her favourite part of the city. As it turns out we, had been into the area (Les Carmes) as part of the wine bar tour, but everything looks different at night after a few wines!

      We walked along the main street immediately behind our apartment, passing Notre-Dame de La Daurade, a basilica that was established in 410, when Emperor Honorius allowed the conversion of pagan temples to Christianity. The original building of Notre-Dame de La Daurade was a temple dedicated to Apollo.

      As we meandered through the Les Carmes district we passed some lovely stores, restaurants and wine bars, but most were shut. There were a lot of hairdressers in this area - I spotted at least 5 or 6 within a couple of streets.

      We saw Notre-Dame de La Dalbade, which has a very impressive Tympanum. A Tympanum is the area between the lintel over a doorway and the arch above. We also passed Hôtel d’Ulmo, a Renaissance Hôtel of the 16th century. It has been a listed historical monument since 1925. Another impressive building we passed was Hôtel de Pierre, a very fancy private home. It was impossible to tell if it is still a private home and if it was still inhabited.

      At the end of the street we were in the Salin district. We then did a sharp left and walked back through the Les Carmes district, some of which we had seen the previous Saturday on our wine bar tour. We then headed back to the Main Street that runs across the Pont Neuf bridge, Rue de Metz. I had a hankering for an ice-cream, and we found a great place close by, Madame Bovary, Salon de Thé.

      For our last dinner in Toulouse we went to the Brasserie Les Beaux-Arts, located very close to the Pont Neuf and our apartment. As we had had a very generous lunch, we decided to just have an entree and a dessert, with a bottle of Gaillac wine. It was delicious.      Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 17

      Next stop Toulouse

      September 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      We had a very relaxed start today as we aren’t due to catch our train to Toulouse until midday. We met for breakfast around 8.30 am and Brigitte informed us that she had won a bottle of wine for tipping the closest to the NZ v Italy match. We had arranged with the hotel for a taxi to pick us up at 10.45am to take us to the station, but the taxi hadn’t arrived by 11am and so Brigitte checked with reception. They contacted the taxi company who said they didn’t have a booking (which was a lie), and the hotel told us this happens all the time. Luckily, Julian, the hotel duty manager, offered to take us.

      We were waiting on the platform at Albi-Ville when a train to Toulouse arrived. We thought it would wait 20 minutes before departing but, as we were getting on, the departure buzzer started sounding. We boarded it anyway. Actually, we boarded it, jumped off, jumped back on and nearly got caught in the doors, not knowing if it was the correct train until a local confirmed it was indeed going to Toulouse. Turns out it was the earlier train but, as our ticket wasn’t assigned seats, we could catch this one. The conductor didn’t care, and I think had been amused by our little spectacle at the station.

      The trip to Toulouse was smooth and quick. On arrival we decided to have lunch at a Brasserie at the station before jumping in a taxi to our Airbnb. We were waiting in the correct spot with an elderly couple, but noticed people waiting closer to where the taxis enter to try and jump the queue - bloody French they love to break the rules. The old couple just ahead of us in the queue told us this happens all the time but they hailed the cab as soon as it entered the area and it came up to them. When the next taxi arrived, the queue jumpers tried to hail it down but we made it clear the taxi was for us and the driver actually told them they were in the wrong spot. So, they moved up to join the official line, making out they hadn’t realised.

      Our trip to the Airbnb was fairly short but there were a number of “near misses” with scooters, bikes and motorcycles - you have to be really careful as no-one seems to follow the road rules, especially the scooters and bikes. They go the wrong way up narrow crowded streets and expect everyone to get out of their way. The taxi driver said it had been much worse after COVID.

      We finally made it to our apartment and we were met by Nathalie, our host, who explained how things worked and gave us some tips about the area. We are situated right opposite the river Garonne and very centrally located, which is ideal when you want to walk everywhere. We went out to grab supplies from the local supermarket and have a bit of a look around. Tonight we have our wine bar tour with Jessica.      Read more

    • Kurztrip Toulouse
      Day 2

      Toulouse, la Ville Rose

      May 27, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Auf unserer heutigen fußläufigen Sightseeingtour konnten wir diese schöne Stadt ein wenig erkunden.
      Die wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten wie das Capitol, die Kathedrale St. Sernin und weitere historische Stätte waren ein super Tagesprogramm für einen wirklich warmen Tag.
      Bei 30 Grad haben wir somit am Ende des Tages ca. 12 km zu Fuß abgespult. 🏃‍♂️
      Wenn man ehrlich ist, sind die Sehenswürdigkeiten nicht hoch-spektakulär, aber man kann schon sagen, dass das allgemeine Stadtbild einfach heraussticht.

      Ob Hauptverkehrsstraße oder nicht - überall bilden sich Alleen, weil die Stadt mit Bäumen durchzogen ist. Kleinere Parks, die aus dem nichts auftauchen, Kanäle, die sich durch das Stadtgebiet schlängeln und Fußgängerzonen, die schier nicht enden wollen. Währenddessen wird das Bild von der Architektur abgerundet. Nicht umsonst wird Toulouse auch „The Pink City“ genannt, denn ein Großteil der Gebäude wurde mit rot-braunen Backsteinen erbaut und je nach Licht und Tagesform kann man schon mal denken, dass die Backsteine ein wenig rosa schimmern 😉

      Aufgrund der Hitze sind wir oft in kleineren Bars eingekehrt und haben uns ein wenig „abgekühlt“ und die letzten Sonnenstrahlen konnten wir sogar auf einem Rooftop bei einem kühlen blonden genießen 😁

      Morgen wollen wir uns den Rest der Altstadt anschauen, die wir heute nur zum Teil gesehen haben. Vielleicht ist noch ein wenig Zeit zum bummeln oder shoppen drin, aber wir schauen mal was der Tag so bringt.

      Bis morgen und viel Spaß bei den Bildern ✌️      Read more

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    • Maddy on TourVive la France I
      Day 6

      Laisser dériver - treiben lassen

      September 28, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Was für ein schöner Tag. Die Sonne scheint seit dem Nachmittag und es ist angenehm warm. Ich war gleich morgens im Jardin Public und Jardin des Plantes. Es war vor allem schön ruhig, aber mit den Pariser Parks können beide hier nicht mithalten. Danach wollte ich ins Musée des Augustins, aber das hatte leider geschlossen. Ich erinnere mich daran, dass Sandra und ich letztes Jahr ewig drin waren, weil es so schön war, vor allem im Kreuzgang mit dem tollen Garten. Als Alternative bot sich der Couvent des Jacobines an, aber für 5 Euro Eintritt habe ich mehr erwartet. Das Kirchenschiff war recht eindrucksvoll. Danach habe ich mich treiben lassen, die Gassen sind herrlich zum Schlendern. Gegessen habe ich wieder im Tom Pouce Café, weil es dort sehr lecker war.Read more

    • Viajando cuatro
      Day 48

      Tolouse

      November 9, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Cuando hice mi Erasmus, mi idea era ir a una ciudad así. Qué bonita. En aquel entonces no pude elegirla y casi casi que me tocó al final Mulhouse. Nunca imaginé que sus mercados navideños se convertirían en lo que son hoy por hoy. Tampoco imaginé que allí haría una amistad de por vida que me llevaría a adentrarme en este país tanto para poder verlo después de dos años.

      Toulouse y sus tonos pastel enamoran. Esa armonía que se mantiene por todo su centro histórico. Es una ciudad que te deja con ganas de saborearla más y más. Unai volvió a saborearla en forma de croissant 🥐 e Izei danzando en la mochila. Cerca del río, el frío empieza a notarse y, nosotros acostumbrados a poca ropa, nos congelamos en un par de minutos, sobre todo, yo.

      Dejamos Toulouse con la impresión de verla a medias, de no haber disfrutado de su día a día como nos gusta a nosotros, de entrar en una cafetería o comer en un bistrot, pero sé que algún día volveremos. Tal vez Unai quiera vivir allí, o Izei se enamore de alguien que viva cerca 🧡. Nunca cortaremos las alas a nuestros hijos. Que vuelen alto y a donde quieran.      Read more

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    • Maddy on TourVive la France I
      Day 6

      Lieblingsplatz

      September 28, 2019 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Ich saß lange bei Wein und Buch an meinem absoluten Lieblingsplatz, dem Place Saint-Etienne. Hier kommen kaum Touristen her, es ist halbwegs ruhig und wunderschön. Zu empfehlen ist das Café Le Syléne genau gegenüber der Kathedrale. Kaffee und Wein schmecken vorzüglich und der Blick ist toll. In der Nähe ist auch die Pâtisserie Conté, die ein vielfältiges und leckeres Angebot hat. Die 1/2 gâteaus sehen toll aus und sind zum Durchprobieren bestens geeignet.Read more

    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 19

      More of Toulouse including a fab lunch

      October 2, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

      We continued to explore the lovely streets of Toulouse, admiring the wonderful architecture. Next stop was the Basilica of St. Sernin. Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current church is located on the site of a previous basilica of the 4th century which contained the body of Saint Saturnin or Sernin, the first bishop of Toulouse in c 250.

      Constructed in the Romanesque style between about 1080 and 1120, Saint-Sernin is the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe. The church is particularly noted for the quality and quantity of its Romanesque sculpture. In 1998 the Basilica was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the description: World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

      We then headed off in search of a nice restaurant for lunch and we found one. Ian had spotted this place earlier and it looked good. It was called Gueuleton, Le Repaire des Bons Vivants. The name appealed. Great staff (the manager had lived in South Melbourne for 3 years pre-COVID) and great service, with quality wine and delicious food. We ordered a local variety we haven’t had before, an AOP Fronton, which is 100% négrette. We all thought it was excellent, a good lunchtime wine. Ian had wanted to try this wine, but most restaurants sold mainly Gaillac wines or wines from other regions of France. Our waiter explained that this was because many of the producers had moved into cheap bulk wine, and this has tarnished its reputation.

      Brigitte and I had ceviche for entree and Ian had pork on a bed of hummus, and for mains Brigitte and I had steak and Ian had grilled pork loin. This was the first steak I have had this holiday and it was absolutely delicious. We also had fries and salad with the main. We could not consider dessert, but we did have a cortado with a bit of cream, which is very naughty but nice. The waiter was a bit cheeky and, because they didn’t have milk - which the French don’t have in their coffee - he loaded it up with clotted cream.

      We then headed off to explore the old part of Toulouse, which is located just behind our apartment. This was our Airbnb host’s favourite area and it didn’t disappoint. Next instalment to follow.      Read more

    • Alejandro QuesadaRégion Occitanie 🇫🇷🌻
      Day 2

      Musée des Augustins 🎨📚🎠

      September 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      J'ai plus de temps que je ne le pensais, alors je décide de visiter une basilique qui est proche d'ici. Plus précisément, la Basilique de Notre Dame la Daurade ⛪

      Je rentre à 14h54 et j'arrive pas à croire ma chance quand je lis à l'entrée qu'il aura un Concert d'Orge à 15h 🍀

      Je fais un petit tour et je remarque qu'il y a tellement beaucoup de tombes à la base de chaque colombe de l'église avec les mots "Merci", "Reconnaissances" et "Remerciements". Un peu perturbant après avoir vu tel quantité ensemble.

      Le concert commence et je reste le temps d'écouter deux belles œuvres avec le reflet des vitraux sur une statue à l'intérieur de la basilique, juste au dessus du pianiste. Cela me semble magique 💫

      Dernière point touristique à voir : le Musée des Augustins. Il s'agit d'un musée des beaux arts qui est partiellement ouvert au public pour qu'on voit le cloître et l'église, avec quelques expositions à l'intérieur. Au cloître il y a des ateliers de peinture thématiques et j'adore voir les personnes participer 🎨

      Quelques petits arrêts sur mon chemin de retour dans quelques magasins que j'adore comme HEMA ou Søstrene Grene, où j'achète plusieurs cahiers dont l'utilisation se veut comme des écrits de réflexions de vie, notamment lors de mes voyages 📚

      À la gare routière je me mets à l'aise pour écrire et continuer à écouter de la musique en français, fière d'avoir passé un si bon moment à visiter cette belle ville et déjà en train de penser à la prochaine 🚈💨      Read more

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    • TravelerEurope 2023
      Day 17

      Wine Bar Tour

      September 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      We headed off from our digs around 30 minutes before we were due to meet up for the wine bar tour so that we could take in the sights on the way. It was very warm and there were people everywhere. Toulouse is a lovely city with interesting architecture.

      Toulouse is the fourth-largest city in France and is often referred to as the “Pink City”. It derives its name from the pink terracotta bricks used in the construction of many of its most prominent buildings. Stone is rare around this area, whereas clay with a high concentration of iron oxide, which gives it a pink colour during firing, is plentiful.

      We met Jessica and the rest of our group at the allotted time. There were six of us taking the tour, Amy and Betsy from the US and Celia from Ireland. Jessica our tour guide is originally from the US but moved to Toulouse in 2017 and now calls it home.

      We headed off and our first stop was L’Alimentation, Le Bar a Vin, where we tried Crémant from Limoux. Crémant is a type of sparkling wine, like champagne but cheaper. It was a lovely sparkling wine (even for this champagne snob!). Crémant de Limoux is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Chenin Blanc.

      Our next stop was Maison Sarment. Our sommelier, Nico, had spent some time in Melbourne and worked at Milk The Cow Licensed Fromagerie in St Kilda. Nico gave us two very nice wines to taste; Secret de Pierre 2022, dry white (IGP Côtes Catalanes, 100% Muscat d’Alexandrie) was the first. The second was Château Adélaide - Cuvée Tradition 2016 rouge (AOC Gaillac red wine; 80% Duras, 20% Braucol). We also had a delicious charcuterie board to accompany the wine to ensure we didn’t get too drunk too early!

      Our last stop was Le 5 Wine Bar, voted World Best Wine Bar for 3 years in a row, from 2017 to 2019. They have forty wines on tap with helpful tasting notes. You get a card that you swipe to select your wine and you can have a splash, a half serve or a full glass. You pay for what you drink. It was a really fun place with a nice vibe and friendly and helpful staff. As part of the tour you get a couple of half glasses of your choice.

      The tour concluded at 8.30 pm and Jessica left us, as did Amy and Betsy (they had a dinner reservation). Celia stayed on with us and we got our own swipe card so that we could try some more wines. We also had a couple of share plates ,which were delicious, and finished with a fig dessert.

      Side note - during the evening I was speaking to Amy and Betsy and we got onto our heritages. It turns out they have some Hungarian ancestry and all they know about it is the name which is Szecsodi - which is the same surname as my uncle - so I will need to check with him about any of his family who may have migrated to the US.

      It was a really fun tour, Jessica is passionate about local wines and we had a fun group. It is a nice way to get a first look at the city.      Read more

    • Alejandro QuesadaRégion Occitanie 🇫🇷🌻
      Day 2

      Place du Capitol et La Garonne 🎶⛵🌞

      September 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      C'est presque midi au moment où j'arrive à la Place du Capitol, 🌞 où l'on retrouve un nombre important de gendarmes à chaque entrée. Au début je suis un peu surpris, mais je me rends compte que là se déroule un espèce d'événement de musique. C'est évident qu'on est en France quand même 👀

      C'est très sympa l'ambiance et je me repose un peu, mais pas beaucoup car la chaleur commence à arriver. Cela me fait aller directement à côté de la rivière Garonne, celle qui traverse la ville de Toulouse ⛵

      Je regarde la Place de la Daurade d'en haut avant d'aller à Toulouse rive gauche, en traversant le Pont Neuf, le plus moche, car il a la vu la plus jolie 😂 du Pont Saint Pierre ☀️✌🏼      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Toulouse

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