Le Trek Toulouse...

Having got settled into my new location feet toasting near the fire I received a message that I was to be evicted into the cold winter of France. My nephew was arriving with six of his mates for a week of skiing and booze. Actually it was five mates and his girlfriend, a very plucky lady I thought to myself. No room at the inn for me. Being February it was not the ideal time for sightseeing so I thought perhaps a week in Paris visiting the Louvre as it would take a week to get round it all. A quick rethink when I discovered that it would cost me about 260 euros in train fairs alone. Somewhere closer to home was required so I decided upon Toulouse and a very large book to read as I hibernated in the hotel.

Bag packed, key hidden, Saturday 17th February saw me waiting for the train at the halt in Les Cabannes. I had my ticket on my mobile phone as there is no ticket office here. A digital display informs of the arrival of the next three scheduled trains and mine was on time. Two hours later I was outside the railway station in Toulouse looking at directions to my hotel on Google maps. I needn't have bothered, as you can see from the photograph, it was across the road. I navigated the roadworks, walked across the canal bridge and went to book in. Ah, we will look after your case until three o'clock check in. I should have read the small print! never mind there is a very nice bistro on the corner and tummy told me that it was lunch time.

After a fine repast I checked into Néméa Appart'Hôtel Résidence Concorde on Boulevard Bonrepos expecting a single room, a result of my usual search for cheap hotel rooms on Booking.com. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was upgraded to an apartment room. How fortunate, a relaxing place in which to read my book! At that moment it was extremely cold outside. The hotel also has a fitness centre consisting of the usual implements of torture, a sauna, and a spa which I tried out and a breakfast restaurant which I did not, at least until later in the week. Continental, scrambled or boiled eggs, toast all the coffee you can drink 12 euros. It started to rain so I started to read my book after popping into the convenience store next door for a jar of coffee, milk, a bottle of wine and the means with which to make a snack later. Although I usually eat out I thought that this upgrade would suit my purpose admirably.

This was not my first time in Toulouse. I had last visited on a day trip in 2013 and, more recently, driven up with my brother-in-law and friends to see the latest Star Wars movie in 3D during the Christmas holidays. This visit gave me a chance to see Toulouse decked out in festive array, Christmas carols, played by buskers, entertained shoppers and lovers as they strolled through the fairy lights of the park or sampled the delights of the Christmas market. Hot chestnut anyone? I notice that I have captioned some of the photographs with Place de Captiole rather than "Du" as it should be. I shall correct these in due course. I enjoyed the walk around the market and the surrounding streets as much as the movie and subsequent dinner. I love the Christmas spirit wherever I am and it is a delight to sample the festive season in different countries.

Sunday morning arrived cold but sunny. I wondered if there was a Sunday market? Off I went back to the railway station which also houses the metro for customer convenience. I followed the route until I came to the barrier and the ticket machines, not a live soul in sight other than a security guard to make sure that no-one leaps the barrier. It actually proved very simple to produce a three day pass using my credit card even with my lack of French. For 12 euros I could have unlimited travel on the Metro and buses. A tip, buy your ticket in the morning to get maximum value as the days are days not hours. Having bought my ticket I headed off down the steps to the platform. I discovered later that there are also lifts in all metro stations. Once again a simple activity becomes an adventure, the platforms are different here. You cannot get near the line. Barrier doors open when the train arrives, the carriage doors align precisely.  I was looking for Place du Capitole. Only two stops down the line.

I emerged from the metro station just behind the Mairie (Town Hall). There is a small park with children's' play area, apart from the sculptures and other monuments I was intrigued to see a box of books. Locals can deposit and borrow books from boxes such as this, all done on trust. A leisurely stroll down the side of the town hall building took me into Place du Capitole itself. Looking around I mistook the canopied dining areas outside the restaurants for market stalls. I soon realised that it was not the huge Sunday market I had expected, there were only a couple food stalls. Looking around I recognised this square, it was the location of the Christmas market visited in December. It looked rather bleak on a cold post Christmas day. The market and lights had disappeared to be replaced with another surprise of which I shall tell you in my next post.

Please view my Toulouse photo album which gives the story some depth. I shall be adding to it as the adventure continues. You will discover that I did not get very far into that very large book I brought with me!