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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 12:51:56 GMT
To give you an idea about another part of France, I went downtown with my camera on Friday -- a sunny day. These pictures were all taken in the old centre of Toulouse. As soon as the sun comes out, there are loads of people sitting outside.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 12:54:47 GMT
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 12:59:50 GMT
When we first arrived in Toulouse, this used to be a parking lot. Long before that, it was a small branch of the Garonne River called La Garonnette And here is the Garonne, with the bridge called the Pont Neuf And along the shore. This has been fixed up a lot since we first arrived. Climbers used to practice using the bricks as handholds, but you don't see many anymore.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 13:03:47 GMT
These two pictures were taken in February. Still along the river, with some of the oldest houses of Toulouse. And the Pont Neuf seen from the other side. The holes in the bridge were made to allow high water and branches to go through during floods so that the bridge would not be destroyed.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 13:07:12 GMT
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 13:11:20 GMT
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 13:15:34 GMT
Toulouse is also rather a mishmash of styles A "modern" courtyard And an old one An optician's ad
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 13:18:06 GMT
This is called the Jardin Royal. The apartments you see behind are among the most expensive in the city And this is the Jardin des Plantes, the biggest park in the centre, although it's not that big.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2010 14:00:19 GMT
Toulouse is a delightful city. I have yet to meet anybody who didn't like it (unlike Bordeaux!), and your beautiful photographs show why. I suppose it would be useful to point out to some some of the people visiting this thread that the nickname for Toulouse in France is "the pink city."
And it has a subway system and municipal bikes!
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Post by Jazz on Apr 21, 2010 14:15:47 GMT
What a delightful way to begin my day, thank you! I had very little idea of Toulouse and you give a good sense of the historical part of the city. Not to appear too dim, I googled Toulouse and was surprised to find how large it is and how far south. Do you live within the city proper or on the outskirts?
Your photos are always excellent. In this series, I particularly like the old and new courtyards, the skinny house and balcony, and the shots of La Garonette and bridge. Given that it used to be a parking space/lot, this is very good design.
I want to be sitting at one of those cafes and then wander around the streets.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 14:23:22 GMT
Thank you both. I live in a suburb which is attached to Toulouse, so the bakery where I buy my bread is in fact in Toulouse. It takes me about an hour and a half to walk to the very centre of the city. Or else 12 minutes walk to the subway + 10-15 minutes ride. The city is quite spread out, with lots of residential neighbourhoods within the city limits. Not only apartment buildings, but also many neighbourhoods with individual houses.
I'll add a few more pics from another part of the centre.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2010 14:26:56 GMT
It looks like such a nice city, bjd. Your photos are really good.
And it has a sub-way system too? Seems like such a pleasant place to live.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 14:29:30 GMT
Toulouse became rich as a merchant city, from the trade in woad (called "pastel"), a plant used for blue dye. So many of the nicest old buildings were built by the wealthy merchants in the 15th-17th centuries, until indigo grown in India killed the market. This is the Hôtel du Vieux Raisin, which is being restored and made into apartments. Each window is different
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 14:34:22 GMT
Place de Sainte Scarbe Because it is far south and can be very hot in summer, and because there is a strong wind that often blows from the south, the oldest streets are narrow and curved, for shade and to cut the wind. Like this: There are many old buildings with courtyards, many of which can't be seen from the street, but others that are sometimes open. The old bricks were not very solid so they were often covered with stucco
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 14:38:32 GMT
This area has many small restaurants, antique shops, galleries. Low door leading to an antique shop selling a stuffed camel (not a real one)
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 14:45:50 GMT
I'll end with 2 famous churches. I took these pics in February. Saint Sernin is the largest Romanesque basilica in France. It had been "restored" by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century, but in the late 1980s, his additions were removed. The inside used to be painted, but not much remains. The apse from outside The steeple, which is typical of the area Some carvings around one of the doors And this is in the Dominican church, founded by St Dominic in the 13th century. It's quite empty inside, but this is one of the famous "palm trees" holding up the roof.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 14:46:56 GMT
Strange, two of the images didn't come out.
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Post by bjd on Apr 21, 2010 19:17:50 GMT
Okay -- here are the pics that weren't posted right before
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 21, 2010 20:28:15 GMT
Well, I hate to copy everyone elses wording, but truly, the first word that came to my mind was delightful. What a wonderful city, Bjd, and I love your presentation. The place really bustles, doesn't it? One thing that I think makes it so beautiful is repeated use of the soft buff stone(?) and the subtle red brick throughout the different eras of building. Seeing that color extant on the front of Notre Dame de la Dalbade was a real treat, as was the roof of the Dominican church. The public spaces are almost unreal in their perfection -- it's a wonder they can get people to go back to work after eating lunch in one of the parks! I know I'll be visiting this thread again to take in more of the beauty and details. But in the meantime ........... Your pics didn't show up above because they didn't have the image tags around them: [img][/img] If you Modify the post to highlight the urls, then click on the Image button , you'll have your pictures where you put them originally. Then, of course, you can delete your later duplicate post if you wish.
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Post by lagatta on Apr 21, 2010 21:58:54 GMT
I'll have to reload the thread to see all the photos, but Bixa here and now I can say its the southern charm. Oh, I don't mean that southern France (in this case, southwestern) is the same as either the Old South of the US or southern Mexico - where I haven't been yet, I've not been south of DF - but there is that easygoing charm, even in such a lively city. Yes, it is bustling; there are many students, industry, culture both august and alternative.
Jazz, you'd love Toulouse. It is much celebrated in song. Really, while I adore Paris, there are other French cities well worth seeing. And they really do have an urban feel and historic depth.
deyana, several French cities have underground/métro/subway systems. Paris of course, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse and Rennes. And some other French cities (for me, Strasbourg comes to mind) have tram/streetcar systems. As was the case here (I'm familiar with Montréal, Québec City and Ottawa), almost all the tram systems were shut down after the Second World War, but in recent years this has been reversed with the opening of new modern systems.
Remember that imec et famille took some very good shots of Toulouse during their French tour.
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Post by gertie on Apr 21, 2010 23:27:31 GMT
I find the picture of the palm tree holding up the roof just fascinating. Isn't that tiny corner house rather amazing. I imagine that old-style courtyard is rather lovely when the plants are all leafy and green. Thank you for sharing such nice pictures and explanations.
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Post by bjd on Apr 22, 2010 6:38:53 GMT
Bixa,I realized afterwards why the photos didn't appear -- however, I just tried modifying it and it simply removed the links.
By "southern charm" I think Lagatta is comparing to Italy rather than to anywhere else "southern". Toulouse has often been compared to some Italian cities, with their courtyards and outdoor life. It was built of brick because it's an area without stone or many forests. I think only the wealthiest could add stone to their houses, since it had to be brought from elsewhere.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 22, 2010 6:48:57 GMT
Looking again, I can see that it is brick used throughout, to truly wonderful effect. And I can also see why people would say it has an Italian feel to it, although the picture of along the shore seems the very essence of France to my uneducated eyes. Whatever it is, it's just beautiful.
Is Toulouse the official "big city" close to you, Bjd?
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Post by bjd on Apr 22, 2010 6:49:43 GMT
Toulouse is more like this This video is around the main square/City Hall called Place du Capitole
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Post by bjd on Apr 22, 2010 7:08:47 GMT
Sure. As I mentioned earlier, if I walk 5 minutes, I'm in Toulouse, so I consider that's where I live.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2010 7:18:52 GMT
Here are some views of the pink city accompanied by the most famous song about it.
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Post by hwinpp on Apr 22, 2010 7:28:21 GMT
I think I've passed through Toulouse (once again, same as Amiens) but I've never stayed a night. The southwest of France has so many interesting places to visit it's difficult hetting out of the 'countryside' and into the cities.
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Post by bjd on Apr 22, 2010 9:48:34 GMT
How do I post a link to YouTube to get the picture on the screen rather than just the link?
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Post by fumobici on Apr 22, 2010 14:41:55 GMT
]youtube[ last bit of the URL following the "=" ]/youtube[
except of course reverse the brackets.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2010 14:55:18 GMT
Or you can simply click on the red 'Tube' button right above the answer box.
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