Toulouse! (Part 5 of imec in France)

[imec]

There were very few days we set an alarm while on vacation - this was one of them. The reason was, we had scheduled a private a tour of Toulouse and we didn't want to miss it!

The drive to Toulouse was about 45 minutes or so from our house and the plan was to meet our tour guide at the last metro station on the edge of town. The directions we were given were perfect and we soon found ourselves parked in a free (!) parking lot at the end of the line and made our way to the metro station to meet our personal tour guide, bjd!!

Now many of you may be old hands at the internet forum/bulleting board thing, but for me this is quite new. So the obvious dillema was, "how do you greet someone you've met on the internet?". I solved the recognition challenge by sending a picture (albeit a 2 year old one) of me and Mrs. I to bjd. She waved at us as we made our way to the agreed upon spot and then, there it was, my first French kiss! NO, not that kind of kiss you sicko's! A proper peck on both cheeks - something I'd always been uncomfortable with until this very moment when it seemed the most natural thing in the world - a very special welcome to Toulouse indeed!

After a brief metro ride, we emerged from below ground onto the town square and began a beautiful introduction to a very beautiful city. We took in the City Hall, The Cathedral, the riverside (including the Pont Neuf), a little bit of shopping (during which my daughter stumbled upon the yellow Converse sneakers she's been desperately seeking for the last year or so), and concluded with a terrific lunch at a spot only a local would know about. (Roquefort, Endive and Walnut Salads, Bavettes for the kids, a really good fish a la Provencal for the adults, Cassoulet style beans, Mousse au Cocolat -yum, yum, yum!!). Along the way we looked in shops, peeked into quiet private courtyards (something I wouldn't have done without taking the lead of our local guide) and generally soaked up the atmosphere.

I may have said before, that as exciting as it is to see new countries, it's meeting the people that really counts and we will always be grateful to bjd for giving up her time to share this insiders view of Toulouse with us. Thank you so much bjd.

[lagatta]

This is wonderful - as I'd said, I love the colours of Toulouse. Glad that you did "quartiers populaires" - love the homemade bread and halal meat place called l'Aviateur - as well as grand views, and the emblematic shot at the end tops it off beautifully. Unfortunately I was only in Toulouse very briefly - hope that will be remedied soon.

[Deleted]

I am awestruck by the beauty of this place! Every shot,so stunning a portrait. I would love to have some background on what some of these are,the second shot with the frescoes,where is that and what's it's history.? Again, the food, everything so clean,you have no idea how impressed I am by that.
The shot of the bookstore on the corner,I could see myself working in a place like that. Did you visit any bookshops? Oh, I have a million questions it seems. Sorry. These are so beautiful. And your own personal guide. What a treat.bjd,what a lovely thing to do. I did want to hear that imesc was waving an Any Port flag though,tee hee
Thanks so much for this ,another treat for the eyes.
Who is that on the big screen in the last shot

[lagatta]

Claude Nougaro, fils de Toulouse.

[bixaorellana]

I posted a long answer to this ~~ where did it go?

In fact, I came back to see if anyone had answered one of my questions. (whether the perfect tree in the photo of the river is a plane tree)

[Deleted]

Toulouse is a magnificent city so it is naturally photogenic. Its French nickname is "la ville rose." (the pink city)

[bixaorellana]

What I said earlier that disappeared was .............. beautiful, incredible thread, Imac -- another big wow!

I take it the first three pics are the city hall? It's such a confection! And that organ in the cathedral is monumental. Love the one of the cathedral spire against the gray sky.

I certainly do like that squared off, sort of "reined in" architectural style shown here, particularly that umber colored brick building with the slaty, stormy blue shutters.

That is such a great sequence, where you go under the arches & come out into the open space with the big poster. I am positive someone -- Auntie A? K? -- recently posted a youtube of that singer.

Thanks for this look, Imac. Your photos are always a treat.

[hwinpp]

Aug 5, 2009 4:58:22 GMT bixaorellana said:

I posted a long answer to this ~~ where did it go?

In fact, I came back to see if anyone had answered one of my questions. (whether the perfect tree in the photo of the river is a plane tree)

Don't know what the 'perfect' tree is but the ones in the pics below are plane trees.

Are the 'montecao' cookies French? The name seems to point towards Portuguese.

[spindrift]

Imec - I felt I was walking through the streets with you. I've by-passed Toulouse many times, always being in a rush to drive into the country. Big mistake. It's a fine city and I hope to return there one day.
I love that picture with the perfect tree and the bloke sitting next to it. I like the way you picked out the blue car and the green bench and I adore shutters on windows.

Did you find the driving easy in France?

Thank you Imec.

[lagatta]

Toulouse is not far from the Spanish border and there are many Iberians in the city, both Spanish and Portuguese. Names of those little confections certainly sound Portuguese to me.

[imec]

Thanks for everyone's kind comments - but once again I have to say, I'm feeling that the cameras for the kids were a great investment!

(spindrift - driving was dead easy - although once I got to Paris, I was glad to trade the car for the metro)

[imec]

Per bjd's suggestion we took the quieter road home and ppassed through some very pretty villages. I believe this one is Rabastens.

[bixaorellana]

Wow -- it's like a trip to the Middle Ages, and the last picture is layers of history. Love the mustard colored paint on that bell tower (?), and the way you captured all the textures and the depth of the brickwork.

[Deleted]

I'd say it is moss or lichen and we are seeing the north side of the tower.

[Jazz]

What a perfect way to start my day, in 'la ville rose'. Your chosen photos make me feel that I am walking through the town, in beauty. How special that bjd was there to guide you! With only one day, she was able to show you the essence of Toulouse.

Your photos are great and I could probably write a page about each one. There is a definite feel that you visited each of the 'quartiers' and not just the main tourist places. Like Casimira, I love the little blue bookstore. It is lovely and calming to see the river and its surroundings. Wherever I am, I head to the river, or water, and experience some kind of universal memory of every day I've ever spent near water. The closeup of the tree trunk is amazing...someone saw how the colours of the tree trunk reflected the palette of the brick building. The tower against the sky is rather fine...the ochre of the moss on the bricks and the blue of the sky, how Provence.

I do think that being shown around by someone who lives there enhances the experience. This happened to me in Paris and he revealed layers of Paris that I simply didn't know existed and I never would have found them. Ah, that was where I received my first 'French kiss' as well and it was lovely. Thanks for posting these. It's difficult to decide which ones and the sequence, I know, but we all love them. In your case, more is more. Merci, mon ami.

[lagatta]

Huh? We do that here too. Could have saved you a transoceanic flight. Ça s'appelle une "bise" en français. "Faire la bise". Number of pecks depends on region.

The bookshop is exquisite - I'll make a point of going there and picking up some papeterie, little as we write by hand any more. (Usually just when I'm sending someone a painting).

[Deleted]

One of my colleagues has a son who just did a year of aeronautic studies in Toulouse (that's the specialty of the city, due to Airbus). She just got a chance to visit him once during the school year and was very disappointed when he modified his curriculum and will be spending next year in Orléans. She REALLY wanted to go back to see more of Toulouse.

[bjd]

It's nice seeing those photos of Toulouse. Interesting to see what catches the eye of a visitor. And I'm pleased that Imec and his family enjoyed it. I know Miss Imec will enjoy telling the story of buying her yellow hightops.
The second village is indeed Rabastens. The church is very interesting. It was one of the stopping points on the route to Santiago de Compostela along the Via Tolosana. The walls inside are completely painted, but unfortunately, the church is open only for mass. I was lucky enough to see the inside one day because there was a cleaning lady in there and she had opened the church and turned on all the lights.

The first three pictures are indeed of City Hall, but of a special room called La Salle des Illustres. The wall paintings date only from the 19th century. It's the room where receptions are held, as are wedding ceremonies.

The church further down is Saint Sernin basilica. The largest Romanesque church in France and also a stopping point on the road to Santiago. The church had been "restored" by Viollet le Duc, who also restored Carcassonne. When we arrived in Toulouse in 1986, there were discussions about removing Viollet le Duc's restorations so that the church would look more authentic. This was indeed done shortly after, so now it allegedly loooks more like it did originally. The walls inside used to be painted, but very little colour remains now.

The neighbourhoods with painted walls and such are not really "working class" or "quartiers populaires" -- it's the area around the law school and economics university.

The Bar Basque is a bar beside the river on a square where large screens are set up outside when the local rugby team (Stade Toulusain) plays. The bar is known for serving pastis by the metre --- the glasses are lined up along the bar.

The little blue bookstore you are all raving about is a tiny store beside one of the mansions of Toulouse that has been turned into an art museum. In my years here, I have seen that shop sell purses, flowers, and now, paper and books.

Unlike most other cities in France, Toulouse became wealthy because of the trade in pastel -- a dye from a plant that was used to dye material blue. When the British started importing indigo from India, the trade collapsed. But before that, the wealthy merchants had huge houses built in the city. And the city was run by 9 magistrates called "capitouls", which is why the city hall is called the Capitole.

And as mentioned above, the guy in the wall painting is Claude Nougaro -- a singer from here who had a famous song called ô Toulouse. He died a couple of years ago and a commemoration ceremony was held on the Place du Capitole, with screens showing his concerts and thousands of people.

[auntieannie]

Such a feast for the eyes!

and bix, yes I did post a song by Claude Nougaro. He is astounding. (even though he passed away some time ago, now).

[bixaorellana]

Ahhh ~~ thank you so much for that, Bjd. Those are the kinds of details that really make a place come to life.

[Deleted]

Claude Nougaro 1929-2004 - O Toulouse



Qu'il est loin mon pays,qu'il est loin
Parfois au fond de moi se ranime
L'eau verte du Canal du Midi
Et la brique rouge des Minimes

Ô mon "pays", Ô Toulouse, Ô Toulouse

Je reprends l'avenue vers l'école
Mon cartable est bourré de coups de poing
Ici, si tu cognes tu gagnes
Ici, même les mémés aiment la castagne

Ô mon "pays", Ô Toulouse

Un torrent de cailloux roule dans ton accent
Ta violence bouillonne jusque dans tes violettes
On se traite de cons à peine qu'on se traite
Il y a de l'orage dans l'air, et pourtant...

L'Eglise St Sernin illumine le soir
D'une fleur de corail que le soleil arrose
C'est peut-être pour ça, malgré ton rouge et noir,
C'est peut-être pour ça qu'on te dit "Ville Rose"

Je revois ton pavé, ô ma cité gasconne
Ton trottoir éventré sur les tuyaux du gaz
Est-ce l'Espagne en toi qui pousse un peu sa corne?
Ou serait-ce dans tes tripes une bulle de jazz?

Voici le Capitole, j'y arrête mes pas
Les ténors enrhumés tremblaient sous leurs ventouses
J'entends encore l'écho de la voix de Papa
C'était en ce temps là mon seul chanteur de blues

Aujourd'hui tes buildings grimpent haut, ôô
A Blagnac tes avions sont plus beaux
Si l'un, te ramène sur cette ville,
Pourrais-je encore y revoir ma pincée de tuiles?

Ô mon pays, Ô Toulouse,
ÔÔÔ TOULOUSE

[Jazz]

Thanks bjd and kerouac....I just reread the thread while listening to Claude.

[Deleted]

Claude Nougaro was considered to be a national treasure in France, and you can find a lot more about him on the internet, as well as his songs.

[imec]

bjd told us all of that and more as we were touring - it was like drinking from a fire hose! It's what made the day so special for us.

[traveler63]

Oh Imec!!!!! Your pictures and narrative are wonderful and now Toulouse is on my list which is getting longer and longer !!!!. I cannot believe how beautiful this place is and I am blown away with the vegetation and just the unending beauty. Wow

[bjd]

What!?? "Drinking from a fire hose"? You mean I drowned you in information? (Just kidding)

Traveler, September is a nice time here because it's still warm and the colours are nice, but it's long for a day trip from Paris. The fast train service puts Marseille within 3 hours of Paris, but Toulouse still takes over 5. There are plans for a better connection, but because of the airplane industry (there is a flight every half-hour), the trains don't get priority here.

[Deleted]

More wonderful photos and commentary from your own personal tour guide. And these are the wonderful plane trees that one is forever hearing descriptions of in all the novels from this region of the world. Just as I imagined them. These and the lindens featured so prominently in literature. Thank you imec and bjd.(and of course ,the young imecs).

[imec]

Thanks. Next up is Albi. Will try to get some of it done at the airport tonight.

[Deleted]

Oh yes, Albi! I think that some of the audience will be surprised by the look of the cathedral.

[lola]

Wonderful, imec. Thanks.