Blogs from Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, France, Europe - page 6

Hello, bonsoir!!! finally stopped for long enough to find internet access! Just a quick run down of what we have been up to and a few pics. Having trouble finding internet connections, apologies for lack of blog entries! 21st-30th August stayed in Lacour de Visa in Midi Pyranees with Deb, Kevin, Tom and Sam. Lazy days (and a couple of very hot ones - 36 degrees) 30th Aug - 2nd Sept stayed in a lovely "Campsite Municipal" in Condom (yes I know) - again lazy days, bike riding and enjoying less intense sunny days. 2nd - 3rd Sept -Lourdes. Don't know what to say about this one! An experience! Extremes, very strange. 3rd Sept to present - Carcassonne, nearly on the coast! Beautiful, fortified medieval city, lovely campsite. Have not been reading newspapers from home and ... read more

hi everyone we are actually in millau visiting the nez bridge made famous in top gear; if you are a fan of this programme; the bridge is really a viaduct and a very impressive one at that: we drove under it today and will drive over it tomorrow on our way towards paris to visit the musee de orsay which we missed when were there earlier; pete is really excited about another museum of static images to view but he will grin and bear it i am sure; had a great night last night catching up with dans mum and dad from england at a camp ground in a tiny village in france; it was lovely to speak continuous english to some people that we know and lots of hugs and stories all round the three ... read more

Note to self, "Its not such a good idea to find cheap lodgings close to a station". Though the hotel itself was fine, the area got a bit scetchy at night with prostitutes walking the streets. There were also a few beggars around. One of them camped on the street and had a really cute puppy with him which he was obviously taking good enough care of - I just wondered how he afforded to feed an animal when he couldn't take care of himself, but maybe he needed the company more than food... Toulouse is described as a lively city, however I think that due to the holidays it was hardly buzzing at all. Place du Capitole - the main square. I took the obligatory photo, but after seeing the magnificant squares in Brussles nothing ... read more

Well some 17 hours after I left Toronto I arrived in Toulouse, the starting point of my journey. The plqne ride wasn't all that bad. I sat beside a couple from Swan River, Manitoba who were on their way to visit his father in Nice. Talking to them definitely made the 8 hour flight go by much faster. Didn't mqnnqge to sleep though. I arrived in Paris (with all my luggage accounted for) and immediately searched for the train station. Next time I bring this much oversized luggage I'm hiring a porter to carry it all. For some reason you can only keep the luggage trollies on the same level, which meant having to hand balm the gear up and over barriers and 7, yes 7 escalators. Anyways long story short, I managed to get my ... read more

The shopping season is in full swing here. Place du capitole is decked out in Christmas decor and the market out front is booming. ... read more

For the last three days of my Reading Week, I went to visit my cousin Marianna, wholives in Toulouse, in southwest France. Nine years ago, when she was a junior studying abroad like me, she studied in Montpelier and fell in love. Ever since then, she’s worked on and off in France, and she and her husband have lived in Toulouse for the past two years. He’s an atmospheric physicist (he studies weather patterns) and she makes websites and does other communications work for the French space agency. Her husband’s name is Paul, and he’s from Corse (Corsica), like Napoleon. The two of them are so cute. They’ve been to our house a few times for Christmas, and my mother remarked that she really enjoyed Paul’s facial expressions and expressive gestures (“Gallic shrugs,” as Agatha Christie ... read more