Blogs from Midi-Pyrénées, France, Europe - page 54

The Sights We took the public bus into town which was effortless. The new metro is open but it is still only one line and only gives access to the most populous places. Old Toulouse is pretty small so it was not too much trouble to get around town. Toulouse is really an incredible city and probably does not get its due credit despite being the 5th largest city in France. The town has changed and the population of North Africans has increased significantly to the point where it was shocking. Toulousains joke that in the center city you will no longer find any French people, this was sadly near to the truth.... read more

My boss invited me to go to Lourdes way before we set to Europe. Although I am not a Catholic, I said to myself why not go there, see the place and check out the miracle water. We went to Lourdes from Paris via train again and checked into a hotel not far from the church. Although you know there were lots of pilgrims, the place was quiet. We went to the site and my boss took the opportunity to join the prayer parade that night. I just sat at a bench and watched the people mostly elderly pray with their candles went around the grounds then to the church for more prayers. Next day we were early to visit the church, Grotto and check out the miracle water. I drank the pure (as they ... read more

Right on the border of Andorra and France, on the French side, there is a train station. A train station and a couple of houses in the valley. The bus stops there to drop people off. The train stops there to pick people up. That is probably all that ever happens here. Luckily the train station has a ticket office. And it's manned. The only sign of local life. And, except for a small number of confused travelers, the only sign of life at all. There are no signs of habitable houses. What does one do to deserve a position here? The "Dances With Wolves" for the railroad company employees. This little station could pass by unnoticeable if the train didn't slow down. It's in the center of Europe, but yet so isolated. The place probably ... read more