To Toulouse, France

December 2017. 

So it happened that the validity of my Schengen visa got over. And I was desperate to apply for a new Schengen visa as soon as possible. The single most reason behind this urgency was - I want to travel around as much as I can while I can. :)

To apply for a Schengen Visa, you have to book a trip and submit all the trip details along with your visa application. And for this time, I was looking for a French town that would be slightly different from the ones I have been before. Toulouse was the choice.

When you are staying alone in a foreign country, sometimes you miss the handy friends and family who are possibly eager to accompany you on your trips more than you are. So many a time, you are on your own. I almost decided to do another of my solo trip this time if needed. But pushing my patience and persistence to the limit, I did get a friend with me :) I am sure he would have been happier to be sat on his comfy sofa in front of the tele, tucked under a duvet. But me being me and him being him, we set out on the freezing streets of Toulouse in the early December of 2017. ^_^

Toulouse is called La Ville Rose or the Pink city. This is because of the pinkish terracotta bricks that are used in many buildings that adorn every street of the city. The city is near the French-Spanish border and the river Garonne flows through it. The river Garonne is quite popular in France as it flows through many French cities and towns and makes its way into Spain.

The best part of such French cities and towns is - you can walk around aimlessly and can absorb just anything and everything around you. They are pretty in their own way. You wouldn’t enjoy if you come with a touristy mindset of spot-visiting. One just has to soak in the surrounding.

We made our way through the lazy streets of the city into the buzzing main street, across the Pont Neuf Bridge over the river. This bridge is from the 16th/17th century and the arches give it a significant look. We walked by the river and continued walking along the Canal du midi. It is a narrow canal, the entire stretch of which is beautifully shaded by series of long trees by the side. My friend said you could actually sail through the entire stretch of this canal. We looked around a few museums scattered across the city and went inside some of the cathedrals. I was particularly awed by the church of the Jacobins. Its long towers are surreal and follow a palm tree structure around the top of the columns. Walking a little far from the center, you get to the green patch of the city gardens.The Jardins, with its neat greenery, the playful geese and swans, tiny streams and poodles and a very nice 'cake & coffee' place was equally pleasant.

Following the hustle of the city, we arrived at The Capitole, the city hall which opens up to a big central square or plaza. On our arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to find a Christmas market held in the plaza. Christmas market is sort of a funfair; there were makeshift tents, selling food, drinks and funky stuff. From one particular food stall, a very tempting cheesy oniony aroma filled the center of the market and we could see many people eating some white gooey blob of stringy cheese out of boxes. We trusted our nose and followed the smell and arrived at the deliciously smelling stall. Taking a quick look at the board, we found that the food box contains cheese, mash potatoes, onions, bacon, geese fat...Oooh feels fat and warm!

Oh by the way! did I mention? It was freaking cold in Toulouse whilst we were there. I had a thermal on, two layers of jumper and jacket, scarf, hat, two gloves, a pair of thick socks and still I was freeeeziingg the whole time! To my delight, there was a short drizzly snowfall one afternoon. Though I admit, I couldn’t sustain my excitement for long and we had to go inside a coffee shop to warm ourselves up.

We were staying in an Airbnb accommodation. It was a huge important-looking 19th century building with high ceilings, big heavy doors, long part-windows, winding staircase. I love this sort of place that smells of old stories and majestic build. I was instantly thankful to my friend who did the booking. The bnb place was also very central. It was literally on doorstep to one of the metro stations and a 2 minutes’ walk from the restaurant area of the city.

The other thing this city is famous for is its rugby and the highlight of the trip had to be the live rugby match. I have never seen an end to end rugby match, neither on the field nor on the tele. But if you are in Toulouse, a live Rugby match in the stadium is a must. So there we were, me learning the rules of the game just before the start. It was fun. The stadium came alive with a vibrating enthusiasm once the crowd settled in and within few minutes to the start, we were really engrossed into the game.

It was freezing and I stress, it was freezing cold. At half time, we went around to get some hot chocolate for which we stood in the queue for what felt like forever. And the hot chocolate we received was distasteful. Good part - we also got some Le Grand Frites from one of the snacks table and it was hot and yummy. Plus it was extra fun to see my friend speaking in French that the French girl couldn't comprehend.

The other highlight of the trip was the sudden sight of a beluga flying from the nearby airport. A beluga is a variant of the Airbus but it is a super transporter that carries aircraft parts. There is a hangar museum just on the outside of the city where you can actually view all the aircraft, possibly belugas as well. We couldn’t pay a visit to the museum due to time crunch but I imagine it would be extremely interesting.

The pink bricks, the green canal, the old bridge, the mesmerizing cathedrals, and the exciting rugby - I loved it all :)