Our goal in coming here was to see if we could live our lives as the everyday French do in this town. While it may surprise some, we didn’t come to be tourists, we came to be French. Sadly, in terms of the language, we have not been overly successful We understand a great deal more and have picked up the rhythms of French, but have not been very quick to respond. However, we have no hesitation at going into a store, or restaurant, knowing we will manage. We have established good relationships with a fellow I call "Monsieur Fromage" at the marché. Also with a number of very nice waiters. Financially, this has also been an important part of staying within our budget. This last Friday night we discovered a new creperie which turned out of the excellent. Upon arriving, we soon realized that we were the only non-French in the place. That has been the way it has been most of the time. While we did some traveling to more touristy areas, it was mainly in the name of visiting friends or friends of friends.
We went to Paris to reunite with Geneviéve;
and who could forget the view from her 32nd floor apartment
we ventured to Montpellier to meet with Natacha’s sister:
and in our last train trip, now more than a week ago, we went to hours west to the town of Pau, to have lunch with Françoise Willmot, the mother of our landlord, Ariane Zambiras. It was not a particularily lovely day, but the company was divine.
We had a wonderful lunch, strolled about the town and then Françoise had us to her home. This was the place both she and Ariane grew up. It was an amazing series of rooms from what was once a a 17th century hotel. Every inch of the place was covered with family treasures and we were especially taken with the wonderful paintings done by Françoise’s father. He was truly a talented man.
For those who know us well, they will not be surprised that we developed attachments to a number of local watering holes. There was hardly a day that we didn’t spend an hour sitting and watching the world pass by at the Capitole, sitting in a front row chair of the Café Albert.
It finally got to the point that our arrival automatically signaled the appearance of a half-liter of white wine!
We enjoyed the deluge at a place called Papagayo,
where the waiter was very taken with Polley (Surprise, Surprise!).
We became friends with the owner of the place called Evangelina.
It was a very hip place; hardly the sort of place we would ordinarily be drawn to, but the owner was quite charming, spoke very good English from his time in Canada and Miami. It was a very fancy place that was near by, which was convenient on those rainy evenings when walking didn't seem very attractive. He had gutted an old building and then very dramatically designed the whole interior.
It was a nice place for a drink, although the food was somewhat disappointing.
Laundry day was always a time I looked forward. We would take a suitcase and a pillowcase full of dirty clothes to the "Laverie" about half a mile away. We chose this particular laundromat because of its proximity the Cafe des Facultés.
We would dump the clothes in and when we returned to the cafe our half a litre of Colombard was sitting on our table. Delightful help and a very interesting university crowd at lunch
And on many of the really pleasant evenings, we watched French life float by us at Le Wallace on the beautiful Place Sainte Georges.
It was there, I think that we came to appreciate real sense of a formal occasion. People, regardless of age, greet each person, individually. The shake of a hand, the kiss on both cheeks always occurs, regardless of the number around the table. A new person arrives, conversation stops and greetings commence. There seems to be a real appreciation of time here. People take two hours for lunch; sit for an unlimited amount of time after work or school. When you go to dinner in France, you plan to stay for the whole evening. As we had little to do, we were able to adapt to and value this style of life. It may be more common here in the south than in Paris, but regardless, it is still very much a part of life.
Of course, on Dimanche (Sunday) Toulouse closes up everywhere. Supermarkets, department stores, everything, but those places in the very heart of the tourist district, is closed. Including all our favorite drinking spots. So we are forced to spend an hour or so at Le Cactus.
In French, of course, this become Le Cactuuuu. I think we just enjoy saying the name in French, but the place also has live music on Sunday evenings. And, because it is the only place open, it also draws an interesting crowd. At watching people is our favorite form of entertainment.
Life in Toulouse, not just for us, but for most everyone, revolves around La Place Capitole. It is the Pioneer Court House Square of Toulouse. I grabbed this photo opportunity on day, because the Capitole is always never empty.
It is constantly being transformed. Last night it had a large screen television displaying the Heiniken Rugby Finals from Wales. Toulouse playing Munster, Ireland. Sadly we lost. On Tuesday and Saturday there is marché, nearly eveyday there is a flea market, and then other days it becomes a center for various activities.
On day it was filled with plants and there was an elaborate garden show
Another time it was set up for mini-soccer games for kids
And it is always a lovely spot to be in the evening
The city does a great job promoting it as a gathering place.
One view from our seats at the Cafe Albert that I never tired of was that of Sainte Sernin, the church at the end of Rue de Taur.
I hate to tell you how many pictures I have of it, because regardless of how many times I saw it, it struck me as new again
One day Polley and I were sitting at Cafe Albert during the noon hour, when a bunch of guys came by, leading a fellow in a wild wig, shorts, garters and hose, with high heels. It turns out that he was about to be married. A custom is to drag the groom-to-be through the streets begging the general public to feel sorry for him and contribute to his honeymoon. Of course, I had to contribute.
I also will think about the ever changing view from our apartment balcony. It was not always crowded, but always interesting. We would look out on the Place D'Europe and see skateboarders, frisbee players and, our favorite, numerous unicyclists, this fellow being among the the best
The carnival came to town for a month and set up camp on the Place.
The weather, unfortunately, failed to cooperate, and today they are packing up and moving on. It had to be a very disappointing month.
Other memorable moments, will be our nearly daily visit to the Marché, an outdoor market that now seems to be operating in one form or another every day of the week.
Beyond the grande marché, there are numerous neighborhood outdoor markets and there is a wonderful indoor market at Carme that became a favorite of ours, largely for the wonderous selection of olives.
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