Toulouse walking tour

Started this morning by going to the Carmes Market which is right around the corner from us for some things for salads as well as some croissants for breakfast. A nice market that is great to have so close.

Lunch at the apartment and then we are off for our walking tour. What started off as 2 of us only and she was going to cancel, turned into 3 and a private tour for 3, but in the end that was cancelled too and she did a normal walking tour for 10 of us. Well we started as 10 but 2 quit part way through so we ended up only being 8.

It was another great tour. We walked for about 2.5 hours and got lots of info on Toulouse. At the end of the tour she walks with each of you individually and you get to ask her about anything you want, restaurants, bars, museums, etc and she has started a whatsapp message board for us so we get all her hints. This is a fantastic city for multicultural food, 140,000 students going to University here, so lots of inexpensive places to eat and drink, you just need to find them, she helped us out with that.

We visited the Capitole which is where city hall is. A beautiful building where people must go to get officially married, then they can choose to do a religious ceremony as well if they want to. It was absolutely beautiful inside, we may go back to visit on our own again, no charge to visit. The Opera house is also in this same square, we have tickets to 2 events there this week, looking forward to that.

We crossed the Pont Neuf to the other side of the Garrone and visited where it is not nearly so fancy. No chain restaurants here, lots of little shops and local restaurants. Stopped for maybe the best hot chocolate I have ever had in my life. Walked along to some falls that are used to generate electricity and then back across another bridge over the Garrone river, there are 4 bridges that you can see from the riverbank.

We ended our tour at the Basilique Saint Sernim, which is the largest Romanesque church in France, it is from the 11^th century. It is a stop on the Camino, people were registering this afternoon when we were visiting.

Back to the apartment for a rest and then off to dinner. We tried Vietnamese tonight and it was very good, just around the corner from our apartment. A little walk after dinner and we are ready to call it a night.

Steps – 18,000 or 11.5 km

At the Carmes Market, less than 1/2 block from our place.

On our way to the walking tour.

Love the curved streets

A fancy hotel across our meeting point, not where we are staying

Not many statues and fountains in Toulouse

The dungeon tower but never a dungeon

At city halls.

New painting showcasing Toulouse. Airbus is located here

 

A selfie

The rich people lived on the second floor (first floor in France) and had the larger balconies so the only had to walk up one floor. They had the largest balconies. As you went up, the income level went down. Top floor the servants and very poor.  No elevators in those days

Another church visit.  Very tall pillars in the middle center of the church

High water mark from the 1800, major flooding that destroyed the old bridge

The black Virgin Mary

Where you come to pray to get pregnant. 

What left of a very old bridge, just on pier.

The 2 door on the left is where unwanted babies were dropped off to the nuns

Hotel Dieu

On the sidewalk to show the things to see in Toulouse, many of them

Where the students comes for drinks, 5 or 6 bars around the square

Lots of cool places in this area, not touristy

Best hot chocolate plate.

Chocolate carvings

This side of the city still have parts of the old city walls.

The other side expanded so much they are all gone

Pont Neuf from the above bridge

At the very big Basilica St-Sermin de Toulouse

A side aisle parallel to the center aisle

This is just a wing not the center

In the crypt, they have lots of saints remains here

The Alter

The main part

French tacos not Mexican ones, more like a panini

the Capitole from outside

Only certain people were allowed to have towers.

Lots of building have the r=area maps

I think we will wait until we go home for Fish & Chips, just around the corner from us

Good happy hour prices, will see

At the Vietnamese restaurant.

We asked to sit in the basement