Hello Friends,
Serena in Les Capitouls, Toulouse, France
It has been a while since I posted in my journal for you... my apologies.
The week with Serena was incredible, We did not stop for very long. One day of rest at the cottage and then off we went .
We traveled to six small medieval villages , two great towns and two exciting cities. We drank wine and cafe au lait and ate local cuisine. We had the pleasure to visit and spend time with my talented artist friends Rob and Jeanette who live in a magical 11 century French Chateau (completely renovated with the latest conveniences)...
As we made our way toward Toulouse, we gathered experiences to keep as memories to share when we are too old to travel.
Marti At the L'Esquirol Bar, Toulouse , France
Toulouse, France
The Ville Rose ("Pink City") of France - Toulouse is the capital of good life, a city of students, and a center of cutting-edge European technology, located between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast, with a rich and diverse culture, taste for celebrations and fine food to attract a growing number of new inhabitants. Population of 80,000, most of those young students.
This city is vibrant like Paris, but smaller and more compact, it is rich with history and art. Filled with lots of gardens and parks. We shopped in fantastic French boutiques ( Our favorite was a consignment store with first class designer labels) and toured City buildings with walls and ceilings painted in classical French style. And always we listened to amazing music on the streets.We visited the very busy farmers market, where everything you desired in fresh food was available, it was hard not to buy deserts and cheese and bread constantly.
We ended our stay enjoying an intimate evening with my friend Silvie at her authentic French apartment in downtown Toulouse. Enjoying lessons in French history and language and drinking Champagne.
There are about 100 photos to share and choosing one for this blog was difficult but you can see some of them posted on my face book France 2009 Album if you care to have a look. FRANCE PHOTO ALBUM ON FACEBOOK
Bordeaux, France
We took the hour and a half train ride to Bordeaux, through the wine country and into the city.
With white stone arches and parks and amazing statues and fountains this city was too big to see in one day. So another visit is on the agenda for next year. I have attached a link for a photographic tour for your pleasure. http://www.virtourist.com/europe/bordeaux/index.html
Penne d'Agenais, France
Penne is almost a one-street town - start at the bottom of the town and keep walking upwards and you won't go far wrong, although there are some interesting small alleys and passages to investigate en-route. There are many attractive houses and buildings in Penne d'Agenais, most carefully renovated in recent years. There are also a couple of 'arty' type shops and nicely located cafes to stop and enjoy the atmosphere.
At the top of the hill (and village) is the substantial basilica of Notre-Dame du Peyragude, surrounded by plenty of open areas suitable for your picnic. Unexpectedly, there are also some caves containing shrines at the top of the hill.
Lauzerte, France
Lauzerte is an historic bastide or fortified village and can trace its origins back to the signing of the village charter in 1241 by the Count of Toulouse. As a stronghold, Lauzerte governed the surrounding area up until the 18th century. It was an established stopping off point on the pilgrim trail to Santiago de Compostela, with many modern travellers following the same route to this day.