So, I found myself with a bit of time off and thought, why not Toulouse? Heard about the ‘Pink City’ thing, seemed interesting enough. Didn’t really plan much, just booked a flight and a small place to stay near the centre. Sometimes it’s better that way, less pressure.
Getting Started and First Impressions
Landed, got the shuttle into town. First thing I did was just walk. Dropped my bags and started wandering. It’s true what they say about the bricks – so much pink and orange brickwork. Gives the whole place a warm feel, even if the weather wasn’t exactly scorching when I was there. Found my way to the Capitole square. Huge place. Loads of people milling about, cafes spilling onto the pavement. Sat down, had a coffee, just watched things unfold. It’s a good way to get the feel of a city, I reckon. Didn’t rush.
Needed food eventually. Ducked into a side street, found a little bistro. Ordered the cassoulet. Felt like I had to, being in the region. It was heavy, real hearty stuff. Probably needed a nap afterwards, but pushed on. That’s the thing about travelling solo, you set your own pace. Sometimes that pace is ‘eat heavy food then walk for three hours’.
Wandering and Discoveries
The next day I decided to check out the Garonne river. Walked along the banks for a while. Saw the Pont Neuf – which, confusingly, means ‘New Bridge’ but it’s actually the oldest one standing in the city. Funny how names stick. It was nice and peaceful down there, away from the main bustle.
Then I aimed for the Saint-Sernin Basilica. Massive church, Romanesque style they call it. You see pictures, but standing there, looking up at it, that’s different. Went inside. It was quiet, echoing. Spent a fair bit of time just looking around. Didn’t take many photos, just tried to soak it in. Found these things interesting inside:
- The sheer scale of the place.
- How the light came through the windows.
- Lots of old carvings and stonework.
Later, I explored the Les Carmes area. More narrow streets, little shops, felt a bit more local, less touristy than right by the Capitole. Popped into the Marché des Carmes, an indoor market. Loads of stalls – cheese, meat, veg, the lot. The smells were incredible. Didn’t buy much, just looked around. Markets tell you a lot about a place, I think.
Space and Aviation Stuff
Couldn’t really go to Toulouse and ignore the whole space and plane thing, right? It’s Airbus central. Took a bus out to Cité de l’Espace. It’s a space theme park, basically. Wasn’t sure if it’d be my cup of tea, thought it might be just for kids. But actually, it was pretty decent. Saw models of rockets, satellites, even walked through a mock-up of the Mir space station. Quite impressive, the engineering involved. Spent longer there than I expected.
Didn’t do the Airbus factory tour, though. Heard you had to book way in advance, and like I said, I wasn’t really planning much. Maybe next time. Sometimes you just gotta accept you can’t do everything.
Wrapping Up
My last evening, I just walked around again as the sun went down. The pink bricks really glow then. Found another small place for dinner, had some local wine. Reflected on the trip. Toulouse was… nice. Yeah, nice is the word. Not overwhelmingly spectacular like Paris, maybe, but solid. A working city with a strong identity, good food, and enough interesting corners to keep you busy for a few days. It felt manageable, real. Glad I went. Just packed my bag the next morning and headed back to the airport. Simple as that.
