Toulouse (France) | La Ville en Rose? (The Pink City?) - Day 43

Toulouse (too-LOOZ) is the capital of the Occitania region of France. All trains pass through this city of 950,000 people. Accordingly, I chose to spend the next several days here. I plan to take day trips to other locations I want to see rather than burn 4-6 hrs every other day, passing back through Toulouse. 

Toulouse is about 1 hr north west of Carcassonne. Toulouse is one of the region's oldest cities, dating back to the 2nd century AD. After the conquest of Gaul, the Romans controlled this city for trade and built the city approximately 1.5 km from the River Garrone (Gar-rohne). Today it is a popular city and is home to France's aerospace industry, with Airbus having its headquarters here.  

I decided to take a bicycle tour of Toulouse today, which starts at 10 am. According to Google maps, I am 1.5 mi (2.4 km) away. I give myself plenty of time and am nearing my destination at about a quarter to ten. Shit! This doesn't look right. I am in a residential neighborhood with no bicycle shop in sight. I swap texts with my host, who confirms that I am nowhere near the meeting point. All I can do is laugh at what has transpired. Fortunately, Sylvain (my guide) also conducts another tour at 230 pm. So we reschedule till then.

I take the metro, only about a half mile (0.8 km) from my current location, back to the city center. A short walk from Jean Jaurès Metro station, I catch my first glimpse of the Basilica of Saint-Sernin. I know I am visiting many historic churches in my travels. The most fundamental reason is that the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful entity in Europe and France during the Middle Ages. Therefore, fantastic architectural buildings were built as a way to convey the power of the Roman Catholic Church. Nearly 1,000 years later, these sites have become important heritage sites and are often the only relics that have survived in many towns established during the Middle Ages. Therefore, I believe they are a great way to explore history and towns.

This golden age of church building only lasted about 600 years. In the mid-1600s, King Louis XIV became the Monarch of France; he recognized the importance of the Church in controlling the people of France. However, King Louis XIV, the Sun King, established a different relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. King Louis XIV established the age of absolutism and made the Church subordinate to the Monarchy in France. Eventually, about 100 yrs later, the French Revolution entirely removed the Monarchy and Roman Catholic Church from power. My first glimpse of the Basilica of Saint-Sernin (left).  

Although I visit many of these monuments, I have a deep reverence for the ceremonies, customs, and the people that still visit and worship there. I respect their traditions, though I have different spiritual beliefs. Consequently, I always make a conscious decision to avoid taking photographs of the interiors. The Basilica is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also plays an integral part in the pilgrimage of the Way of Saint-James de Compostela, as it is known here in France, or the Camino de Santiago as it is known in Spain. I plan to dive deeper into the Way of Saint-James when I visit Moissac in a few days. I also, assuming I get back to 100%, plan to follow the Del Norte route along the coast of Spain in the coming weeks.

I can tell you this Basilica is my favorite. And I have visited some spectacular basilicas through the years. Once inside, I am in complete awe and feel a deep sense of humility. I now understand why churches like this one were built. I take a moment to enjoy the absolute silence within. Even today, this building makes me feel small and insignificant. I pause to imagine what it would have felt like in the Middle Ages. No wonder why Catholocism was the most popular religion then.

 

The Basilica is plain inside, which I love. The vaulted ceilings are 69 ft (21 m), and Roman-style arches dominate the interior. It is unique in that the interior ceilings and walls are void of paint. Natural stone is all that exists; it is the only Basilica I have ever visited that is utterly natural stone inside. Only a few burgundy tapestries hang around the primary columns of the interior. The Basilica de Saint-Sernin is one of, if not the best example, of a Romanesque Style Basilica in the world.. There are two excellent links if you want to read and see more pictures of the interior Khan Academy Review and Wikipedia. Both have different images. You can also use google for more photos.

After lunch, I make my way to Le Petite Cyclo bike shop to meet up with Sylvain, our guide, and 6 others for our 3-hour tour of Toulouse. We stop at the Canal du Midi after a short ride from the bike shop. Sylvain starts with the French version of the story. Here he is telling the English version of the account to a foursome from Belgium. "Voila!" Sylvain says when he's done with the story.

I have mentioned Le Canal du Midi in previous posts. I decided to hold off discussing it until my post on Toulouse because it is a central part of Toulouse. The Canal du Midi is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. This engineering marvel is still operational today. It was built in the 17th century; it is a 240-km (150 mi) long canal that links Toulouse to the Mediterranean Ocean. The channel rises 63 m (206 ft) to the east via 26 locks, then drops 189 m (620 ft) via 72 locks. Locks are water elevators that allow a ship to move up and down in elevation on a waterway. In the above link, you can read about how they work and see 7 of the best examples in North America. The Canal du Midi was used for trade until it was replaced by more efficient trains in the early 1900s. Today it is used primarily for recreation.

A view from a pedestrian crossing of the Canal du Midi.

Sylvain takes us to some great sites in Toulouse and provides lots of interesting facts that would be difficult to amass with his help. For example, this is the oldest public fountain in Toulouse, Griffoul Fountain. Unfortunately, the fountain is rather plain and uninspiring until you notice the other picture below.

The fountain is so well used that the marble stone walls are worn down. Notice the dips in the fountain walls? "This is where the women in town used to do laundry," says Sylvain. I think about how many hours were spent kneeling at this fountain to create those wear spots on the white marble walls. This fountain, built in 1549 AD, has never stopped flowing water (473 years). This fountain has been running water for nearly twice as long as the United States has been a country.

We make a quick stop at the oldest pharmacy in Toulouse that is still operating today. It dates back to 1775 (below). One of the guys from Belgium notices my hat; he is a fan of Jumbo-Visma as his nephew rides for them. At one of the stops, We catch up on Le Tour and notice that Jonas Vingergaard has put his closest competitor in difficulty. J. Vingergaard puts an additional 1+ minute on his closest competitor today by winning the stage. This being the last hilly stage, Jumbo-Visma has had a banner year. They secured the Green, Yellow, and Red Polka-Dot jersey. In the years I've followed Le Tour, I have never seen one team end up with all three jerseys. Well done, Yumbo!   

After passing countless red brick buildings, Sylvain stops in front of this wall. "There was an 80-year period (the 1870s-1950s) where Toulouse wanted to be like Paris. During that time, people hid the red brick with plaster and stucco. This white appearance made the city look like the white stone on buildings in Paris. Here you see that stucco failing off the brick. Most of the town has now been restored to red brick." he says

Here is an example of a couple of brick buildings still covered in stucco. These are rare nowadays.

The grey-green building above has another interesting aspect. Notice the blue shutters? Sylvain pauses here and pulls out a few photographs from his panier on his bike. Toulouse was the center of the pastel trade in the 14th-15th centuries. Blue dye was manufactured primarily here and quickly became associated with royalty due to its being rare. This is why many Monarchs were often photographed wearing blue, and official state buildings still use the color blue for gates and shutters today. You can read more about Toulouse and the pastel trade and manufacturing process.   

Our bike tour lasts well over 3 hours. Sylvain was a great guide. We make stops at the Basilica and Capitol Square, which I had visited in the morning and several other locations in Toulouse. When we return to the cycle shop, it is nearly 6 pm and well over 97 F (36 C) with 60% humidity. It's hot! Below is the beautiful Capitol Building, the tallest building on the square. At the square converge 8 important streets in Toulouse. The new town square is not the original town square. As the city expanded beyond the old roman city, they moved the town square to be the merging point of the old and new. The roman city no longer exists and, with time, has been completely replaced, and buildings have evolved with the city.

Tonight, I head to Meet the Meat, a highly rated restaurant for meat. I order a salad to start; Roquefort blue cheese is made from goat's milk here in southern France. Considered one of the best blue cheeses in the world. The butter lettuce is topped with cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and a vinaigrette.

The main course is duck breast with a spiced honey sauce and scalloped potatoes. The scalloped potatoes are unreal. The potatoes are sliced so thin that they melt in my mouth. The duck breast is cooked perfectly, with a nice sear on the skin and a medium pink interior. I love duck, and this was a great meal! This whole meal, with a 1/4 bottle of Rosé wine, cost me 25 euros.

After dinner, I head to Capitol Square. A crowd is gathered on the right to watch a group of street performers break dancing.

The Capitol Building is lit up in pink lights for the Pink City. The city gets its name because the red bricks turn to pink at sunset as the daylight changes.

The intensity of the colors changes periodically. Notice the Star of David in the town square. Originally intended to represent the 12 apostles, but...

Today it is marked with the 12 signs of the zodiac. This is Gemini, the twins and my birth sign.