"Five nights in Toulouse" a Toulouse Travel Page by Spincat

Ever since I came back from Toulouse I have been on a Quest.
Was my quest to discover the lost secret of the Cathars in nearby Monsegur, perhaps?
I am afraid it was to find an ice cream to equal the one I ate in a little side street somewhere in Toulouse.
Ice cream was probably the most solid food I ate all holiday - somehow we always missed that very narrow French window of lunch opportunity. To travel to a place with such delicious food and not to get any is a sin - remember to follow the French pattern of regular lunch hours when you are here; remember, also, that many restuarants in Toulouse are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Toulouse is a wonderful, vibrant, kind-hearted and cosmopolitan city. There is a great feeling of life about it: as if everyone is in the middle of discussing something fascinating, or as if they are all on their way to somewhere really exciting ... and you are in the middle of it. The beauty of the place, perhaps not immediately obvious when you arrive at the station or get off a coach on a wet night, sneaks up on you - make sure you spend time walking around the older parts of the city.

Much of Toulouse is built out of what is described as 'pink' brick, but this is actually many shades of soft hues from pink-saffron through to russet and then to to coral; the bricks are a thin oblong shape that creates a lovely textured effect on the walls .

Toulouse had romantic associations. From the 10th to 13th centuries its weathy court patronised the troubadours, poets of courtly love. There are also grisly associations: the crusade against and subsequent genocide of the Cathars in the late C13th, a 'heretic' dualist sect. You can visit their last stronghold at nearby Monsegur easily from here by train though we didn't have time to do this ourselves. Our most wonderful trip was deep underground to see neolithic wall paintings - at the Grotte de Niaux, a trainride away (see my Off the Beaten Path tip).

In more modern times, Toulouse has become famous for its innovative aerospace industry and it is so busy with engineers and scientists coming and going for work and conferences that it can be hard to get a room during the week - book well in advance!.

The picture was taken in the relaxing Place St George, just around the corner from our hotel, the fabulous (and fabulously €31-per-night-cheap) 'Hotel des Arts'. Like many of Toulouse's squares, this is full of cafes and restaurants.

Please enjoy my Toulouse pages. Feedback is always welcome and I'd love to hear about your trip to Toulouse, if you go!