Sunday Afternoon in Toulouse

We ended our Andorra trip with a stop off in Toulouse and spent a few hours wondering around the city. It was kind of a must because when are we ever going to road trip through France again (hopefully it is in our future).

So Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France and the most important in the southwest. It was nice to see another French city other than Paris. We got a feel of what France is "really like". It was so laid back and quite compared to busy city life (and Paris is quieter than New York). It was very relaxing to walk the comparatively empty streets and be one of a few people out in some areas we ventured down.
 

We first visited St. Etienne Cathedral. This cathedral was one of the more beautiful cathedrals we have visited. Different parts of the cathedral were completed at different times. 


 

Toulouse is another Roman settlement and thus is a center of Romanesque art. One reason is that it is on the route to Santiago de Compostela (a route that many Christians in the middle ages took through France to get to Santiago de Compostela in Spain to visit the shrine of St. James). We visited the Musee des Augustins which because it was the first Sunday of the month was free (all museums in France are free on the first Sunday of the month). It has a 14th century cloisters which we enjoyed running around in. There was a flowering tree that was blooming. It made us all so happy to see the signs of spring. We are so sick of winter.

Spring is here in France! Hanging out in the cloisters at the Musee des Augustins. 
This museum has it all: paintsings, sculptures, cloisters. We got to see some French, Italian, and Flemish paintings that date back to the the 16th century. The museum is known for having paintings by Ingres, Delacrouix, Constant, and Laurents. There was a little coloring table set up for children. While Cosette was occupied coloring we were able to spent some extra time looking at the paintings in that room. Oh, it was a luxury to have a few extra minutes. Thank you Musee des Augustins!
These gargoyles normally are located horizontally close to the tops of cathedrals. These particular ones were drains. The water would flow out of their mouths. It is cool to see them up close. 
Plac du Capitole and Hotel de Ville. One of the grandest palaces left over from the Renaissance period. There is a large plaza in front with a lot of cafes and shops. It was a good place to take a break.

 

Lyndon wanted to stop off at Les Jacobins. It is a church that was built in the 1200s in the Gothic style. It has a palm vault ceiling and instead of having a nave with two side aisles it has two main aisles with no nave. It is also built out of brick instead of stone which makes it a very non traditional cathedral. Lyndon loves seeing different types of cathedrals. The photo above to the right you is Lyndon standing in front of Les Jacobins. There was construction being done on the facade so we could not get the best picture. Those building have to be kept up. 
The Garonne river.
Family photo in Toulouse. As you can see Cosette is eating a delicious pastry because we found a delicious boulangerie patisserie. Oh man, it was delicious! Best pan au chocolat ever! The food just enhances the experience. 
We were happy we stopped in Toulouse. Our time here is a once in a life time opportunity and we do not want to miss out on anything. I think we are doing a pretty good job . xoxo

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