I had a great week in Toulouse! And, Mother Nature cooperated so I got some hiking in the Pyrenees. I like the Pyrenees Mountains, they are gentler than the Alps and that has a certain charm. France has the Alps and Pyrenees like the States has the Rockies and the Appalachians. They are both great in their own way.
Toulouse is known as the "Pink City" because of its architecture using much more brick than other French cities, which are normally populated with dominantly grey and beige buildings. And, Toulouse has a deep Roman history from the 1st to 4th centuries which was fascinating to learn about.
It is much less based on tourism, as Toulouse is the center for aerospace in France with companies like Airbus, Rolls Royce, CNES, and Dassault. That is good in some ways as I get to see more authentic France. But, when the tourist in me comes out, there is less to do.
I did get to join the celebrations for Bastille Day on the 14th with free outdoor concerts in the park and fireworks that I could see from my apartment.
And, since I was so close, and I had never been, I took a day trip to Andorra. It is a beautiful country, but since it is a duty free municipality, it looked like a big shopping center for the French and Spanish that come to save money. But, what a setting for a place to shop!
All in all, Toulouse was nice; but I still like Lyon better.
Now...off to the next adventure!
