Toulouse July 2013
Well, after another transatlantic schlep, AlteCocker has arrived in Toulouse. She flew Icelandair via Reykjavik and that went off smoothly as usual. It is easiest to change planes in small airports. For those of you considering Icelandair, please note that you will pay for you food on the plane. No more free lunches when you pay less for your airfare. Also, Icelandair has its own mileage program. Since flying them once every other year or so is AlteCocker's habit, she has not joined their frequent flyer program. She is content with no miles if the price is less and has never really gotten anything substantial from any airline mileage program. She would rather have her miles in her pocket in the form of lower airfare than have the promise of pie in the sky in the future.
Arriving at Terminal 1 at CDG in Paris, AlteCocker collected her luggage (obtaining euros from a machine near the baggage claim) and made her way via the airport train to Terminal 2F for her flight to Toulouse (her luggage could not be checked through). She allowed over 3 hours for the change of planes and it was needed. This is vacation season in France and Terminal 2F was packed. She had to pass by several small queues for those with first and business class reservations before arriving at the check in for Air France for the peasants where there was a massive queue and, typical for the Continent, people who don't know how to wait their turns. Fortunately, AlteCocker had printed out her boarding pass online before leaving the US. There were massive queues for those machines too and a lot of obviously confused people holding things up. She eventually checked her bag and made her way to the departure gate where she plopped herself in a seat and enjoyed 15 minutes free internet courtesy of the airport hooking up her laptop. Thank you, CDG!
The flight to Toulouse went smoothly but AlteCocker does not remember much of it. She conked out for the entire time.
In Toulouse AlteCocker collected her baggage and headed for the taxi queue and a taxi ride to the house in Colomiers, a nearby suburb. When she gave the taxi driver her address, he quickly plopped in his smartphone and, after a bit of confusion (the house is on a street that is divided in parts), the house was located. There was the usual confusion finding the door that the key AlteCocker had (it was mailed to her in advance of the exchange) opened. The house is comfortable but is nothing like the comfort of AlteCocker's home in the United States--fairly typical when she travels to Europe. The house does have a shower, but predictably the shower makes a mess of the entire bathroom. AlteCocker discovered why there were so many towels and bath mats hanging on the line outside! Europeans simply live with less comforts than Americans do and you have to adapt if you are going to be successful at home exchanging. However, the fact that the hot water heater has a tendency to stop and need to be restarted was not appreciated. AlteCocker cannot figure out people who spend a fortune to travel internationally and set the hot water heater down so low as to provide a cold shower. Annoying but not fatal.
AlteCocker is sort of unpacked now (well halfway anyway) and has slept for a few hours. France is in the midst of a heat wave, especially in the South, and do not expect air conditioning anywhere. In fact, waiting in Charles DeGaulle Airport in its artistically glass enclosed gate area was akin to waiting in a sauna. More annoying to AlteCocker than lack of air conditioning is the fact that the house has, for the most part, shutters that are decayed and do not work properly and not one fan to be found. Generally, European shutters work very well to keep a house cool--when you can close them.
AlteCocker did manage to hook up her laptop. If there is a computer in the house, she has yet to find it. The home exchangers thoughtfully apparently decided to take their equipment to the United States or hide it. Not nice. Altecocker will continue rooting around for surprise equipment, but, in the meantime she has her reliable but outdated laptop. AlteCocker did leave a computer for her exchangers back at home.
Of course, there was no sightseeing on this first day of the trip. AlteCocker is exhausted and now, it being the middle of the night here, is going back to sleep before it gets too hot to sleep here. The touristing stuff begins in the morning.
Arriving at Terminal 1 at CDG in Paris, AlteCocker collected her luggage (obtaining euros from a machine near the baggage claim) and made her way via the airport train to Terminal 2F for her flight to Toulouse (her luggage could not be checked through). She allowed over 3 hours for the change of planes and it was needed. This is vacation season in France and Terminal 2F was packed. She had to pass by several small queues for those with first and business class reservations before arriving at the check in for Air France for the peasants where there was a massive queue and, typical for the Continent, people who don't know how to wait their turns. Fortunately, AlteCocker had printed out her boarding pass online before leaving the US. There were massive queues for those machines too and a lot of obviously confused people holding things up. She eventually checked her bag and made her way to the departure gate where she plopped herself in a seat and enjoyed 15 minutes free internet courtesy of the airport hooking up her laptop. Thank you, CDG!
The flight to Toulouse went smoothly but AlteCocker does not remember much of it. She conked out for the entire time.
In Toulouse AlteCocker collected her baggage and headed for the taxi queue and a taxi ride to the house in Colomiers, a nearby suburb. When she gave the taxi driver her address, he quickly plopped in his smartphone and, after a bit of confusion (the house is on a street that is divided in parts), the house was located. There was the usual confusion finding the door that the key AlteCocker had (it was mailed to her in advance of the exchange) opened. The house is comfortable but is nothing like the comfort of AlteCocker's home in the United States--fairly typical when she travels to Europe. The house does have a shower, but predictably the shower makes a mess of the entire bathroom. AlteCocker discovered why there were so many towels and bath mats hanging on the line outside! Europeans simply live with less comforts than Americans do and you have to adapt if you are going to be successful at home exchanging. However, the fact that the hot water heater has a tendency to stop and need to be restarted was not appreciated. AlteCocker cannot figure out people who spend a fortune to travel internationally and set the hot water heater down so low as to provide a cold shower. Annoying but not fatal.
AlteCocker is sort of unpacked now (well halfway anyway) and has slept for a few hours. France is in the midst of a heat wave, especially in the South, and do not expect air conditioning anywhere. In fact, waiting in Charles DeGaulle Airport in its artistically glass enclosed gate area was akin to waiting in a sauna. More annoying to AlteCocker than lack of air conditioning is the fact that the house has, for the most part, shutters that are decayed and do not work properly and not one fan to be found. Generally, European shutters work very well to keep a house cool--when you can close them.
AlteCocker did manage to hook up her laptop. If there is a computer in the house, she has yet to find it. The home exchangers thoughtfully apparently decided to take their equipment to the United States or hide it. Not nice. Altecocker will continue rooting around for surprise equipment, but, in the meantime she has her reliable but outdated laptop. AlteCocker did leave a computer for her exchangers back at home.
Of course, there was no sightseeing on this first day of the trip. AlteCocker is exhausted and now, it being the middle of the night here, is going back to sleep before it gets too hot to sleep here. The touristing stuff begins in the morning.
Toulouse: Day 2 Adventures
AlteCocker got a late start today with total exhaustion from the plane flights yesterday. AlteCocker spent the morning working on my Polish plans for next year--now up in the air due to a sort of back out from her Krakow people. After asking them to reconfirm several times and getting total silence in return, AlteCocker knew that something was going on and had moved on to send an email to others. Yesterday, after about a month of silence, AlteCocker got the email. The excuse for backing out was the dumbest one she has never heard: Basically Krakow doesn't want to come to DC unless Krakow can get an exchange in New York City. In 24 years of home exchanging very few get exchanges in New York City because coop and condo rules often restrict home exchanges never mind. In fact, all of AlteCocker's exchangers want exchanges there, but none of them has ever gotten one. AlteCocker wrote Krakow this morning telling them they had a week to say definitely what they were doing. In fact, AlteCocker has been looking at alternatives for awhile. What makes the nonsense from the Krakow people even worse: They solicited AlteCocker for a home exchange (not the other way round). When she accepted, Krakow was ecstatic and made a big deal about telling me they would not back out. Yeah, right. They just did. Basically, AlteCocker told Krakow that she was not going to wait around until they made up their minds as to what they were doing because she wants a definite. She does not want to wait for pie in the sky.
Also this morning AlteCocker made a reservation for a tour of the Airbus factory, which is located very near where she is staying those reservations are for Wednesday. Today she finally got out of the house and took bus 64 from Colomiers into Toulouse. It goes via a convoluted route, but was a lot easier than using an assortment of transportation methods. Driving in Toulouse would involve paying for parking--something AlteCocker wants to avoid--never mind that she doesn't know where the lots are or how to do it without getting a ticket. It's just a hassle when you don't know where you are going in the first place. After arriving in Toulouse, AlteCocker took a boat ride on the Garonne River and went through a lock into the Canal du Midi. The boat then went back through the lock and, after about 1 1/2 hours arrived back at the dock in Toulouse. It was not all that interesting (AlteCocker has been through many locks), but it did have the advantage of being a place where you can SIT DOWN. Drinks on the boat were more than double the price off the boat, but it was a very hot day and AlteCocker paid up.
Before going home AlteCocker stopped to have an assortment of 3 sorbets in the main place opposite the Mairie as well as a fruit juice kind of drink made from the hibiscus. The sorbet hit the spot but AlteCocker did not much fancy the hibiscus concoction. A stop was made right by Metro Arenes (stop for the Capitole building/Mairie) to watch children playing in a fountain that shoots erratic jets of water in the air. Going home, despite telling the bus driver where she needed to get off, the bus driver was unhelpful. AlteCocker only realized she had missed the stop after she missed it. She had to walk back to the previous stop. Fortunately, AlteCocker never leaves home without a map!
And that is the end of Day 2.
Also this morning AlteCocker made a reservation for a tour of the Airbus factory, which is located very near where she is staying those reservations are for Wednesday. Today she finally got out of the house and took bus 64 from Colomiers into Toulouse. It goes via a convoluted route, but was a lot easier than using an assortment of transportation methods. Driving in Toulouse would involve paying for parking--something AlteCocker wants to avoid--never mind that she doesn't know where the lots are or how to do it without getting a ticket. It's just a hassle when you don't know where you are going in the first place. After arriving in Toulouse, AlteCocker took a boat ride on the Garonne River and went through a lock into the Canal du Midi. The boat then went back through the lock and, after about 1 1/2 hours arrived back at the dock in Toulouse. It was not all that interesting (AlteCocker has been through many locks), but it did have the advantage of being a place where you can SIT DOWN. Drinks on the boat were more than double the price off the boat, but it was a very hot day and AlteCocker paid up.
Before going home AlteCocker stopped to have an assortment of 3 sorbets in the main place opposite the Mairie as well as a fruit juice kind of drink made from the hibiscus. The sorbet hit the spot but AlteCocker did not much fancy the hibiscus concoction. A stop was made right by Metro Arenes (stop for the Capitole building/Mairie) to watch children playing in a fountain that shoots erratic jets of water in the air. Going home, despite telling the bus driver where she needed to get off, the bus driver was unhelpful. AlteCocker only realized she had missed the stop after she missed it. She had to walk back to the previous stop. Fortunately, AlteCocker never leaves home without a map!
And that is the end of Day 2.
Toulouse Day 3-4
Well day 3 was a sleep in and planning day. AlteCocker spent oodles of time time trying to figure out how to get to the start of "Let's Visit Airbus", the tour of the Airbus factory and site. AlteCocker had booked both the factory tour and the so-called panoramic tour. The first does let you go into a gallery above the factory where you can look down upon the giant airbus planes on the factory floor. AlteCocker had taken a similar tour of the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington, years ago and wanted to see how Airbus stacked up. The tours are fairly similar. You do not, of course, go on the factory floor, but overlook it. We did not see much going on with the two airplanes being tested for Emirates. Only the tail fin had been painted. They do the painting last because they don't want any scratches when the client shows up to take possession of the aircraft. AlteCocker was glad to have taken the tour, but we were able to see a bit more at Boeing when she went (as part of a home exchange in Port Orchard, Washington, by the way).
After the basic factory tour, AlteCocker took the second tour offered, the "Panoramic" Tour. What this involves is driving around in a bus to sites in the entire Airbus complex to see many airplanes in various stages of completion. You do not get off the bus, but the bus stops along the way and the guide talks. If you have to choose, the factory tour is more interesting, but they were both worth the money. There is a shop, of course, to buy t-shirts and other crap. There is no restaurant on the premises. Relatively few visitors to Toulouse take the Airbus tour given the numbers AlteCocker observed. It really was worth all the trouble and is something to see besides castles, museums and churches--usually the bulk of what you see on any European trip.
The tour AlteCocker took was in English. Half the people on the bus really did not speak English, but apparently spoke less French and chose the English tour. For those who did really understand English, the tour guide was very knowledgeable, although the information got to be a bit "over the top" at times. One interesting thing was watching a "beluga" land. Belugas are Airbus transport planes that sort of resemble whales. Many of the parts are assembled on other Airbus sites and then sent to Toulouse for assembly. Airbus is planning to open a major facility in Mobile, Alabama. Airbus is very focused on getting the most miles out of its aircraft for the least fuel. American companies are going to have to improve what they produce to keep up--especially in light of Boeing's recent problems.
Warning: If you take the Airbus tours, it is very poorly sign posted from the highway. What was supposed to take 11 minutes seemed to take forever--maybe 45. AlteCocker ended up at the Toulouse airport and kept going over the same ground until she finally figured out where she needed to get off the highway. There was no signage at all. Everyone had trouble finding the place. AlteCocker got a lot of excuses about the signs. The main one was that the Toulouse City government did not want to spend the money for road signs, but it might be a fight between Airbus and the city government over who pays for the signs. Who knows? In any event, allow a lot of time to get lost and go to the Toulouse Airport, get stuck in traffic jams, etc. You will use it all up.
A new aircraft museum is scheduled to open on the Airbus property in 2014. Maybe then whoever is responsible will improve the signs.
On the tour AlteCocker met a woman from Victoria in British Columbia. We had lunch together and then set out to find Les Arenes de Pupan. We had some unwanted driving adventures getting there but finally someone gave us good directions and we found the Roman ruins. Drat, only open on Sundays, so we had a look in through the gate. The site was relatively small. The woman then went off to take a tram back to wherever she was staying in Toulouse (AlteCocker was certainly not going to look for it given her knowledge of Toulouse) and AlteCocker faced what she thought would be a daunting task of getting back home.
For once it was a good driving story in Europe. AlteCocker got off the highway in Colomiers, boom, there was a sign for an Italian restaurant called "La Florence". The restaurant is practically across the street from her home exchange home. She followed the signs to the restaurant and was home in at most 5 minutes. What luck! Driving will be easier now that she knows to follow the signs to the restaurant. Unbelievable!
After the basic factory tour, AlteCocker took the second tour offered, the "Panoramic" Tour. What this involves is driving around in a bus to sites in the entire Airbus complex to see many airplanes in various stages of completion. You do not get off the bus, but the bus stops along the way and the guide talks. If you have to choose, the factory tour is more interesting, but they were both worth the money. There is a shop, of course, to buy t-shirts and other crap. There is no restaurant on the premises. Relatively few visitors to Toulouse take the Airbus tour given the numbers AlteCocker observed. It really was worth all the trouble and is something to see besides castles, museums and churches--usually the bulk of what you see on any European trip.
The tour AlteCocker took was in English. Half the people on the bus really did not speak English, but apparently spoke less French and chose the English tour. For those who did really understand English, the tour guide was very knowledgeable, although the information got to be a bit "over the top" at times. One interesting thing was watching a "beluga" land. Belugas are Airbus transport planes that sort of resemble whales. Many of the parts are assembled on other Airbus sites and then sent to Toulouse for assembly. Airbus is planning to open a major facility in Mobile, Alabama. Airbus is very focused on getting the most miles out of its aircraft for the least fuel. American companies are going to have to improve what they produce to keep up--especially in light of Boeing's recent problems.
Warning: If you take the Airbus tours, it is very poorly sign posted from the highway. What was supposed to take 11 minutes seemed to take forever--maybe 45. AlteCocker ended up at the Toulouse airport and kept going over the same ground until she finally figured out where she needed to get off the highway. There was no signage at all. Everyone had trouble finding the place. AlteCocker got a lot of excuses about the signs. The main one was that the Toulouse City government did not want to spend the money for road signs, but it might be a fight between Airbus and the city government over who pays for the signs. Who knows? In any event, allow a lot of time to get lost and go to the Toulouse Airport, get stuck in traffic jams, etc. You will use it all up.
A new aircraft museum is scheduled to open on the Airbus property in 2014. Maybe then whoever is responsible will improve the signs.
On the tour AlteCocker met a woman from Victoria in British Columbia. We had lunch together and then set out to find Les Arenes de Pupan. We had some unwanted driving adventures getting there but finally someone gave us good directions and we found the Roman ruins. Drat, only open on Sundays, so we had a look in through the gate. The site was relatively small. The woman then went off to take a tram back to wherever she was staying in Toulouse (AlteCocker was certainly not going to look for it given her knowledge of Toulouse) and AlteCocker faced what she thought would be a daunting task of getting back home.
For once it was a good driving story in Europe. AlteCocker got off the highway in Colomiers, boom, there was a sign for an Italian restaurant called "La Florence". The restaurant is practically across the street from her home exchange home. She followed the signs to the restaurant and was home in at most 5 minutes. What luck! Driving will be easier now that she knows to follow the signs to the restaurant. Unbelievable!
Day 5: Albi & Toulouse Lautrec
Well, today was the first long drive. AlteCocker decided to visit the Toulouse Lautrec Museum in Albi. Albi is about an hour away from Colomiers. There were no big driving misadventures until she missed the turnoff for the museum once she got to Albi. She turned around and asked one of the locals. Second time she saw the sign but then drove into the hospital parking lot, where she would have had to pay and would be limited to 2 hours. That wouldn't have worked, so AlteCocker had to back part way out of the lot (Ah, Europe where they park on top of each other, on the sidewalk, and a myriad of inventive places that would just not be kosher in the US). Eventually, she found the right lot and was lucky enough to find a space. Victory!
After climbing up (Does one ever climb downhill to see anything in Europe?) she arrived at Tourist Information adjacent to the museum. She picked up a map and whiled away two hours looking at Lautrec's work. Lautrec was born in Albi. AlteCocker did not have time to visit his house or take a photo of the exterior historical plaque. She visited the museum and enjoyed a coupe de glace. After that , she stupidly enrolled herself in a French language walking tour through the old city. The guide was excellent, but AlteCocker's back was bothering her from all the standing in the museum. The walking tour did her in and she left early. Getting out of Albi was a lot easier than getting into Albi (although some unwanted navigation of teeny back streets was necessary; it helps to have a good sense of direction). She did, however, succeed in missing the turn off for the La Florence, the restaurant near the house and had to go to the next traffic circle to turn around. Bother. There was also a directional arrow for the McDonald's (which is next to the La Florence). The driving adventures for the day were almost over when AlteCocker almost missed the turn for her street. Unfortunately, this mess--and the back and forth maneuver to adjust the car--was observed by 2 neighbors, both of whom are friends of the home exchangers. No doubt the exchangers will hear all about it.
Tonight,July 10, Colomiers is celebrating Bastille Day early with fireworks. AlteCocker guesses being small Colomiers cannot compete with other larger places--such as Paris and Toulouse--on July 14th so Colomiers gets its dibbs in early. Being able to watch a free fireworks show from her terrace is fine with AlteCocker. She's exhausted and the terrace is as far as she wants to go.
The washing machine appears to work. AlteCocker put the first load of laundry in and everything was finished when she returned home. She never knows about European washers--never mind how small they are. No two European washers seem to work the same way and the directions are always interesting. AlteCocker did panic momentarily when she saw there were no directions for the washing machine until she realized they were labelled "dishwasher". Well, AlteCocker doesn't write her directions in foreign languages, so she can't complain.
After climbing up (Does one ever climb downhill to see anything in Europe?) she arrived at Tourist Information adjacent to the museum. She picked up a map and whiled away two hours looking at Lautrec's work. Lautrec was born in Albi. AlteCocker did not have time to visit his house or take a photo of the exterior historical plaque. She visited the museum and enjoyed a coupe de glace. After that , she stupidly enrolled herself in a French language walking tour through the old city. The guide was excellent, but AlteCocker's back was bothering her from all the standing in the museum. The walking tour did her in and she left early. Getting out of Albi was a lot easier than getting into Albi (although some unwanted navigation of teeny back streets was necessary; it helps to have a good sense of direction). She did, however, succeed in missing the turn off for the La Florence, the restaurant near the house and had to go to the next traffic circle to turn around. Bother. There was also a directional arrow for the McDonald's (which is next to the La Florence). The driving adventures for the day were almost over when AlteCocker almost missed the turn for her street. Unfortunately, this mess--and the back and forth maneuver to adjust the car--was observed by 2 neighbors, both of whom are friends of the home exchangers. No doubt the exchangers will hear all about it.
Tonight,July 10, Colomiers is celebrating Bastille Day early with fireworks. AlteCocker guesses being small Colomiers cannot compete with other larger places--such as Paris and Toulouse--on July 14th so Colomiers gets its dibbs in early. Being able to watch a free fireworks show from her terrace is fine with AlteCocker. She's exhausted and the terrace is as far as she wants to go.
The washing machine appears to work. AlteCocker put the first load of laundry in and everything was finished when she returned home. She never knows about European washers--never mind how small they are. No two European washers seem to work the same way and the directions are always interesting. AlteCocker did panic momentarily when she saw there were no directions for the washing machine until she realized they were labelled "dishwasher". Well, AlteCocker doesn't write her directions in foreign languages, so she can't complain.
Cordes Sur Ciel (Cordes in the Sky) Medieval Festival
AlteCocker, at her home exchangers' suggestion, went off for a couple of days to a Medieval Festival in the hilltop town of Cordes sur Ciel. There was a torchlight procession on July 13th and a medieval themed joust show on July 14th.
First job was to score a bed and breakfast. The first one I phoned in the old city was full but the second one, down below, had a cancellation and I got very lucky. I stayed at the delightful place known as Aurifat. You can find the listing on the site for Cordes sur Ciel. I stayed in the former pigeon tower (old farm houses sometimes have them as they owners would collect the eggs and eat the pigeon parents). The room was lovely complete with a modern shower with pressure--and quite a change from the house in Toulouse where the hot water lasts maybe 2 minutes and AlteCocker constantly has to reset the hot water heater. If you home exchange, please note that, in general, European homes are not maintained as homes in the US are. AlteCocker does not understand this mind set, but that is the way it is. You never get what you leave behind when you come to Europe--except perhaps in a lovely B&B such as Aurifat. The owners are British by the way, so no worries about language problems (except when they call a "flashlight" a "torch").
Speaking of flashlights, if you book Aurifat, make sure to arrive during the day. This place involves driving in very small not well marked roads. AlteCocker was given very good directions by the owners and arrived in the day time. One couple trying to get back at night, ended up with their rental car in a ditch. AlteCocker did not attempt this maneuver, but she did attempt to find the B&B after the night time torchlight procession without success. This fiasco ended in a frantic telephone call on a French person's phone with the result that my landlord came and found me. When AlteCocker viewed the lay of the land from the car, well, she would have still be wandering around in Cordes without those lovely French people who lived there and, no doubt, were used to the "lost dumb tourist" routine. Bless, Penelope Wanklyn, from Aurifat, who, after being telephoned, came and got AlteCocker.
Cordes is a hill town --which means you are going to do serious walking even if you stay on top (which AlteCocker did not). There is limited parking. If you stay down below, you leave the car and climb Mount Everest. If you make a wrong turn, more climbing is required.
The Medieval Festival is put on every year by the townspeople--many of whom wander around in heavy medieval looking costumes in the middle of July. The young boys especially seem to enjoy bashing each other with toy swords. The little girls sometimes favor princess costumes that look as if they came from Disney; sooner or later the kids' costumes sported ice cream stains. Some things are the same all over. If you rent a costume, you get into the Medieval Festival tournament free. AlteCocker did not rent one. It was just too damn hot to even think of wearing anything but non medieval shorts.
The Festival was a lot of fun but nothing like the Civil War reenactments in the US where the costumes are hand made and as close to the original as possible. The ones in Cordes were on a medieval theme but certainly a sewing machine was used. Moreover, it was very common to see "medieval" people talking on mobile phones, drinking from plastic water bottles, and consulting watches. This is not a criticism. This made it even funnier and some "disconnect" photos were taken were taken by AlteCocker (you will have to wait for the photos til AlteCocker gets home as they are easier to load on her regular computer than on her more limited laptop).
The show was loosely based on the Knights of the Round Table, but had a happy ending where Modred dies in a swordfight with Guinevere. The silliness was not the point. Everyone, especially the kids, who freely yelled at all the bad guys (hint: a bad guy in a joust show is anyone who has a black horse or who wears a helmet with horns), had a good time. The horsemanship was excellent and the sword fights were well choreographed. If you should have a home exchange--or otherwise be in the area--during vacation--Cordes is worth a visit Medieval Fest or not.
AlteCocker also tasted some Gaillac wine at a winery in St. Croix, between Cordes and Albi, Domaine d'Escausses. The vineyard was selected because it was one of the only ones open on the morning of a public holiday. AlteCocker bought 2 bottles that will have to be consumed--one way or another--in Europe because taking them on a plane to the United States can result in a giant mess.
It would be fun to revisit and just spend time hanging out at the pool at Aurifat and enjoying the shower pressure. Alas, AlteCocker has returned to her home exchange in Colomiers and had to reset the hot water heater (again) before taking a shower with lousy pressure and getting water on the bathroom floor. Such is life on a European trip.
Please note that you have been given the French links for the town of Cordes sur Ciel. There is an English flag in the upper left hand corner of each page. If you click on it, the page magically changes to English. Many French websites have English translations, but the flag is usually British, not American, because, duh, they get more British tourists than Americans.
In Cordes AlteCocker ate at Terrasse sur Ciel the first day while waiting for the torchlight procession. It was a set price menu due to the crowds for the Medieval Festival. it was fine, but just ordinary food. Unfortunately, she ate at Billyssimo on the second day. A different restaurant was recommended by the couple at Aurifat but AlteCocker forgot what they said and she made a lousy choice (very thin pizza, almost impossible to cut the crust and not precut; at least the ice cream for dessert was tolerable; she would not go back).
By the way, the French have not caught on (yet) with the universal American custom of selling-shirts and hats for every events, so no Medieval Festival t-shirt for AlteCocker to add to her collection of infrequently worn t-shirts.
First job was to score a bed and breakfast. The first one I phoned in the old city was full but the second one, down below, had a cancellation and I got very lucky. I stayed at the delightful place known as Aurifat. You can find the listing on the site for Cordes sur Ciel. I stayed in the former pigeon tower (old farm houses sometimes have them as they owners would collect the eggs and eat the pigeon parents). The room was lovely complete with a modern shower with pressure--and quite a change from the house in Toulouse where the hot water lasts maybe 2 minutes and AlteCocker constantly has to reset the hot water heater. If you home exchange, please note that, in general, European homes are not maintained as homes in the US are. AlteCocker does not understand this mind set, but that is the way it is. You never get what you leave behind when you come to Europe--except perhaps in a lovely B&B such as Aurifat. The owners are British by the way, so no worries about language problems (except when they call a "flashlight" a "torch").
Speaking of flashlights, if you book Aurifat, make sure to arrive during the day. This place involves driving in very small not well marked roads. AlteCocker was given very good directions by the owners and arrived in the day time. One couple trying to get back at night, ended up with their rental car in a ditch. AlteCocker did not attempt this maneuver, but she did attempt to find the B&B after the night time torchlight procession without success. This fiasco ended in a frantic telephone call on a French person's phone with the result that my landlord came and found me. When AlteCocker viewed the lay of the land from the car, well, she would have still be wandering around in Cordes without those lovely French people who lived there and, no doubt, were used to the "lost dumb tourist" routine. Bless, Penelope Wanklyn, from Aurifat, who, after being telephoned, came and got AlteCocker.
Cordes is a hill town --which means you are going to do serious walking even if you stay on top (which AlteCocker did not). There is limited parking. If you stay down below, you leave the car and climb Mount Everest. If you make a wrong turn, more climbing is required.
The Medieval Festival is put on every year by the townspeople--many of whom wander around in heavy medieval looking costumes in the middle of July. The young boys especially seem to enjoy bashing each other with toy swords. The little girls sometimes favor princess costumes that look as if they came from Disney; sooner or later the kids' costumes sported ice cream stains. Some things are the same all over. If you rent a costume, you get into the Medieval Festival tournament free. AlteCocker did not rent one. It was just too damn hot to even think of wearing anything but non medieval shorts.
The Festival was a lot of fun but nothing like the Civil War reenactments in the US where the costumes are hand made and as close to the original as possible. The ones in Cordes were on a medieval theme but certainly a sewing machine was used. Moreover, it was very common to see "medieval" people talking on mobile phones, drinking from plastic water bottles, and consulting watches. This is not a criticism. This made it even funnier and some "disconnect" photos were taken were taken by AlteCocker (you will have to wait for the photos til AlteCocker gets home as they are easier to load on her regular computer than on her more limited laptop).
The show was loosely based on the Knights of the Round Table, but had a happy ending where Modred dies in a swordfight with Guinevere. The silliness was not the point. Everyone, especially the kids, who freely yelled at all the bad guys (hint: a bad guy in a joust show is anyone who has a black horse or who wears a helmet with horns), had a good time. The horsemanship was excellent and the sword fights were well choreographed. If you should have a home exchange--or otherwise be in the area--during vacation--Cordes is worth a visit Medieval Fest or not.
AlteCocker also tasted some Gaillac wine at a winery in St. Croix, between Cordes and Albi, Domaine d'Escausses. The vineyard was selected because it was one of the only ones open on the morning of a public holiday. AlteCocker bought 2 bottles that will have to be consumed--one way or another--in Europe because taking them on a plane to the United States can result in a giant mess.
It would be fun to revisit and just spend time hanging out at the pool at Aurifat and enjoying the shower pressure. Alas, AlteCocker has returned to her home exchange in Colomiers and had to reset the hot water heater (again) before taking a shower with lousy pressure and getting water on the bathroom floor. Such is life on a European trip.
Please note that you have been given the French links for the town of Cordes sur Ciel. There is an English flag in the upper left hand corner of each page. If you click on it, the page magically changes to English. Many French websites have English translations, but the flag is usually British, not American, because, duh, they get more British tourists than Americans.
In Cordes AlteCocker ate at Terrasse sur Ciel the first day while waiting for the torchlight procession. It was a set price menu due to the crowds for the Medieval Festival. it was fine, but just ordinary food. Unfortunately, she ate at Billyssimo on the second day. A different restaurant was recommended by the couple at Aurifat but AlteCocker forgot what they said and she made a lousy choice (very thin pizza, almost impossible to cut the crust and not precut; at least the ice cream for dessert was tolerable; she would not go back).
By the way, the French have not caught on (yet) with the universal American custom of selling-shirts and hats for every events, so no Medieval Festival t-shirt for AlteCocker to add to her collection of infrequently worn t-shirts.
Putzing Around, Cite des Sciences
Yesteday, AlteCocker ran some errands (successfully filling the tank with diesel, finding out which bank would take her ATM card [Bank Populaire, not Credit Agricole], picking up some previously ordered French medications (not available in the US), etc.
Today she was off on an excursion to the east side of Toulouse--to Cite d'Espace, billed as Toulouse's space adventure park. Compared to the Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC, well, it doesn't compare, but there were far fewer people and definitely a better restaurant (AlteCocker had mussels with french fries--uh, frites--take that Air & Space Museum crummy McDonald's).
When you enter Cite d'Espace, get the program (ask for English; they have it) detailing all the shows. It is sort of a combination science & space museum with some demonstrations and lots of activities geared to kids. Nevertheless, I found it interesting enough to fill up about 5 hours, and, once you've paid the entry fee, you do not have to pay anything more for the IMAX film or the Planetarium show; the fee is the same no matter what you see or don't see, so see as much as you can. The IMAX film was an American 3-D one about fixing the Hubble Space Telescope. While AlteCocker listened to it in French (she does speak the lingo), she ended up sorry she did not ask for a listening device for the original English language soundtrack; it was very disconcerting to hear the French dubbed in while watching the astronauts being interviewed because the lip movements did not match. The Planetarium show was made especially for the Cite d'Espace. If you do not speak French, move on because it is only in French. It was a very good show if you do and comparable to what you would see at the Air & Space Museum planetarium.
While AlteCocker had no driving misadventures getting to Cite d'Espace, she did have some getting there due to a confusing sign on the Autoroute (necessitating getting off, turning around and paying two times (not much, but still. . . . when she should not have paid at all). The woes of driving when you don't are not familiar with the geography! Getting home turned out to be a sprint as it continued to threaten thunderstorms all the way home. Pretty similar to what AlteCocker's home exchangers are suffering with DC's awful summer weather. So, we've exchanged hot weather as well.
Today she was off on an excursion to the east side of Toulouse--to Cite d'Espace, billed as Toulouse's space adventure park. Compared to the Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC, well, it doesn't compare, but there were far fewer people and definitely a better restaurant (AlteCocker had mussels with french fries--uh, frites--take that Air & Space Museum crummy McDonald's).
When you enter Cite d'Espace, get the program (ask for English; they have it) detailing all the shows. It is sort of a combination science & space museum with some demonstrations and lots of activities geared to kids. Nevertheless, I found it interesting enough to fill up about 5 hours, and, once you've paid the entry fee, you do not have to pay anything more for the IMAX film or the Planetarium show; the fee is the same no matter what you see or don't see, so see as much as you can. The IMAX film was an American 3-D one about fixing the Hubble Space Telescope. While AlteCocker listened to it in French (she does speak the lingo), she ended up sorry she did not ask for a listening device for the original English language soundtrack; it was very disconcerting to hear the French dubbed in while watching the astronauts being interviewed because the lip movements did not match. The Planetarium show was made especially for the Cite d'Espace. If you do not speak French, move on because it is only in French. It was a very good show if you do and comparable to what you would see at the Air & Space Museum planetarium.
While AlteCocker had no driving misadventures getting to Cite d'Espace, she did have some getting there due to a confusing sign on the Autoroute (necessitating getting off, turning around and paying two times (not much, but still. . . . when she should not have paid at all). The woes of driving when you don't are not familiar with the geography! Getting home turned out to be a sprint as it continued to threaten thunderstorms all the way home. Pretty similar to what AlteCocker's home exchangers are suffering with DC's awful summer weather. So, we've exchanged hot weather as well.
Toulouse July 17, 2013
Woke up late and took the train into Toulouse (now that AlteCocker has successfully located the train station in Colomiers). You change to the Metro or tram at Arenes and go where you want. Instead of getting off at Capitole as she did the first time, AlteCocker when to Jean Jaures where it was unfortunately too late to go to the market--which was what AlteCocker intended to do. Instead she got a recommendation for a lunch place and, man, did she have a good lunch. French food at its best is as good as it gets but much of what AlteCocker has been eating has been mediocre.
The name of the restaurant was Bistrot J'Go. The name of the restaurant is an obvious pun on the French word "gigot" which means a "leg"--as in a leg of lamb. AlteCocker had 3 courses--and none were like anything she had ever eaten. The first course was a kind of gazpacho made with green tomatoes. The second was a brochette of duck hearts. The last course was an apricot tarte on a "sable" base; it's a kind of cookie base. Everything was delicious and AlteCocker does plan to return to try other things on the menu, perhaps arriving early enough to have a look at the market. It was not a cheap lunch. With the glass of wine about 29 euros. It was definitely worth it. Further information about the restaurant can be found here
AlteCocker then went looking for live theater in Toulouse, but most of that is absent during the summer when regular patrons are "en vacances" (on vacation. She ended up seeing a French film that just opened at the local cinema about a woman actress who visits her previous stomping grounds in Brittany as part of a tour where screenings of one her old films are followed by lame discussions. The title was "Chez Nous C'est Trois". AlteCocker does speak French well enough to make this possible. There, were for the record, no screenings of films in English with French subtitles until the evening because much of the day activity is for children who are out of school. The films for them are all dubbed.
After the film AlteCocker stopped for an ice cream and a glass of water before heading for FNAC for a major purchase. Thoroughly sick of the getting lost driving business, AlteCocker finally bought a Garmin with maps for all the countries in Europe. While cars are beginning to have them as a standard feature, Europe is much behind the US in this regard and, well, AlteCocker was sick of the headache of trying to navigate and drive at the same time. In any event, she can sell it in the United States if she decides not to keep it after next year (She will need it for Poland). Problem solved.
Getting back to Colomiers by Toulouse Metro and bus was uneventful. The heavens were threatening thunderstorm and rumbling when she arrived back, but no rain came down. Maybe later, maybe not--just like yesterday.
The name of the restaurant was Bistrot J'Go. The name of the restaurant is an obvious pun on the French word "gigot" which means a "leg"--as in a leg of lamb. AlteCocker had 3 courses--and none were like anything she had ever eaten. The first course was a kind of gazpacho made with green tomatoes. The second was a brochette of duck hearts. The last course was an apricot tarte on a "sable" base; it's a kind of cookie base. Everything was delicious and AlteCocker does plan to return to try other things on the menu, perhaps arriving early enough to have a look at the market. It was not a cheap lunch. With the glass of wine about 29 euros. It was definitely worth it. Further information about the restaurant can be found here
AlteCocker then went looking for live theater in Toulouse, but most of that is absent during the summer when regular patrons are "en vacances" (on vacation. She ended up seeing a French film that just opened at the local cinema about a woman actress who visits her previous stomping grounds in Brittany as part of a tour where screenings of one her old films are followed by lame discussions. The title was "Chez Nous C'est Trois". AlteCocker does speak French well enough to make this possible. There, were for the record, no screenings of films in English with French subtitles until the evening because much of the day activity is for children who are out of school. The films for them are all dubbed.
After the film AlteCocker stopped for an ice cream and a glass of water before heading for FNAC for a major purchase. Thoroughly sick of the getting lost driving business, AlteCocker finally bought a Garmin with maps for all the countries in Europe. While cars are beginning to have them as a standard feature, Europe is much behind the US in this regard and, well, AlteCocker was sick of the headache of trying to navigate and drive at the same time. In any event, she can sell it in the United States if she decides not to keep it after next year (She will need it for Poland). Problem solved.
Getting back to Colomiers by Toulouse Metro and bus was uneventful. The heavens were threatening thunderstorm and rumbling when she arrived back, but no rain came down. Maybe later, maybe not--just like yesterday.
Carcassonne at Last!
Despite many visits to France--including one where she studied at the Universite de Dijon for 6 weeks during the summer--AlteCocker had never been to Carcassonne until today. It was the last of what she calls the "A List" sites she had not seen--until today.
Carcassonne is only about an hour from Toulouse. By now she has the driving figured out and did not even pack her GPS. She followed the Autoroute to in the direction of Montpelier until it broke off for Carcassonne and Narbonne. If you are driving this way, get off at the second Carcassone exit marked "La Cite". There is a reason for this. In between the two exits there is a rest stop (called an "Aire" in French). STOP! The Aire is built with a grand view of the Medieval City. Perfect for taking photos!
The road into Carcassonne is well marked from the Autoroute. About French parking: Do not be intimidated by a sign that says "complet" ("full"). Go in. In 2 minutes someone will leave and you will take his parking space. AlteCocker had no trouble with this maneuver and got a space very close to the main entrance.
Compared to other cities with medieval cores Carcassonne is immense. That does mean that it attracts a pile of tourists in summer and that the cute alleys are filled with shops selling tourist schlock and that there is at least one ice cream place on every block. Sad, but true, but go anyway.
A tour was starting in French at Tourist Information to the right of the main entrance as soon as AlteCocker entered. This was a 2 1/2 hour tour. AlteCocker lasted 1 3/4 before bailing. The guide was taking the group down a very steep cobblestone covered path from the "old" to the "new" city. Climbing back up would not have been fun but climbing down was intimidating for someone who recently took a tumble on a trip that necessitated a full shoulder reconstruction. AlteCocker bailed and went to have lunch. There is an English tour at 9:30am if you'd like a walking tour and are French language impaired.
There is a chateau/museum in the old city but AlteCocker chose the walking tour over that. You do have to make choices and you can't do everything. After bailing, lunch was had at one of the nondescript restaurants in the old city (gazpacho, pork sausage with frites and 1 scoop of ice cream). AlteCocker has a firm rule of not drinking when she is going to have to drive someone else's car. No accidents, please! Beverage was water.
After the tour and lunch AlteCocker wandered a bit in the old city and then,on a whim, went to another medieval Joust show similar to the one she had seen in Cordes (although not as good and the French narration was very difficult to understand). It was basically good guys vs. bad guys with kids bashing each other with toy swords in the audience as they watched the show. Oy, AlteCocker is supposed to be going to a Hundred Years War reenactment in Bordeaux. She hopes it would not be another joust show! (It wasn't.)
No problems getting home at all now that AlteCocker has mastered the driving. The GPS sure will get some use when she has to go through driving orientation again in Bordeaux (if she rents a car) or Salamanca (where she will need to find her second home exchange house after going anywhere).
AlteCocker is thinking about going to Andorra, the teeny principality in the Pyrenees) tomorrow. She has been warned that it is just tourist shopping but the views of the Pyrenees Mountains might be nice on the way in. Who knows?
Carcassonne is only about an hour from Toulouse. By now she has the driving figured out and did not even pack her GPS. She followed the Autoroute to in the direction of Montpelier until it broke off for Carcassonne and Narbonne. If you are driving this way, get off at the second Carcassone exit marked "La Cite". There is a reason for this. In between the two exits there is a rest stop (called an "Aire" in French). STOP! The Aire is built with a grand view of the Medieval City. Perfect for taking photos!
The road into Carcassonne is well marked from the Autoroute. About French parking: Do not be intimidated by a sign that says "complet" ("full"). Go in. In 2 minutes someone will leave and you will take his parking space. AlteCocker had no trouble with this maneuver and got a space very close to the main entrance.
Compared to other cities with medieval cores Carcassonne is immense. That does mean that it attracts a pile of tourists in summer and that the cute alleys are filled with shops selling tourist schlock and that there is at least one ice cream place on every block. Sad, but true, but go anyway.
A tour was starting in French at Tourist Information to the right of the main entrance as soon as AlteCocker entered. This was a 2 1/2 hour tour. AlteCocker lasted 1 3/4 before bailing. The guide was taking the group down a very steep cobblestone covered path from the "old" to the "new" city. Climbing back up would not have been fun but climbing down was intimidating for someone who recently took a tumble on a trip that necessitated a full shoulder reconstruction. AlteCocker bailed and went to have lunch. There is an English tour at 9:30am if you'd like a walking tour and are French language impaired.
There is a chateau/museum in the old city but AlteCocker chose the walking tour over that. You do have to make choices and you can't do everything. After bailing, lunch was had at one of the nondescript restaurants in the old city (gazpacho, pork sausage with frites and 1 scoop of ice cream). AlteCocker has a firm rule of not drinking when she is going to have to drive someone else's car. No accidents, please! Beverage was water.
After the tour and lunch AlteCocker wandered a bit in the old city and then,on a whim, went to another medieval Joust show similar to the one she had seen in Cordes (although not as good and the French narration was very difficult to understand). It was basically good guys vs. bad guys with kids bashing each other with toy swords in the audience as they watched the show. Oy, AlteCocker is supposed to be going to a Hundred Years War reenactment in Bordeaux. She hopes it would not be another joust show! (It wasn't.)
No problems getting home at all now that AlteCocker has mastered the driving. The GPS sure will get some use when she has to go through driving orientation again in Bordeaux (if she rents a car) or Salamanca (where she will need to find her second home exchange house after going anywhere).
AlteCocker is thinking about going to Andorra, the teeny principality in the Pyrenees) tomorrow. She has been warned that it is just tourist shopping but the views of the Pyrenees Mountains might be nice on the way in. Who knows?
The Caves of Niaux
Today was the most fabulous day of the trip. AlteCocker started out to go to Andorra, well, because Andorra is there. It is a principality between France & Spain. Well, a sign for the Grottes de Niaux, a prehistoric cave--and one of the few you can still get into (most have copy sites, and, to protect the original site, all you can see is the copy site--not very interesting). Well, this one had a ticket for a French language tour and AlteCocker scarfed it up knowing Andorra was toast.
AlteCocker has to admit that this was a once in a lifetime experience--and worth giving up Andorra for. Maybe she will never get to Andorra, but she did see a wonderful prehistoric cave--something she has never seen before. From Toulouse, follow the signs for "Andorre" and you will run right into the signs for it after St. Foix.
The paintings in the cave are supposed to be about 14,000 years old! Really amazing pictures of bison, reindeer, mountain goats and sheep. It was stunning. Highly recommend that you see one of these caves--and not a copy cave. The tour was very strenuous--not so much the up and down but the slippery walking. The guide, Joanne, was very helpful. She got a very good tip from me at the end because AlteCocker was worried about falling and she helped her not to fall.
Tomorrow will be the last day in my Colomiers, France, house. Despite problems with the house (not very clean), it has been a success. The location was wonderful for exploring the area around Toulouse and AlteCocker has improved her knowledge of the Catholic Crusades against the Cathars (Albisengian Crusade). The remnants are all over in those hilltop fortresses.
AlteCocker has to admit that this was a once in a lifetime experience--and worth giving up Andorra for. Maybe she will never get to Andorra, but she did see a wonderful prehistoric cave--something she has never seen before. From Toulouse, follow the signs for "Andorre" and you will run right into the signs for it after St. Foix.
The paintings in the cave are supposed to be about 14,000 years old! Really amazing pictures of bison, reindeer, mountain goats and sheep. It was stunning. Highly recommend that you see one of these caves--and not a copy cave. The tour was very strenuous--not so much the up and down but the slippery walking. The guide, Joanne, was very helpful. She got a very good tip from me at the end because AlteCocker was worried about falling and she helped her not to fall.
Tomorrow will be the last day in my Colomiers, France, house. Despite problems with the house (not very clean), it has been a success. The location was wonderful for exploring the area around Toulouse and AlteCocker has improved her knowledge of the Catholic Crusades against the Cathars (Albisengian Crusade). The remnants are all over in those hilltop fortresses.
Auch, Gascony
Well, today was AlteCocker's last day in Colomiers, France. While the region has much to offer, the house just wasn't comfortable because it wasn't clean and then there was the hot water problem. AlteCocker would not have thought to complain about the lack of air conditioning, but the family mentioned the lack on its own. A fan would have been nice and she ended up buying a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine because the only one she found in the house was broken. So, insofar as tourism is concerned, the home exchange was successful. Insofar as the minimum of comfort was concerned, it was not. Those are the breaks and you have to look at both sides of the coin.
Today AlteCocker went off in a different direction. She went to Auch (pronounced Au-shh), the capital of Gascony and D'Artagnan's home town. D'Artagnan by the way is the fictional leader of "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. She didn't know that when she arrived in Auch. She went mainly because she heard the town had a good cathedral. After a cathedral visit, it was too late for lunch (you know those French restaurants with set hours--and it was Sunday meaning many places were just closed). She had ice cream for lunch and then took a walking tour of the town. She stayed for a free organ concert at the Cathedral--free, but a basket left for donations at the door the way things are done in Europe. Of course, AlteCocker put paper money in but she did notice lots of people just walking out.
The walking tour cost 4 euro and was worth every centime. AlteCocker would never have seen what she saw without the guide. She even saw a sign for the route of the pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella. Pilgrims still take that route. The guide said about 500 last year. We saw a place where Henri IV slept. The poor had to march down many steps to get water. Richer homes had systems to get water from wells. Very ingenious. There was also the usual discussion of people throwing, uh, "water" out of the window shouting "gard de l'eau" so people could take shelter. You hear that one all over Europe.
Auch has this huge staircase with a statue of D'Artagnan in the middle. AlteCocker did not go down because then she would have had to come up. She took a photo. Unfortunately, after the concert, it was still too early to eat in Auch so AlteCocker drove back to Colomiers. McDonald's is very popular in France--especially on Sunday nights where, except in very large towns, most of the restaurants are closed. She filled the tank of the car and, yes, she ate at McDonald's. It was packed with families and screaming kids and had a very long line for the drive up window. Sunday closings in French restaurants are just making business for fast food chains. AlteCocker could have gone into downtown Toulouse, but didn't. Tonight is the last load of laundry, a shower and packing for departure. Tomorrow morning will be a little bit of vacuuming (most has been done). The car is already cleaned out.
Today AlteCocker went off in a different direction. She went to Auch (pronounced Au-shh), the capital of Gascony and D'Artagnan's home town. D'Artagnan by the way is the fictional leader of "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. She didn't know that when she arrived in Auch. She went mainly because she heard the town had a good cathedral. After a cathedral visit, it was too late for lunch (you know those French restaurants with set hours--and it was Sunday meaning many places were just closed). She had ice cream for lunch and then took a walking tour of the town. She stayed for a free organ concert at the Cathedral--free, but a basket left for donations at the door the way things are done in Europe. Of course, AlteCocker put paper money in but she did notice lots of people just walking out.
The walking tour cost 4 euro and was worth every centime. AlteCocker would never have seen what she saw without the guide. She even saw a sign for the route of the pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella. Pilgrims still take that route. The guide said about 500 last year. We saw a place where Henri IV slept. The poor had to march down many steps to get water. Richer homes had systems to get water from wells. Very ingenious. There was also the usual discussion of people throwing, uh, "water" out of the window shouting "gard de l'eau" so people could take shelter. You hear that one all over Europe.
Auch has this huge staircase with a statue of D'Artagnan in the middle. AlteCocker did not go down because then she would have had to come up. She took a photo. Unfortunately, after the concert, it was still too early to eat in Auch so AlteCocker drove back to Colomiers. McDonald's is very popular in France--especially on Sunday nights where, except in very large towns, most of the restaurants are closed. She filled the tank of the car and, yes, she ate at McDonald's. It was packed with families and screaming kids and had a very long line for the drive up window. Sunday closings in French restaurants are just making business for fast food chains. AlteCocker could have gone into downtown Toulouse, but didn't. Tonight is the last load of laundry, a shower and packing for departure. Tomorrow morning will be a little bit of vacuuming (most has been done). The car is already cleaned out.
Toulouse Last Days
OK, this leg of the trip is almost history.
AlteCocker took the bus from Colomiers to Toulouse yesterday expecting to pick up a taxi in Toulouse where the bus ends. There was a taxi queue there but no taxis and AlteCocker was advised not to wait for a taxi, so she schlepped her suitcases on the Metro and then walked the short distance to the Hotel de France where she had booked for 2 nights. Hotel is a 2* and small, family run, and (very important) cheap and with air conditioning. The air conditioning is one of those ceiling units common in Europe where you have a hand held remote to point at it to control the temperature. AlteCocker is really enjoying the air conditioning. There is free WiFi at the hotel, but the connection is terrible and service goes in and out. Life on the road in Europe. . . .
The Hotel de France is near Place Wilson (Metro: Jean Jaures). If you are coming to Toulouse and booking a hotel, you do want to stay near Place Wilson or The Capitole for a central location. Both are within walking distance of one another but be sure to get off at the correct Metro stop for your hotel when you have luggage to reduce the schlep factor.
OK, first disaster occurred when AlteCocker attempted to hook up the computer and noticed that she didn't have the socket adapter from the house in Colomiers. When the plug was pulled out the adapter was left in the socket. Fortunately, there was a FNAC store around the corner from the hotel--the same place where AlteCocker previously purchased a GPS for Europe--and AlteCocker has much better socket adapters now. FNAC sells all sorts of electronics and is the place to go for such stuff.
Yesterday, after arrival in Toulouse, AlteCocker again at lunch at J'Go, but did not like it as much as the first time. She did taste the famous Toulouse sausages. For dinner she went to Christian Constant's restaurant on Place Capitole. The restaurant was a big gourmet splurge with appropriate prices. AlteCocker ate outside to get a prime spot for the sound and light show that takes place every night at 10:30pm during the summer at Place Capitole. Upon reflection--and looking at the lovely dining room inside (decor from the 18th century)--she should have sat inside. She moved to a better location anyway for the sound and light show, so sitting outside has no advantage insofar as the show was concerned. You do not need to know any French to enjoy the show.
During the day (between the meal stuffings) AlteCocker did a 2 hour walking tour of some of the old hotels (buildings with courtyards and nothing to do with modern hotels). The tour was good but the end which took place in the Museum of Toulouse was not as interesting. The guy from the museum could not shut up and some of the stuff was not so interesting. The Museum part of the tour was not helped by the fact that the museum was stifling. The walking tour part of the experience was excellent and AlteCocker enjoyed it despite the fact that it was very hot. Guide was excellent and the tour was booked at tourist information. There are a series of different tours available. One general tour is given in English. The rest are all in French. AlteCocker generally takes no more than one of these in any town as they can be quite exhausting in the heat. They are always worth it for general orientation, but you will have a lot less available to you if your French is not decent.
July 23, 2013, started out as stifling. After dealing with the socket plug crisis, AlteCocker went to 2 French films "Marius" & "Fanny" based on Maurice Pagnol's plays. They were both good and AlteCocker was told there will be a third one "Caesar" in the series. Maybe it will be released later. No idea. Hope they all get released in the US as they are the sort of films Americans should see. Exiting the cinema (around the corner from the Hotel de France), it was immediately obvious that there were going to be thunderstorms. It was too late to have lunch and AlteCocker had a crepe grand marnier and orangina in a small place almost directly across from the hotel. In case of thunderstorms materializing (which they did not), AlteCocker was well positioned to make a run for it. Then it was back to the hotel room to make certain all the newly bought socket adapters worked--which they did.
Since AlteCocker was standing by the desk at the hotel when the exchange family in Colomiers, France, called, she sort of had to accept their dinner invitation. The intent was to avoid them entirely after the unpleasant house. They met me at the hotel and walked all over the interior of Toulouse looking for this cheap restaurant they had found on the internet. They did not take the most direct route! It was obvious in the house that they saved money by doing things such as setting the hot water so low you barely had any and not making needed repairs. So, the restaurant strategy was hardly surprising. The food was not bad, but the service was horrible and they could have eaten for the same price at any of several restaurants near my hotel. Crazy! They turned out to be nice people but the house, well, home exchange #52 is over. AlteCocker did not bring up the condition of their house as it would have resulted in pointless unpleasantness at this point.
A parting gift from this French family, by the way, was leaving my Toyota Prius on and creating a mess for my Salamanca home exchanger and AlteCocker to sort out. Can you believe they forgot to turn the car off? All and all, not ideal home exchangers. AlteCocker will not be recommending them as home exchange prospects. By the way, AAA is not a solution to this sort of thing as your AAA card goes with you. If my Spanish exchanger had had her Spanish AA card, she could have called AAA because they honor foreign cards. The AAA card is personal to you (AlteCocker's is with her here in Spain). It does not go with your car. AlteCocker emailed her insurance company long distance, started a claim, and told them that the Spanish woman was driving her car with her permission and she got help from them, but forgetting to turn a car off? Beyond belief. Obviously this one goes in the Home Exchange Hall of Shame.
July 24, 2013, was the train to Bordeaux and the beginning of Bordeaux 2013--where the house was very nice (as was the woman hosting me.
AlteCocker took the bus from Colomiers to Toulouse yesterday expecting to pick up a taxi in Toulouse where the bus ends. There was a taxi queue there but no taxis and AlteCocker was advised not to wait for a taxi, so she schlepped her suitcases on the Metro and then walked the short distance to the Hotel de France where she had booked for 2 nights. Hotel is a 2* and small, family run, and (very important) cheap and with air conditioning. The air conditioning is one of those ceiling units common in Europe where you have a hand held remote to point at it to control the temperature. AlteCocker is really enjoying the air conditioning. There is free WiFi at the hotel, but the connection is terrible and service goes in and out. Life on the road in Europe. . . .
The Hotel de France is near Place Wilson (Metro: Jean Jaures). If you are coming to Toulouse and booking a hotel, you do want to stay near Place Wilson or The Capitole for a central location. Both are within walking distance of one another but be sure to get off at the correct Metro stop for your hotel when you have luggage to reduce the schlep factor.
OK, first disaster occurred when AlteCocker attempted to hook up the computer and noticed that she didn't have the socket adapter from the house in Colomiers. When the plug was pulled out the adapter was left in the socket. Fortunately, there was a FNAC store around the corner from the hotel--the same place where AlteCocker previously purchased a GPS for Europe--and AlteCocker has much better socket adapters now. FNAC sells all sorts of electronics and is the place to go for such stuff.
Yesterday, after arrival in Toulouse, AlteCocker again at lunch at J'Go, but did not like it as much as the first time. She did taste the famous Toulouse sausages. For dinner she went to Christian Constant's restaurant on Place Capitole. The restaurant was a big gourmet splurge with appropriate prices. AlteCocker ate outside to get a prime spot for the sound and light show that takes place every night at 10:30pm during the summer at Place Capitole. Upon reflection--and looking at the lovely dining room inside (decor from the 18th century)--she should have sat inside. She moved to a better location anyway for the sound and light show, so sitting outside has no advantage insofar as the show was concerned. You do not need to know any French to enjoy the show.
During the day (between the meal stuffings) AlteCocker did a 2 hour walking tour of some of the old hotels (buildings with courtyards and nothing to do with modern hotels). The tour was good but the end which took place in the Museum of Toulouse was not as interesting. The guy from the museum could not shut up and some of the stuff was not so interesting. The Museum part of the tour was not helped by the fact that the museum was stifling. The walking tour part of the experience was excellent and AlteCocker enjoyed it despite the fact that it was very hot. Guide was excellent and the tour was booked at tourist information. There are a series of different tours available. One general tour is given in English. The rest are all in French. AlteCocker generally takes no more than one of these in any town as they can be quite exhausting in the heat. They are always worth it for general orientation, but you will have a lot less available to you if your French is not decent.
July 23, 2013, started out as stifling. After dealing with the socket plug crisis, AlteCocker went to 2 French films "Marius" & "Fanny" based on Maurice Pagnol's plays. They were both good and AlteCocker was told there will be a third one "Caesar" in the series. Maybe it will be released later. No idea. Hope they all get released in the US as they are the sort of films Americans should see. Exiting the cinema (around the corner from the Hotel de France), it was immediately obvious that there were going to be thunderstorms. It was too late to have lunch and AlteCocker had a crepe grand marnier and orangina in a small place almost directly across from the hotel. In case of thunderstorms materializing (which they did not), AlteCocker was well positioned to make a run for it. Then it was back to the hotel room to make certain all the newly bought socket adapters worked--which they did.
Since AlteCocker was standing by the desk at the hotel when the exchange family in Colomiers, France, called, she sort of had to accept their dinner invitation. The intent was to avoid them entirely after the unpleasant house. They met me at the hotel and walked all over the interior of Toulouse looking for this cheap restaurant they had found on the internet. They did not take the most direct route! It was obvious in the house that they saved money by doing things such as setting the hot water so low you barely had any and not making needed repairs. So, the restaurant strategy was hardly surprising. The food was not bad, but the service was horrible and they could have eaten for the same price at any of several restaurants near my hotel. Crazy! They turned out to be nice people but the house, well, home exchange #52 is over. AlteCocker did not bring up the condition of their house as it would have resulted in pointless unpleasantness at this point.
A parting gift from this French family, by the way, was leaving my Toyota Prius on and creating a mess for my Salamanca home exchanger and AlteCocker to sort out. Can you believe they forgot to turn the car off? All and all, not ideal home exchangers. AlteCocker will not be recommending them as home exchange prospects. By the way, AAA is not a solution to this sort of thing as your AAA card goes with you. If my Spanish exchanger had had her Spanish AA card, she could have called AAA because they honor foreign cards. The AAA card is personal to you (AlteCocker's is with her here in Spain). It does not go with your car. AlteCocker emailed her insurance company long distance, started a claim, and told them that the Spanish woman was driving her car with her permission and she got help from them, but forgetting to turn a car off? Beyond belief. Obviously this one goes in the Home Exchange Hall of Shame.
July 24, 2013, was the train to Bordeaux and the beginning of Bordeaux 2013--where the house was very nice (as was the woman hosting me.