Part 2, day 17 : Toulouse, La Ville Rose

<sup>My friend Judy, who joined me in Toulouse, and I found Toulouse a young and vibrant city.  This city of distinctive pink stone and brick give the La Ville Rose ["The pink city"], its local nickname, but the architecture and style are also unique, and it is the 4th largest city in France, with over a million inhabitants. It is also a college town with over 110,000 students, the University of Toulouse dating back to 1229, one of the oldest in Europe.  There seemed to be students everywhere and the place was teeming with life--with inexpensive places to eat, live music and street activity, and student humor.

In the plaza around Le Capitole (the city hall) were markets, brocantes, and various spectacles, sometimes spontaneous.  One afternoon as we had lunch in a café near our hotel we heard live street jazz music by about 15 or so students wearing the pampa, the traditional hat of the Camargue.  They called themselves the Brass de la Garonne, and were really quite good.</sup>

Brass de la Garonne. You can hear them here

^{There were many brasseries and taverns, as might be expected, and the names of some of them were amusing, such as the Confessional (near the Dame de la Dalbade), or Le Nez Rouge [the Red Nose] or Le Bar du Matin [Morning Bar].}

 

^{I remember two students chuckling when I discovered to my delight an altered sign which read Espace vert interdit aux chiens ["Dogs not allowed in green space"] to which the some wag had added sachant lire ["who know how to read"]. It was refreshing to be among young people again as they were often absent in some of the forlorn places I had visited recently.  I missed their joie de vivre.}

^{I also enjoyed the graffiti and clever postings along the walls.}

"Either it works and you are happy, or it doesn't and there you are"

 















^{We were particularly fortunate to be here for the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine  and to be able to see many things that would either not be open to the public (the interior of Le Capitole--the city hall), or we would have to pay for (the cloister gardens of the Couvent des Jacobins), and to have many special exhibits available to see.} 

Le Capitole

 

Couvent des Jacobins--cloister gardens

^{At the old pilgrim hospital--the Hôtel Dieu Saint-Jacques there was a medical history exhibit, and at the Hôtel des Chevaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Jerusalem, the Knights of Jerusalem presented their history emphasizing recent discoveries made during archeological digs in 2003-2004 under their own building here in Toulouse.  So many things to do, so little time... It was a great time to visit.}

Hôtel Dieu Saint Jacques

 

 Exhibit in the Hôtel des Chevaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Jerusalem :

The first order was recognized by the Pope in 1113 AD, originally founded by a group of lay brothers intending to welcome pilgrims and to defend the the holy places.  A hospital was created in 1080 AD.

The shells and metal staff points [to the right] were from pilgrims buried in the cemetery

 
























Toulouse has been a wonderful place to end my pilgrimage this year.  In fact, in recent years it is the place that many begin. The city has such significance that the pilgrim route the Voie d'Arles is also know as the Via Tolosana, or, in French la voie toulousaine. As mentioned before, Charlemagne donated a goodly number of significant relics to the Basilique Saint-Sernin thus making an important place to visit for the medieval pilgrim. And for many modern pilgrims, it begins after the mountains I just spent the past two weeks crossing, making it a much more inviting place to begin...

Soon I will be back in Paris, then Maryland... I do hope I'll be able to continue next year, although I really must keep the kilometers under control to save my feet ! This has been, in many ways, a difficult route so far, especially this last segment... 

Stay tuned... 

By the way, I made a video version of my time in Toulouse, which, although a bit garbled, can be found here. It still needs some work as there are typos, and other glitches, but it may be awhile before I revise it...