Un Peu de Toulouse (14)

 On our previous visits to this area, we had been so focussed on getting me set up in St Gaudens that we hadn't really done Toulouse justice.  Mum, in particular, was gutted that she had never made it to see the real ville rose view from down by the Garonne river: what she had seen as a result of every Google search of 'Toulouse!'  So, I decided that, given it was better to us to be in Toulouse well before our evening flight if we were travelling by train, we would have an afternoon there.

Today: National Strike.  Tomorrow: Regional Strike.  "Which one do we take?!"

Today, I have good news.  We're ahead of the expected delay.

Thankfully, our bad SNCF luck seemed to have run out, and we arrived in Toulouse without any problems.  Good, because the two significant delays in our earlier trips had already been annoying enough!  We put all of our luggage into a storage locker, and headed for the metro.

First stop was the Garonne, as I wasn't having Mum miss it again.

Kingi hanging out by the Garonne, Toulouse.

Looking back towards central Toulouse, la ville rose, from the other side of the Garonne.

Looking at the Pont Neuf, Toulouse.

After walking around river banks, and over bridges, I had a quick almond croissant while Mum and Dad enjoyed a coffee, and then we carried on into the centre.  We didn't have too much time for a wander, but we still managed to pass through le Capitole and flâner in a few of the narrow, cobbled streets as we enjoyed the colourful, old buildings.

A street leading from le Capitole towards St Sernin Basilica,  Old Tolouse

By this stage, we thought it was best to get back to the train station, pick up our luggage, and be on our way to the airport.  Metro seemed like the fastest method, and we hopped in to find that we were sharing a carriage with an amorous French couple.  It was ok, though, because next minute about 2 policemen and 3 armed soldiers hopped in... and that seemed to kill the mood.

Here are some guys who I'd previously seen hanging out at the Toulouse station.

Than, it was into the shuttle, and off to the Toulouse-Blagnac airport.

Airport - Toulouse centre/train station shuttle bus.

We checked in, and were flabbergasted when the guy who was serving us asked if we had a visa to get back into Spain.  Well... no.  Who questions a New Zealand passport?  Anyway, he insisted on making phone calls to check this.  As we expected, in the end, there was no problem.  We even had time for a feed at Paul's before getting on the plane.

Upon arrival in Madrid, it was fairly late.  So, straight into the Madrid airport shuttle service, to the hotel, and into bed.  We had a train to catch the next morning...