On the move again. We have spent a productive month in
France and to bid au revoir to this lovely country we decided to stop over for
a night in Toulouse before heading to España. We headed into town, bags packed, ready for the adventure
again. The train station is in Chateauroux, a small city about a half hour from
where we were staying. It is a three-track station, with a little coffee shop
inside for those who have late trains, which we had. Once on board we settled into
our compartment, which we shared with a young physicist from Paris and an older
woman with her teenage son.
Trains in France are very comfortable; I prefer train travel
to flying.
We got a humble and comfortable hotel near the train station
and set out to explore for our one night in Toulouse. The energy in this city
was alive and buzzing on the Friday evening, with young people filling the
streets and sidewalk brasseries. The
sun was shining and a warm breeze forced the newly budding trees to sway
happily above head. We wandered the narrow alleyways and broad boulevards until
late into the evening, getting an express feel for this cool city.
It is nice to have a long time in one city, to really get a feel for a place; the different neighborhoods and styles, the outer areas and best restaurants, etc. Yet as we walked and talked neither of us felt remorse for the fact that ours was a short stay in Toulouse. Not because it is an unpleasant place, but because it is all part of the adventure! A stopover here, a week there, a month over there… there is romance in the contrast.
In the cool, quiet morning we walked the short distance to the bus station, which was littered with memories from the night before, with beer cans and empty brown bag liquor bottles, and a few sleeping bags carefully situated in the sheltered corners. We seamlessly checked in and found our bus.
Barcelona here we come!
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