Toulouse

June 13, 2025 to June 15, 2025

My touring goal for this year was to cycle along the various borders of France, the six sides of L'Hexagone. It was never my intention to do it all in one year, but after two months in France I’ve only come within 100 km of a border once, in Annecy. Time to get cracking! Today I got back on track and set out to cycle along France’s border with Spain, in/along the French Pyrénées. The plan is to cycle from Perpignan to Hendaye, dipping in and out of the Haute Pyrénées as my legs, lungs, heart and mind will carry me.

My Pyrenees quest began with a trip to Toulouse. I first visited “The Pink City” in 2018 – it was a detour in search of a bike shop while touring along the Canal des Deux-Mers. Through a bit of happenstance, we were able to get the bike fixed straight away and continued on to Castelnaudary. Although the visit was short, the city left an impression – as I wrote then “….the city charmed me and left me wanting more. I will definitely return.”

I did return, in 2019 when I was once again in need of a bike mechanic. That time I had to wait a day for the “expert mechanic” to return to the shop and fix my brakes. The repair went smoothly and I ended up with a free afternoon to visit some of the city highlights, including the Place du Capitole, the Covenant of Jacobins, and Pont Neuf.

This time my visit to Toulouse was both purposeful and aimless. In 2018, my impressions were largely formed by following our bike mechanic through narrow city streets and past plane-tree shaded cafés to his small shop in St-Cyprien. I wanted to rediscover that Toulouse, the vibrant streets awash in reds and pastels, exuding an embrace of the now and a respect for the past.

The TGV to Toulouse went smoothly. My seat-mate Kevin was a Parisian on his way to Bagneres-Llucheron for a triathalon, his first since a bad crash at high speed had left him with twenty broken bones and a month in the hospital. Yikes! He was a great help getting Vivien George off the train when we arrived in Toulouse, and when the line for the elevator was too long he carried her down and up the stairs, panniers and all, while I easily transported his lightweight and unburdened tri-bike.

I settled in to my hotel room for the rest of the afternoon and then enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Cartouches, a small restaurant in the Auban district. The evening was spent planning my big day – a little flâneuring interspersed with Invader sightings and an afternoon at the Toulouse No Kings rally.

These big blue signs indicating the space is reserved for bikes has been great help in keeping luggage out of the space and off the bikes

Kevin - a man with a shy smile and a generous heart

Café terraces shaded by plane-trees, one of my first impressions of Toulouse

Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer extraordinaire who designed and built the Canal du Midi

I had a marvelous day in Toulouse – I roamed the streets, re-visited some of the notable tourist spots, captured all eight of the Toulouse Invaders, and took so many pictures that my camera battery died. So what follows is a photo dump, organized by “theme” and mostly lacking captions save for a brief introduction to each section.

The Pink City

The unique architecture and buildings fashioned from pinkish terracotta bricks has given Toulouse the moniker “The Pink City”. The red-pink bricks and tiles are made from clay which has been sourced from nearby hills since the time of the Romans. The clay contains high concentrations of iron oxide that when fired imparts a pinkish hue.

Street Scenes

The streets of the core city are a visual delight of interesting architecture, small shops, and eateries. It is an area populated by pedestrians and cycles with few vehicles outside the main thoroughfares. Toulouse seems a very livable city where both residents and visitors have time to enjoy what life and the city have to offer.

Churches

You can’t wander very far in Toulouse without passing by an historic cathedral, convent, or basilica. Some I passed by and some I entered, drawn by the singing within Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse and by fond memories to the Jacobin Convent.

Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse - undergoing some renovations

Saint Agnes Chapel in Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse -personal favorite as I chose Agnes as my confirmation name

La salle capitulaire in the Convent of Jacobins

Along the River

My wanderings took me to the banks of the Garonne, the wide river that flows through Toulouse on its way from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic. I walked along the quai and across the pedestrian bridge to St-Cyprien, a district I’d wanted to visit but ran out of time. Alas, I was unaware that the 3 pm No Kings protest had moved to 11 am and would have had plenty of time to explore. Reason for another visit to Toulouse.

The Daurade district, on the right bank of the Garonne River

The turquoise dome of the Chapel de la Grave rises above the left bank of the Garonne

Along the pedestrian/cycle bridge to the St-Cyprien district

A cow! Not sure why he was here, but I had to snap a photo.

Today's ride: 1 mile (2 km)
Total: 718 miles (1,156 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	4
Comment on this entry	Comment	0