• Home
• /
• Its My Life

Tripping in Toulouse

France’s fourth largest city may not be as spiffy as Paris, but it exudes its own brand of charm

From the airplane, Toulouse makes for a brilliant photo-op. This southern French city nestles on the banks of the River Garonne, with the mist-swathed Pyrenees mountains as its stunning backdrop.

Surprisingly, it isn’t tourism but spaceflight and aviation that power Toulouse’s economy. Known as Europe’s aviation capital, the city has morphed from a provincial backwater into an economic powerhouse today. It is France’s fourth largest city with most of its citizens employed in the aviation sector and Airbus is one of the region’s largest employers.

To keep its economy buzzing, the city offers great road/rail connectivity and an international airport that connects seamlessly with the outside world. I did Toulouse-Paris on the TGV for an unbelievable Euro 25. Easyjet flight deals can also be snapped up for as low as Euro 50!

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: Sidewalk cafés, Place du Capitole; (right) barges moored by the Canal du Midi; (below) Quai de La Douane and Quai Richelieu with a view of Pont de Pierre along the Garonne river

Of course, Toulouse 
isn’t as spiffy as Paris. Nor can it compare with the uber lushness of Bordeaux. But it exudes its own brand of charm. Clean and green, it is ribbed with leafy parks and gardens, has a vibrant gastronomic landscape and sends out an energising vibe.

Peppered with pretty red brick town houses and pseudo-Roman style buildings, it is appropriately nicknamed La Ville Rose (The Pink City). Beautiful villas, earlier owned by wealthy merchants, now stand morphed as hotels/B&Bs run by savvy entrepreneurs.

Branded boutiques 
offer designer wares while cafés, croissant bars and fromageries (cheese shops) seduce visitors with their olfactory appeal. Street performers and colourful stalls, their psychedelic awnings 
fluttering in the wind, 
further brighten up 
the city’s cobble-stoned streetscape. Particularly enchanting are the cafés and taverns that invitingly set up their tables outside for alfresco drinks 
and meals. The happy chatter of a weekend crowd, brisk business at dining establishments 
and the benediction of a glorious sun make for a blissful picture.

Interestingly, during the Middle Ages, Toulouse was one of France’s richest cities. It used to import its indigo pastel ink extracted from the woad plants abundantly found here. It dominated this trade for centuries till the Portuguese came up with a cheaper avatar of indigo.

Though Toulouse is a big city, its historical centre or downtown is compact and easily negotiable on foot. The weekend farmers’ market around the St Aubin Basilic charmed me instantly with its atmospherics. I get there early from my B&B and find the air redolent with the smell of fresh, luminous produce. The farmers were still setting up their stalls and competition seemed fierce. Glistening spears of asparagus, avocados, leeks, tomatoes as big as aubergines, Portobello mushrooms, anchovies, truffles, sundry cheeses and rhubarb were all vying for punters’ attention.

Quaint shops along Rue Gambetta offer an interesting souvenir hunting ground. Antiques, bric-a-brac, porcelain, lamps and pottery can all be bought here at fairly attractive prices. The quarter behind the École des Beaux Arts, the historical textile production quarter of Toulouse, also hawks touristy tat.

So much walking has made me peckish and 
I saunter into a café for refuelling. The froth-topped cappuccino arrives in a trice along with my side order of fresh halibut enveloped in a beer batter. The flaky mouth feel of the fish is enhanced further by the accompanying mustard-mayo sauce. The coffee is warm, just as it is drunk in this part of Europe. With caffeine flowing through my veins, 
I feel inspired to walk some more.

Capitole Square, Toulouse’s historic square, dates back to the early nineteenth century. It is a magnificent neo-classical structure that houses art galleries, a splendid courtyard and a renaissance-style gateway. The venue, I’m told, is the focal point for community events and open-air concerts. The Square is also the originating point for walking tours to different parts of the city. One of its off-shoots — Rue Du Taur, in the north-westerly direction — took me to the imposing Notre Dame du Taur.

Interestingly, both the church and the street derive their name from the Occitan word for ‘bull’, a reference to the legend of St Sernin, who was supposedly dragged out of town by a half-crazed bull. The church’s clocher-mur — a flat wall-like bell tower typical of the Toulouse region — and its sky-piercing spire, are an attractive sight.

Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a gorgeous canal that stretches 240 km from Toulouse to Sete on the Mediterranean coast. On weekends, the atmosphere here is so thick it can probably be sliced through with a knife. Yellow-helmeted cyclists and joggers are everywhere and happy families are picnicking while boats/steamers ferry day-trippers for cruises down the waterway.

I stroll alongside the canal from St Pierre Bridge. In about 15 minutes, I’m on the banks of River Garonne. The glutinous river was earlier the site of an ancient Roman settlement; it is now the epicentre of a thriving cruise industry. Ships take you down to the top wine-growing regions of France (including Bordeaux) and to chateaux and wine villages along the Wine Route and its famous vineyards.

For those not keen on the cruise option, Airbus offers tours of its facilities as well. The European aerospace company produces around half of the world’s jet airliners. And its hour-long tours offer an interesting insight into the staggering world of one of the world’s largest aviation organisations.

Interestingly, the tours set off from a customised structure shaped like a cross-section of the A380. So even before you take off (for the tour, that is), you’re already flying high!

wknd@khaleejtimes.com