Toulouse …

 

It’s time to pack our bags and head off to our next adventure in London.  Before getting on board we explored Toulouse, referred to as the gateway to the Pyrenees. As the 4th largest city in France,its mansions date back to the Renaissance era when it was one of the richest cities in Europe. 

DSC_0682 (Medium)Here’s a picture of it’s Opera House. Down the street from the Opera House we happened upon a parade where the flags were waving and the music was playing through the streets!

DSC_0678 (Medium) In 1998 the Saint Sermin  Basilica, a jewel of the 1th and 12th century, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   The Basilica is home to Saint Saturnin, Toulouse’s first bishop. Saint Saturnin was martyred in 250 AD and his remains are entombed here.

DSC_0631 (Medium)Saint Sermin Basilica had some of the most whimsical and lightly coloured stained glass we’ve seen!

The Basilica of Saint Sermin has an octagonal bell tower with five DSC_0615 (Medium)levels of arches. You can see the tower looming above the rooftops as you weave your way towards the Basilica entrance. It is said to be the largest Romanesque church still standing.

We also visited the Jacobins DSC_0700 (Medium)Convent . Another impressive site, it has a pillar that looks like a palm tree over twenty branches stemming from its base!

Before wrapping up our visit to France, we visited Saint Etienne Cathedral.  It was built in phases with some phases left unfinished. The Cathedral is pieced together, off centre and ran DSC_0591 (Medium)into funding problems. The construction starts and stops  were in the 11th, 17th and 20th century. Some of its stained glass windows were the gift of King Louis XIII.  One chapel has what’s referred to as the royal stained glass window.  Dating back to the 15th century, it shows Charles VII standing and Louis XI kneeling under a starry sky. Maybe this was the image that inspired Van Gogh’s Starry Nights?

Along with its distinguished past, Toulouse is also a city of the future. As a technological hub and home to two aircraft DSC_0734 (Medium)makers, Airbus and Aerospatiale, the first regularly scheduled flights from France took off from its local airport in the 1920s!  Here’s the closest we got to the Airbus … we drove by the Airbus Training Centre!

With a light shower as we DSC_0739 (Medium)departed for the airport, we noticed this brightly lit double rainbow. You have to look closely for the second ring. It is there!  Viva La France! 

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