to Toulouse

People are traveling a lot this Fall. I see it on social media, I read about it in the press. I suppose I'm part of that crowd: October still seems relatively safe. Who knows what the winter will bring. Spring is far away, the years are ticking by, the pandemic gave us all a lot to think about.

So quite a while back, I planned to take a week off and to fly back to Europe toward the end of October. The only question was -- where to?

I have funny post Covid (insofar as you can call this post Covid) criteria: somewhere warm-ish. Somewhere where if I got sick, I could hope for decent care. Somewhere pretty, where I can walk, with good coffee shops, where I can pause. Even with all that in mind, I doubt that you would have guessed that I would start my week away in Toulouse. 

Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France (a mark against it in my book!), but it is its location that pulls me like a magnet. It's in the Occitane region -- so, to the south of France. This in itself can be very confusing, since until some five years ago, I would have said it's in my beloved Languedoc. Indeed, as you can see from my sidebar, Languedoc has beed a big draw for me for a long time. But no one calls it Languedoc now. Along with Midi-Pyrenees, it's now part of L'Occitane -- a nod to history. But let's get back to Toulouse: from this city, go for an hour and a half south, and you're at the foot of the Pyrenees. Same amount of time to the east and you're by the Mediterranean. But I don't want to sidestep into either of those places. I want to see Toulouse, affectionately called La Ville Rose (the pink city) because it has a predominance of the pink brick architecture of the region. (So not really pinkie pink, but more like ochre rose.) And I want to eat its foods. They're not delicate. This is the land of cassoulet (basically meat and beans, slowly cooked), of foie gras, of cabbage soups. But also of candied violets and chocolates and cream puffs. 

The trip there is a little complicated because my penny watching side had me pick flights that don't make this an easy journey. Long layovers: four hours in Detroit, then four in Amsterdam. But, if you knew my goal for the week, you'd understand that this is okay for me. I'm thinking that I have before me a week where I will turn off all concerns and strategizing and scheduling. I wont worry about being one place or the next. I will look deeply at all that is around me. I will learn stuff. Layovers? No problem. I hope to use them well.

All that begins this afternoon. In the morning, I do the usual morning animal care. It's really warm today in south central Wisconsin! Can you tell? Brittle air with gusty hot winds. An interesting way to bring in the tail end of October.

Ed and I have our last breakfast together for a good many days. I give him a list of things he cannot forget to do before he leaves. I've done my bit, now he has to work through his.

Oh, how I do love this guy! 

Just before loading up the car with my carryon, I ask him to help me with an eye drop. I dont really need his assistance with it at all, but I'd rather not trudge upstairs to our bathroom mirror. So I tilt my head up for him and in doing this, I see brown patches on the kitchen ceiling.

Damn. We have a leak. Looks like it's from the shower. 

And this is where I say -- sorry, I have this flight to catch, while he scrambles to figure out what's going on. All I can say is that I'm glad I noticed it today and not in a week or two.

I arrive in Detroit early. So... a 4.5 hour wait for my connection. Wait, there's an earlier flight to Amsterdam. Can you switch me to it? Yes? True, this will give me seven hours at the Amsterdam airport, but hey, an adventure is an adventure! See you then and there!

With so much love for all those beloveds at home, for all of you!