Toulouse, Occitanie, France
Being Saturday, the streets of Toulouse were less busy, and there was a more relaxed air as Mike and I set out to visit as many of the tourist highlights in the short time we have. I have to be back mid-afternoon to receive my bicycle for my six-day cycle to the Mediterranean, and Mike wants a light afternoon to prepare for the next stage of his holiday. He must leave his hotel at 4:00 am tomorrow to fly to Germany where he’ll meet his brother, who is flying in from Sydney, and together they’ll be visiting their birthplace and several family members.
We relied totally on an excellent Planetware website, with photos and detailed descriptions of Planetware’s recommended top tourist attractions. Toulouse’s nickname is the "La Ville Rose" (“The Pink City”) because its rosy toned brick buildings have a special pink glow in early morning and evening light. Maybe this will be evident in some of my photos.
We spent most of our time at the Basilique Saint Sernin, constructed of the typical Toulouse red bricks in the 11th to 13th centuries and the largest Romanesque church in the world still in existence. Its nave is 115 metres long and 64 wide. Interestingly, it is also one of the key pilgrim Camino destinations, being on the southern route of the Camino trail from Arles which joins the route we were on from Le Puy in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
The church is dedicated to Saint Saturninus, the first bishop of Toulouse who was martyred in the year 250, following his execution by being pulled by a raging bull down the steps of Eglise Notre Dame de-Taur, which crushed his skull, and then through the streets of Toulouse.
Who dreamed up these gory execution methods? Apart from the artistic, historical, and other amazing things to see in the basilique , the crypt contains numerous precious relics, the treasure of this collection being a reliquary that houses a relic of the True Cross.
We then had time for a quick scout around to see just a limited number of our next priorities, and these are covered in the photos. For lunch we stopped at a seafood restaurant as I saw when I walked past this morning that langoustines were on their menu. I love langoustines cooked the way only the French seem capable, grilled with tons of garlic. Delicious. Mike doesn’t have a great love of seafood, but kindly indulged me by ordering just a Caesar salad. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the worst Caesar salad I’d ever seen. Chopped lettuce and tomato quarters with clear dressing: no croutons, no anchovies, no garlic, no parmesan cheese.
My bike had already been delivered by the time I had returned to the hotel, and I went down to the garage to check it out.
I’d ordered an E-bike to lighten the work rate on the 300 km cycle route and was confused because I couldn’t see any E controls on this bike. Upon enquiring with the bike shop, I was shocked to be told that S-Cape, Utracks’ French agents, had ordered just a classic bike and not an E-bike. Worse still was that he didn’t have any E-bikes available for my use.
This really set me back. We’re heading into a serious heat wave, and even under ideal weather conditions I didn’t fancy at my age pedaling a bike with no assistance 300 kms. As far as I was concerned, I’d done my physical bit on this trip by completing two weeks of at times very difficult hiking. The cycling was expected to be more relaxation than a challenge. Being Saturday afternoon, I was now worried whether I could sort this out in time for my first day’s cycling tomorrow morning. I retrieved my Utracks invoice which clearly showed me paying extra for the E-bike, then fired off an urgent and rather testy email to both Utracks and S-Cape.
Following the apologetic response from S-Cape’s national director to my lengthy complaint email earlier in the week, the director provided his personal contact details and invited me to use them should I have any further concerns.
On top of all the stuff ups we’d already suffered, I really couldn’t imagine anything further going wrong, but thought it good I could easily contact him if need be. Well, I was wrong. I needed his assistance at checkout yesterday morning when the Conques hotel told me that my hotel bill had not been prepaid by S-Cape as agreed. Once again he was very apologetic and arranged for his staff to pay the bill immediately. Thinking this would be the last time I’d need to speak to him; I took the opportunity to tell him about Michael having to share bathrooms at his Conques lodgings when Utracks promised an ensuite. Another instance of poor communications between principal, agent and client. A mystery we’re determined to pursue when back home is why Utracks billed Mike a surplus for this accommodation, implying it was superior to normal route lodgings!
That was Friday, now it's Saturday and I have to contact the director again. He must think I’m the client from Hell! Thankfully, he answered his phone almost straight away, and upon enquiry informed me that Utracks had definitely not told them about the E-bike. Nevertheless, after an hour or so he rang back to advise that after many phone calls he’d found a replacement E-bike, but I’d have to go and collect it. I was so relieved, I wasn’t at all worried about that.
He observed that he had rejected some of the E-bikes offered by various bike shops as not being good enough and in fact he reckoned the bike he finally arranged is a much better one than would have normally been provided. Well to me, that seems at least an appropriate and equitable outcome. After all the compromises Mike and I have had to make and the inconveniences we’ve suffered due to Utracks and S-Cape, I wouldn’t have been surprised if his conscience made him arrange a Harley Davidson bike for my 300 km trip to the Mediterranean.
For dinner, our last meal together, Michael and I had a simple seafood pasta dish at an Italian restaurant near my hotel. It might seem strange us having Italian with all the other French offerings available in Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France. But it was just what we felt like. It was delicious, made all the better as Mike doesn't eat prawns so passed all his over to me.
willbillsadler
2022-07-04
Comment from Richard Hagan: Dear Bill, Hope you get to Arles. Great amphitheater. The Cathedral was where St Augustine was consecrated bishop on his way to England to become the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Hope your trip continues well for you. Richard & Som
willbillsadler
2022-07-04
Comment from Juanita Baird on 12 June: Good to read your detailed blog. I haven’t mentioned my recent cancelled fights & wrong codes to get into accommodation. Grrrrr. All very trying do I can understand your annoyances at the planning of parts of your walk. Love Toulouse & it’s canal. Interesting that most buildings are of brick not limestone. Did you go to the Henri Toulouse la Trec Museum? Are you doing the bike ride independently or in a group? I just love your spirit of adventure. Juanita. Hi there, So much to see in Toulouse so we didn’t get to the Toulouse Latrec museum. Really could’ve used a couple more days. The bike ride was booked through the Travel Agent but I am riding individually. Finished the first 64 km today. Because it’s beside the canal and relatively flat and I had E bike, it was probably the easiest day of physical activity I’ve had since arriving in France. Sorry to hear you’ve also been having complications with your bookings, etc. My problems continue every day. Each time I now contact the director in charge of the travel agency in France. He has been very apologetic, very helpful also, but Acknowledges that they and the Australian connection have made lots of stuff ups. Nevertheless,he must think I’m the client from hell. Bill