Back Home - Etape Française

And so after 8 Portuguese months it's time to go back Home for a few days, 9 precisely. I'm for sure enthusiastic but I also feel a lot of stress. Even if it's for a week, it feels like doing a step back. I'm kind of afraid to meet everyone again. Did I change to much ? Did my friends change to much ? Not enough ? I don't really know what I'm gonna face. I wonder if they gonna ask about my trip, if they gonna be interested in it.

Arrived at the airport in Toulouse, I can finally hug my brother and my mom. During the week I enjoy to see everyone again, my dad, my grand mother, my friends. The questions disappear.

But 9 days it's way to short. I'm so happy to meet them, speak about everything as before, but I'm leaving again for few months. It feels just weird.

A wonderful point is that Tobias is with me. I can introduce him to my family, my friends, and finally show him my Home town. That's also why, as I can't objectively write you about my town, he's gonna do it.

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A typical chocolatine with a coffee and a cigarette, a tasty choice of French Mediterranean cuisine, a vibrant bar culture and the southern France vibe - all that is Toulouse or "la Ville Rose".

It was my first time visiting not just this city, but also the hometown of Mallaury including her friends and family. After our melancholic goodbye in Lisbon, I was released by the warm and welcoming hospitality of her family. Our first diner was as typical as it gets with a big "quiche Lorraine" and several bottles of red wine.

Over the next days Mallaury and her brother showed me around the city centre. Basically everything in Toulouse happens around "centre ville", which makes the visit very easy. All sights, attractions, events and cool neighborhoods are in a radius of 1 kilometer.

If you ever come to visit Toulouse, the best place to start would be "Place du Capitole", which is the city hall and easy reachable by the metro station "Capitole". This is the place where most events and several markets are taken place and you have some shops and restaurants around. When you cross the small park near Capitole, turn right on "Rue Alsace Lorraine". If you are interested in shopping, you"ll find all you need on this long and magnificent boulevard.

After crossing the metro station "Esquirol", you'll reach the neighborhood of "les Carmes". A neighborhood build in the picturesque ancient architecture, with buildings out of red bricks, which gives Toulouse the nickname "la Ville Rose". My personal favorite part of the city is full of cute little boulangeries, nice cozy coffee shops and the best restaurants of Toulouse. In the middle of this area you'll find yourself at "Place des Carmes". On your side there is a nice market offering typical products from in and around the region. Cheese, baguette, wine, mediterrian fish, vegetables, meat - everything produced locally and sold by locals. Maybe prices are a little bit higher here, but so is the quality. After you filled your bags with all the food here, you will be hungry. The perfect time to step into "Numero C", which is just on the opposite side of the market. An excellent and cozy restaurant serving the most delicious french duck in town. I promise you, don't miss it. With a filled and happy stomach again, you'll walk over to the canal crossing "le Jardin Royal". Walk up the canal and visit some of the old sights of Toulouse like the "Cathedrale saint-Etienne" or the "Eglise de Saint Aubin". In the late evening you won't be bored in Toulouse. The city has one of the biggest universities in France and with that a vibrant nightlife and a cool student bar culture. There are thousands of bars and clubs, mostly situated close to each other in the city centre. The real hubs for drinking are "Place Saint-Pierre" and "Jean Jaures". I hope, I could give you some tips and advises for this cute and cozy hometown of Mallaury. With that I give back to her and her next post about my hometown in Germany. Bangkok is coming up ! We cant wait to write you from there !

Tobias

Thank you to my Brother, my Parents, my Grand mother, all the friends I saw. I was so happy to see you again and hope that next time we will have more days to enjoy being with each other.