The cooking of Southwest France

If you go shopping take time to stop to a bar/cafe/restaurant in the "Victor Hugo market" (first floor) for a very "Toulousain" lunch of cured canard breast, cured ham, cheese, butter, baguette, olives, and a meal of ternera (big ol' hunk of steak) and frites.

Dalbade district

The name of the district comes from the Eglise Notre-Dame-de-la-Dalbade An impressive building with a beautiful entrance. This large church with three towers and machicolations looks slightly like a fortress. It has been rebuilt several times and the present edifice dates from the 16th century.

Dalbade place

Winter colours

"At Christmas I no more desire a roseThan wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth;But like of each thing that in season grows."
William_Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Love's Labour Lost

Garonne River

That morning, I woke up to a blanket of snow. Instead of hiding in the house, I went up to the street anyway. Bundled up for warmth, I spent the hike clicking pictures and slushing through the moist snow.

Ice on Garonne river

The Gift

"Purchase not friends by gifts; when you ceasest to give, such will cease to love." Thomas Fuller (1608 - 1661) English clergyman & historian.

Hum, if you are stressing over a gift, remember this quote. It will help you decide where your heart is in this matter.

Arts' street

After


An advised today: try to eat some fruits
Carmes market

Merry Christmas

More traditional than turkey, more feted than foie gras, the "buche" -- literally "log" -- has crowned the French Christmas table since the 19th century, when the rolled sponge cake iced with chocolate buttercream and dotted with meringue mushrooms replaced real-wood decorative centerpieces.

Pastrycooks Mr CONTE or Mr PILLON who releases seasonal pastry collections at their tiny boutiques in Croix Baragnon street or Ozenne street with the fanfare of a fashion designer, sells a huge quantity of buches during the Christmas season at 30-52 euros apiece.

This week it is a big business for them!!

Stars in the sky

"At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year." Thomas Tusser 1524

Mercié street by night just before christmas at nine pm.

White landscape

Bicycles walks were slipping this morning. The fresh air and the white landscape did not miss a beauty. It is easy to see the traces of bicycles wheels. At this time, people are going to their work. It is eight hour and half am.

Joke


A joke and an habit for the young people is to put a foaming product as of the fountains...

Wilson place

"Shower Bath House"

Last century when people did not have any running water at home it was an habit to spend time in this publics places to wash himself. Today in much of city these "Bains douches" are transformed. It is now selects restaurants.

Pont Guilherméry street

Currently freelance scene

A variety of plays and café-theatre productions take place all year round. It is a significant proportion of works are created by Toulousain companies. Weather is very cold this week to play in the street (more or less 5°C)!!!

Pharaons street

Gallery

"Not what man knows but what man feels, concerns art. All else is science." Bernard Berenson, 1897.

Lieu de Charme

Hot Chestnuts

STREET TRADITION: A vendor in the downtown sold hot chestnuts and roasted potatoes on this cold sunday of December.

Chestnuts are like seafood - they have to be eaten fresh to taste good. When buying them, make sure they're bright and shiny on the outside. They should feel plump, completely filling their smooth, cinnamon-brown outer shell. If you hear a rattle, toss the nut back. "bon appetit"

downtown

19th-century luxury - Palais Niel

Wander through the Saint-Etienne area, which is famous for its antiques dealers, and take a look at this imposing building. Started in 1863, it was built for Auguste Niel, War Minister and French Marshal. The yellow-brick façade is very sophisticated: the columns above the entrance support a classic triangular pediment, decorated with a group of statues depicting Art and Science. The palace was finished in 1968. Unfortunately, the owner died in 1869, only a year after moving in.

Montoulieu-St-Jacques streets

Croix Baragnon

This is Croix-Baragnon street which has St Etienne cathedrale at one end. Shops are very luxurious here. For example there are Louis Vuitton, Christian Lacroix, MacDouglas, hugo Boss... It could be a nice place to go especially before next week. It is depends..

Auks

The little auk is a small seabird, the size of a starling. It is black above and white below, and in flight it shows dark underwings. It has a black stubby bill, and a short neck and tail. It flies with very fast whirring wingbeats low over the sea. Temperature is so cold in toulouse today that I have seen 2 auks. Look at that!

Nivau street

Place lights

The Wilson place is circular. In the setting of the planning of the historic and commercial center of the city, it is foreseen to return entirely this space pedestrian (2006). Totay there are still cars in its center.

The pigeons go towards space

Many new designs and decorating concepts have been developed to meet the promotional challenges of today's downtown.

Lafayette street

Pigeon House

Many who drive in regions see funny shaped ‘pigeon houses’ dotted in the middle of farm fields. Some are new, some are old; some are renovated, some are dilapidated.
But they all have a distinct, different character.
There are three main reasons why these ‘houses’ are set out alone all by themselves: pigeons need tranquillity, and peace. And it’s advisable to keep the houses away from wells or drinking water used by the farm. Also the farmers set them distinctly away from the main house to ‘show off’ their pride and joy. It seems that they tried to out do each other, with better and different designs.
The majority of these architectural wonders are located in the Tarn Department. I took the photo of this one in the city of Toulouse.

Lespinet Avenue

Green Sea in the City

On sunday, when ever I go downtown I always stop at Public Garden. It's a great place for kids and families to just relax. Also if you're looking for more fun kids try the merry-go-ploy, THEY ARE AWESOME!!!

Royal garden

Right to the sky

Autumn color- always nice to see

shades of colour

Discovering Toulouse is a never-ending edventure for each season brings differents shades of colour and the original red brick of its buildings forever present under a layer of roughcast, gives new life to the colourful past.....

Montplaisir Street

At the beginning

In 1782 Loménie de Brienne opens the library of the Collège Royal to the inhabitants of Toulouse, under the responsibility of the Toulouse parliament, after the eviction of the Jesuits who created it. It enriches it with the collections of the poet Lefranc de Pompignan and with those of Garipuy - an engineer and an astronomer.
With a total of 350,00 volumes in 1785, the Library is increasing significantly with the revolutionary forfeitures : therefore a great number of manuscripts, early printed books and rare editions get into its collection. In 1803 the library becomes the municipality's property then in 1866, it merges with that of the clergy. It was the first steps.

Cabanis media library

Mallard

The Mallard is undoubtedly the most abundant duck in the world. Since the Mallard is the ancestor of the common white domestic duck, still more can be added to the total. Mallards frequently interbreed with domestic stock, producing a bewildering variety of patterns and colors. They also hybridize with wild species such as the closely related American Black Duck and even occasionally with Northern Pintails. Strong fliers, Mallards sometimes reach remote oceanic islands where isolated populations have evolved into new species. Like the Mottled Duck, these isolated populations often differ from the Mallard mainly in that they lack the colorful plumage of the male. Mallard courtship starts in the fall, and by midwinter pairs have formed. Mated pairs migrate northward together, heading for the female's place of origin. The male stays with the female until incubation is well underway, then leaves to join a flock of other males to begin the annual molt.

Duck= a bird that lives by water, has webbed feet (= feet with skin between the toes), a short neck and a large beak.

"Jardin des Plantes"

Antiquity

Bring a touch of lovely antiquity into your home. Or take time to visite this spécifics stores full our history. You would be happy to add an objet d'art to any part of your home structures and bring like this a souvenir of the past...

Vélane Street

The old stairs

This place has a special odors and coleurs. The old stairs will have soon its new life. I took this photo while going to visit a friend in the center of the city near "Place de Carmes". Many people must have used it so many time during its long live. It is a strange feeling...

How is it possible that on Sunday.

Running through the heart of the city to the countryside, when all is quiet, peaceful, empty, when I can pass the monuments and narrow streets without jostling crowds, buzzing motorini, the distraction of so many people requiring so much getting around them.
It something that requires no interaction, no acknowledgment of anyone else, no arranging. It is just you and our passion for the city, which manages to look the same and different at the same time.

Electric Fountain

It was not a habit to see another thing that water in a fountain. Today I saw what we have an auther style: The Electric Fountain. We do not stop the progress. Take care to plunge the finger there, water could be very hot even if we are in winter...It is on "Place Sainte Scarbes"

Lovely Roofs...

Olds roofs are difficults to see. However they are evocatives of their history. They show us how their lives are difficults. Roofs are exclusively the territory of the cats and the pigeons. They walk on during all nights and days.

Place of the Trinité

All over the city the differents colors confers an atmosphere on the city that is at once gentle and warm.