Toulouse’s Tranquil Magic – A Month Of Serenity With France’s Pink Sheep

“I have to walk a little, but it is here I am free” - A Frenchman.Stepping off the train platform, the relaxed air of a city connected with its nature and history is almost tangible. Nothing says “come on in, take a load off” like a cool breeze off the Canal du Midi that meanders through the loose groups of locals enjoying another perfect summer day on the lawn of Jardins de la Ligne, tousling your hair as if welcoming you as one of its own. A 30-foot mechanical minotaur greets you, and you know you’ve just landed in Toulouse, one of France’s gems waiting to be explored.This post may includeaffiliate links.

“I have to walk a little, but it is here I am free” - A Frenchman.

Stepping off the train platform, the relaxed air of a city connected with its nature and history is almost tangible. Nothing says “come on in, take a load off” like a cool breeze off the Canal du Midi that meanders through the loose groups of locals enjoying another perfect summer day on the lawn of Jardins de la Ligne, tousling your hair as if welcoming you as one of its own. A 30-foot mechanical minotaur greets you, and you know you’ve just landed in Toulouse, one of France’s gems waiting to be explored.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

The Great And Terrible Minotaur Standing Guard On The Giant’s Path

While it’s a major city of France, Toulouse may have a dense population, but it is far from being a hotspot for tourists. I chose to spend the better part of a month there. For me, it was perfect—big enough to have everything you could need, small enough to not be crowded or commercialized to appeal to tourists, and, best of all, it is unique. The Pink Sheep of France.Originally, my trip was to be short, just a week, but after a couple of days, I extended it to just under a month. Here, during a time in my life of turmoil, strife, but also wonder, I found a little moment of peace. It was exactly what I needed.My jaunts to the grocery store or to one of Toulouse’s many, many parks were, almost exclusively, through other parks or along meandering tree-shaded pedestrian paths. It was exquisite to touch just about every point in the city without ever seeing a car, train, or bus.My own personal superhighway, the stretch of serene water that brackets Toulouse with its sister, the river Garonne, a place where you can’t help but feel your soul being cleansed with each humid breath: Canal du Midi. It is not surprising in the slightest that so many choose to make the canal their home, floating their abode across its body, letting it take them wherever it sees fit. A path is paired with it up and down its great distance, so you can enjoy its grace whether you choose to go north or south.

Originally, my trip was to be short, just a week, but after a couple of days, I extended it to just under a month. Here, during a time in my life of turmoil, strife, but also wonder, I found a little moment of peace. It was exactly what I needed.

My jaunts to the grocery store or to one of Toulouse’s many, many parks were, almost exclusively, through other parks or along meandering tree-shaded pedestrian paths. It was exquisite to touch just about every point in the city without ever seeing a car, train, or bus.

My own personal superhighway, the stretch of serene water that brackets Toulouse with its sister, the river Garonne, a place where you can’t help but feel your soul being cleansed with each humid breath: Canal du Midi. It is not surprising in the slightest that so many choose to make the canal their home, floating their abode across its body, letting it take them wherever it sees fit. A path is paired with it up and down its great distance, so you can enjoy its grace whether you choose to go north or south.

Canal Du Midi In All Her Glory

I had grown accustomed to thinking of Toulouse as “The Green City.” It is, without a shadow of a doubt, a city of parks—no matter where you are, deep in its suburbs or standing in the city center, you are just steps away from a publicly funded sanctuary of kids playing, dogs chasing frisbees, elderly feeding pigeons, and flowers, flowers, flowers.

Parc De Pech-David With Its Gondola Scooting Over The River Garonne

Popular among the locals: Parc de Pech-David. I visited many times over my few weeks; I always felt like I could never catch the right time of day for photography. The evenings never rang true with what I had come to observe and enjoy. You come to enjoy food, drink, and a crowd of hundreds come to eat from the food trucks and watch the sun slowly sink below the horizon, with surprising noise due to the dirt bike and drag racing enthusiasts. However, my day trips proved pleasant, taking advantage of the trails that crisscross the hilltop, taking you from Hopital Rangueil all the way to the quaint suburbs south of the city. The light brings few people, and even some horses, which have become a common sight for me here in France.If you consider yourself to be of a somewhat theological mind, then your attention should turn to Saint Stephen’s Cathedral. You’ve probably never seen a cathedral like this one—the facade is extraordinary, the west entrance a mashup of two different churches. Available to the God-fearing Toulousians of 1078, the Cathedral was constructed with the blessing of Bishop Isarn, at least, that’s how the story goes. It has undergone some dramatic renovations since its inception, making it, to some, Frankenstein’s monster.I, however, find it wonderful that the decision was made to meld two different churches together rather than destroy one over the other. It is an edifice to endurance and confluence, as a place of faith should be.

If you consider yourself to be of a somewhat theological mind, then your attention should turn to Saint Stephen’s Cathedral. You’ve probably never seen a cathedral like this one—the facade is extraordinary, the west entrance a mashup of two different churches. Available to the God-fearing Toulousians of 1078, the Cathedral was constructed with the blessing of Bishop Isarn, at least, that’s how the story goes. It has undergone some dramatic renovations since its inception, making it, to some, Frankenstein’s monster.

I, however, find it wonderful that the decision was made to meld two different churches together rather than destroy one over the other. It is an edifice to endurance and confluence, as a place of faith should be.

The Mighty Organ Of Saint Stephan’s Cathedral