To Toulouse…..and back!

Friday 9th May 2014

Surprisingly, we both had a good nights sleep...not too many trains to wake us...and this morning we are passed by many pilgrims walking the Santiago del Compostela which passes along the canal here.

[caption id="attachment_564" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Saying Goodbye to Irene and Yannick[/caption]

As the clouds tumbled in we made our way to Moissac. Breakfast was calling...and so was a toilet! We found the first available parking space and headed into town.....such a lovely surprise...this place is beautiful in so many ways.

[caption id="attachment_565" align="aligncenter" width="427"] I love these sculptures in a lovely little square in Moissac[/caption]

Not only the architecture, the canal, the river Tarn, but also in it’s atmosphere and ambience. We immediately felt very at home...it’s all I can do to stop BT from buying a boat or house here!!! Actually, I have had to make him promise that he’s NOT going to but another boat...however lovely...whilst we are away!



[caption id="attachment_568" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Breakfast...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_567" align="aligncenter" width="427"] The Church at Moissac[/caption]

By midday we are replenished, have maps and timetables and set off along the canal...hoping to achieve 40 or so kms!

[caption id="attachment_569" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Canalside flowers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_570" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Moissac architechture[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_571" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Lockside building[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_572" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Lock no.24[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_573" align="aligncenter" width="427"] The aqueduct at Moissac[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_576" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Lock No 1[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_575" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Lunch[/caption]

However, we made it all the way to Toulouse...75kms away! The highlights along the way are always the locks...they are a place of change and activity...boats passing through, cyclists stopping for a rest, locals chatting...and for us it’s another milestone reached. We passed 25 today and each one was special in it’s own way. Toulouse was another gem of the day. It’s amazing how, in life we have an idea of where we are gong and then it takes and unexpected turn and WOW! takes you by surprise....the approach to the city was full of derelict, graffitied buildings, gypsy camps and industrial works....yet when you arrive at the heart of the city it is stunning. It is called the ‘pink city’ due to the colour of the bricks that have been used in the construction of many of it’s buildings. It’s a city in every sense of the word, but the most beautiful we have ever been to. It’s bustling with life...it spills out onto the pavements and into every nook and cranny. Each way you turn is yet another amazing sight, and the sounds of music and laughter fill the air. Our adventure in the city was only because of a wrong turn that we had made along the canal...we should have just followed the canal to the station, instead we branched off...the wrong way...but it ended up being such the right way, as we would have missed all the beauty. Never be afraid to make a ‘wrong’ turn...you never know where it will lead you. There are no wrong turns just different destinations!

We were unable to take any pics of the city as we had to find our way out and to the station, however, we have promised ourselves a long weekend city break back to Toulouse ...come if you can.

As you can imagine, we were hardly able to sit down let alone walk at the end of the day...fortunately, we had parked at the station at Moissac so it was easy to load the bikes  on to Bluebelle and pop down to the port where we have decided to stay for the night....right next to the canal.

[caption id="attachment_582" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Moissac canal port[/caption]

We will sleep with the sound of water cascading from the nearby lock...and that’s all....!