Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Mon voyage. Jour numéro vingt-six. Toulouse and Rome.

My flight wasn't until the afternoon which gave me more time in Toulouse.  I know that carousels are common in the US but some differences include that theirs are in the middle of a square or a random street, and they don't necessarily stop the carousel to let kids on.

I like bow ties on waiters.  Why did we make bow ties a joke in the US?

If you look at la cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse from the north facade you can see the differences between the left and right side of the church, the left part being built hundreds of years before the right.  The church has been remodeled and redesigned from 11th century to the 20th century (for various reasons, including fires and new bishop orders).





According to my map I had to turn at the Grand Pond, but when I got here I totally disagreed with the grandness of this pond.  
I can clearly see now, while reexamining my map, that the name of this location is Grand Rond, Rond is round in French.  You learn something new every day.  I learned not to be so judgmental, I learned a new word, and I learned that I should look more closely at maps.

The Canal du Midi was constructed in the 17th century to transport wheat between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.  

And here I am, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, on a boot called Italy, in a city named after the Romans.  
(I didn't take a wheat boat, I flew.)




Not only did I break my rule of going out at night by myself, I wandered through seemingly welcoming alleyways. 
Nothing bad happened.  Sometimes in life you have to take risks for pasta (specifically for walnut and cheese raviolis).


This is my third time coming to Rome, and seeing the Colosseum.  It was rather spur of the moment, and not on my list of things to do (unlike the pasta) but I felt compelled.  
When in Rome...

1 comment:

  1. Okay, first off, I loved this line " I learned not to be so judgmental, I learned a new word, and I learned that I should look more closely at maps." It's good you learned. Your trip reminds me of my favorite Michener quote, "If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home." You epitomized blending in and being a participant, not a spectator. Way to be awesome.

    ReplyDelete

Leave your comments/questions/opinions here... I will get right back to you.