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The distant roar of the airplanes and the murmur of the Garonne river, the terracotta copper and the cocagne blue, art and ingenuity, heritage and innovation. A set of beautiful contradictions defines the essence of Toulouse, the jewel of the French southwest. A city that for its cheerful temperament, for its skill in combining the savoir vivre with the Mediterranean spirit, is for many the hedonistic capital of the neighboring country.
It will be because of the proximity to the Spanish border, with the transfer of customs that this implies. Or it will be because of the footprint left by the exiles (they say that about 40,000), when this enclave was crucial to escape the ravages of Franco. The fact is that in Toulouse there is a certain empathy, something like being at home. An inertia of street life, of crowded terraces , of dinners at unusual hours beyond the Pyrenees. Pleasantly surprised by the hustle and bustle, the vitality that overflows.
You have to walk through the center to echo this energy. And also to discover why Toulouse is known as the ville rose. Without nearby stone quarries but with a lot of clay in the river, it had to be built by blow of brick. And although its color is, rather, that of an orange carmine, you just have to wait for the sun to conclude the miracle: then, with the last rays, it acquires an impressionistic light that enhances the salmon nuances.
EMULATING PARIS boulevards
This is seen in the Capitol, where everything begins and ends. This monumental beauty square serves as a prelude to the town hall, the opera and the arcades, decorated with colorful frescoes that tell Tolosanan stories. From here the rues that retain a medieval profile, the alleys that emulate the boulevards of Paris, the disparate styles exhibited by the architecture: the basilica of Saint-Sernin, which is the largest Romanesque church in France; the convent of the Jacobins, a jewel of Gothic art, the Municipal Library, with art deco elements ... and even the Victor Hugo Market, whose contemporary aesthetic aroused so much rejection that the citizens, very much theirs, refused to pay for parking for more than ten years.
It is convenient to visit, one by one, the historic neighborhoods of the center: Saint-Georges, Saint-Étienne, Carmes, Saint-Cyprien ... And admire in them all the almost two hundred Renaissance mansions. They are the heritage of cocagne or cake, the plant that provided the most coveted blue dye. Merchants enriched it there by the fifteenth century. Forgotten later, today its use has been recovered for cosmetic products, as they say it contains Omega 3, 6 and 9, great for the skin.
Also the passage through these districts confirms the idyll that Toulouse maintains with modernity. Shops that display exquisite taste and gastronomic temples such as Ma Biche sur Le Toit (the fashionable rooftop over the Galeries Lafayette) or No. 5 (chosen the best wine bar in the world). And graffiti here and there because, as Mélissa Buttelli, an expert on guided tours, explains, "urban art is a form of expression as dynamic as it is accepted."
AIR VOCATION
So much earthly pleasure finds its replica in heaven. Because this city feels a true vocation for the air. Headquarters of European aeronautics, Toulouse lives dedicated to the manufacture of airplanes (10 percent of the population works in this field) with milestones such as the Concorde, the Airbus or the A380. In the Aeroscopy Museum you can take a tour of these legendary ships.
It is also the place where the first airline that carried the mail was born in 1920, and with it the love letters, the secret documents, the living history of the people. They were the times of those pioneer pilots, among which a young Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was counted before becoming the author of The Little Prince , perhaps the most famous children's story of all time. For them there is also a museum: L'Envol des Pionniers , opened just six months ago.
Further, to the ends of the universe, comes the Cité de l'Espace, the main theme park dedicated to space adventure. It is the place to feel like an astronaut aboard the Ariane 5 rocket or the Soyuz ship. It also celebrates a definitive event: the 50 years after the trip to the Moon. "An ambitious exhibition evokes the feat of NASA teams," says Florence Séroussi, a park worker.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
How to get
Iberia offers direct flights to Toulouse from Madrid. From 29 euros / way. Vueling, from Barcelona, from 23 euros / way.
Where to sleep
Villa du Taur is a boutique hotel right in the center.
Where to eat
Ma Biche sur Le Toit is the fashionable rooftop. No. 5 Wine Bar, meanwhile, is the wine bar considered the best in the world.
More information
In Toulouse Tourism: www.turismo-toulouse.es
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