Terminus Toulouse

... again where the bus was, and explained to the 2 spanish bus drivers i didnt have a ticket as the office was closed. one of them spoke english and said if i had the money i could get on and buy the ticket in Nantes, the next stop.

And so after 17 hours of sleep, wake, sleep wake, eat, sleep a bit more, eat, and stay awake to see the mountainous landscape of Barcelona come into view.

4 weeks in France and my autopsy is that the french need to lighted up a little. Sure ...

... mountains. He then took me to a cave which dug across the mountian and had several circle windows used for the guards of the bastille to look out and see if enemies were coming to attack the castle that once stood upon the mountain. Through these windows I received a unique view of the countryside and city as if I was looking out of my house at my entire homeland below. I stood there for a long time dwelling on every detail before me. We descended down steep stairs ...

Visiter quelques musées gratuit, (à cause du festival ''printemps à Toulouse'') c'est toujours rentable !

Nous avons fait le musée des augustins. Il y a plein de statues et de vieilles pieces murales des églises de Toulouse.

Ensuite la Basilique St-Sernin, très jolie puisque son cloché est illuminé le soir.

Et finalement les Abattoirs, avec un tat d'art dont du ne comprend jamais vraiment la signification (l'art modern...).

We were up at 9 am and showered and ready to go by 10 am. We said goodbye to our host and made our way out of town. We were preparing ourselves for a day full of driving. We stopped and purchased some breakfast items and items for lunch on the road. We stopped in Montelimar for some nougat. That is what this town is famous for. Conrad spent about 30 minutes there b/c they had wi-fi, so he mapped where we were going. We were on the road again (just ...

... to dry. Here I was with a pair of shorts that I’d washed last night drying on the back of my bike. Strange how life can change, and things you never thought possible come true.

Other than Paris, we haven’t been to any bigger centers in France, and nothing with our bikes. Luckily, the canal and river paths helped us through most of the way. That is until giant ...

... and cutting, and blowing all throughout the day.

Along the way were several interesting people as well. One lady was doing dome watercolour paintings along the shore. At one point, we actually had our own cheering section. A group of older women had gathered at an ecluse. When we cycled by, ½ of them started clapping and shouting ‘Bravo, Bravo!”. I started to wonder if we had somehow intersected ...

... on the western outskirts of the city, and it seems most people live in apartments in the city. Haven´t seen much of the rural countryside yet, but everything is greening up and the trees are wonderful. I love how trees line the roads and highways. It reminds me how much the French appreciate the aesthetic side of life, even if it requires some sacrifice. The city parks are incredible... lots of trees, flowers, statues, ponds, ducks, etc. They lunch for 2 hours, and relish that ...

... we went outside, onto the patio, and she asked me how I wanted my haircut. I told her that I normally use a number 3 setting in the electric trimmer. She looked surprised and said that this was quite short. I said that I knew but that is what I usually used. She suggested a size 6 and asked and asked how long it had been since I had my last haircut. I said 5 weeks and again asked for a size 3. She said that she would start with a 6 and we would go from ...

Cough, owwww, splutter, owww, hack, hack, hack le euurrrggghhhhh!!!!!! - Saturday morning I wake up and feel like I have been sidelined by a Bus, but of course with the traffic driving on the other side of the road I didnt see it coming. Nathalie goes into Nurse mode immeadiatemont I do a self diagnosis of either bird flu or pneumonia. I have a temperature of 38.6 degrees apparently normal is 37 degrees and a fever is 37.5 degrees, I have even higher and we ...

... sandpaper. I was up at 7am the next day - the family were sending me on a train to stay in the Pyrenees for a couple of days with their daughter and her boyfriend. I was picked up at the last stop on the line and driven to a chalet overlooking the mountains either side of the French and Spanish borders. The next 2 days were incredible, just for being where I was, and looked after so well. I was taken to an animal park (think Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo back home) to check out ...