The past few days with Sheila, like the first, were filled with weeding and cooking. Unfortunately, I had to leave this wonderful place after only 2 weeks. But as she says, 'that's life and your journey continues'. She's right.
First, I went from there to Montpellier, where I explored the city on Saturday. So far, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. My BlaBlaCar drivers have lived there for some time and said that the clientele there is very young and open-minded. Unfortunately, I experienced the first 'Gilets Jaunes' protest there, which got a little out of hand. But still, a wonderful city.
Sunday, I continued on to Toulouse. Here, there was a bit of drizzle, which, due to the sunny weeks prior, almost felt like doomsday. But later in the afternoon, the weather luckily couldn't make up its mind and gave us sunshine.From Toulouse, I took two day trips. The first one went to Albi, a small town north of Toulouse. The old town center there is very beautiful with a huge cathedral. The artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is known there, but unfortunately the corresponding museum was closed. The second trip took me to Perpignan. The city is located between Toulouse and Barcelona near the Mediterranean Sea. I was advised beforehand not to spend too much time there, as there isn't much to see. After a few hours there, I was already a bit bored. It's still very beautiful there, just somehow boring. I also ended up in a very, very poor neighborhood there several times, which was very unpleasant. The days in Toulouse were simply beautiful. Many people may know the city as the main location of Airbus. But in France, it is known as the 'Ville Rose'. The name comes from the fact that many buildings are made of pink/red brick. It reminded me a bit of Hamburg, even though the brick buildings there are darker. I find it fascinating that the metro here runs completely automatically, without a train conductor. Due to the large university and the Airbus location, the city is very international. For example, I met people here from Belarus, Vietnam, and even Texas. Overall, it was really great and eventful days. Today, I'm heading back towards Provence where I will stay with Doris in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence for a few days.
