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Abroad, France, Guests, Toulouse

Adventure: Stanislava in Toulouse

posted by Dario
Jun 2, 2020 726 1 0
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Walk around Toulouse – the pink city

To get to know France better you have to go outside Paris. This is a mandatory rule and advice that every Francophone will give you. I will also not miss saying it. Whether you choose to go to Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Provence & the Côte d’Azur, each French region offers a certain spirit, history, culture, and its philosophy of life that will make you sing “La vie en rose”.

Only four hours by train from the French capital or two hours from Bordeaux (from where we traveled) is the administrative center of the Occitanie region – the city of Toulouse. Mostly known as the student city, the third most important after Paris and Lyon, it attracts students from all over the world with a university tradition that dates back to the 13th century when the University of Toulouse was founded.

Toulouse Train Station_Gare Toulouse Matabiau

From the very first steps around the city, you can see the color of the buildings, which are in perfect synchronization with the environment. It’s with the colors of the buildings and roofs that Toulouse is known as the Pink City.

Buildings_Toulouse1
Buildings_Toulouse

Details_Toulouse

The city was built on the Garonne River, one of the biggest and most important rivers in France, and along its course also passes through Spain and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Two other natural water facilities immediately attracted us – the Canal du Midi and the Canal de Brienne. Water is our element and its proximity always makes us happy. The walk around the river and the Toulouse canals is invigorating and presents the city in a magical light. There is also an organized cruise through the canal, so everyone can decide whatever to take the boats or to walk on foot. Keep in mind that Toulouse is a city that can be easily explored while walking and enjoying the French sky.

La Garonne River
Canal de Brienne_ Toulouse
Canal de Brienne_Toulouse1
Canal de Midi_Toulouse2

Toulouse owns impressive markets (one of them is Victor Hugo), French cuisine is known to everyone and it certainly makes no sense to talk about the aromatic wines, the thousands of varieties of cheese, the grapes aroma, the crispy baguettes, and the multilayered croissants. Toulouse is a vibrant place with crowded streets, which, however, leaves you enough space for breathing some fresh air and to see beyond the crowds. The city has charming neighborhoods, enriching museums, many fashion shops (it’s also considered as a fashion hub, with its local brands), historic sites, and churches, which captivates anyone who has chosen to visit the French city.

Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse
Le Capitole_Central Square_Toulouse

Streets_Toulouse2

The first place in our itinerary was the Central Square and the Capitole de Toulouse. It was autumn and the whole square had been turned into a bazaar/flea market offering all kinds of French delicacies. The Capitole building is one of the important landmarks with its impressive neoclassical architecture and now it houses the Municipality and the Theater of Toulouse.

Le Capitole Central square Toulouse1

Le Capitole Central square Toulouse2

From there we immersed ourselves in the streets that revealed the remarkable history of Toulouse.

Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse – a massive building with breathtaking Romanesque architecture which was very popular in the XI century. Its construction began in the XI century and it was completed in the XII century. It’s inscribed on the UNESCO list of cultural and historical heritage and it is part of the pilgrimage route Santiago de Compostela.

Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse

The Jacobin Monastery (or Couvent des Jacobins) is another stop of our walk. This place hides a beautiful courtyard, a popular architectural decision that keeps away the noise and surrounds you with peace. Almost every huge building in Toulouse has such a secret in its heart.

Couvent des Jacobins_Toulouse
Courtyard_Toulouse

For people who want to immerse themselves in the world art and culture, here is the museum and gallery paradise (probably like every French city). Museum life is part of the city with many institutions that preserve the historical heritage over the centuries. Art is everywhere here, even on the walls, so be sure to look up – you can find impressive murals. The Muséum de Toulouse, The Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse archaeological museum, Les Abattoirs – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and many others.

Jardin des plantes_Toulouse

A little bit tired, it is time to take a strong espresso and a butter croissant and to sit on the riverside while watching the New Bridge (Pont Neuf), which is the oldest one in the city. This is a place that locals choose for their daily activities – jogging, relaxing, drinking coffee, and taking a break. Because no one can get tired of this view. Wherever we go across the river it is like one particular building is chasing us – the Dome, which can often be seen in photos of the city. It is part of the old hospital built in the XII century and hosting most of the plague victims. In the last couple of years, the place is closed for visitors because the plan is to become an exhibition hall. But from the outside is still magnificent.

The Dome_Chapelle Saint Joseph de la Grave
Pont Neuf_Toulouse

The short story about Toulouse does not end here, I am sure you will create your own. I hope you enjoy it!

Space Invader_Toulouse
Streets_Toulouse1
Streets_Toulouse3
Jardin des Plantes_Toulouse1

You can follow Stanislava and her adventures on her instagram profile and also her personal blog!

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Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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To the Rhodopes we go! On this adventure we visit To the Rhodopes we go!

On this adventure we visited Sitovo waterfall - a place far away from the human and industrial hand and completely preserved by the surrounding nature. 

It is located in the Rhodopes, 30 km from Plovdiv, right at the junction between the beautiful Rhodope villages Sitovo and Lilkovo. They can be reached by a unpaved, but relatively flat road. The left road continues to Sitovo, and the right - to Lilkovo. 

Under the bridge at the fork, which turns to Lilkovo, the passing river has formed a cascade of waterfalls. The waterfalls have a maximum drop of about 2 meters and are extremely picturesque as you can see from the pictures.

 #Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
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The hike can be challenging during the winter but the final destination is pure wonderland. Although you can visit the waterfall every season because it is always “working”. Skakavitsa is in fact one of the most majestic and amazing waterfalls in Bulgaria, so don’t miss to visit it.

#Bulgaria #Waterfall #hike
Happiness is having a travel partner and dog like Happiness is having a travel partner and dog like Yuki-Doro!

Can't describe how much I love this little sassy piece of fur. 😄

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The water falls from a height of 49 meters, making the waterfall the highest in the Rhodopes.

This waterfall is absolutely magical so it is worth to do the hike to reach the place even if at some spots it is a little bit difficult but the pleasure and views at the end is worth doing the hike!

#bulgaria #hike #dog
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There we went to the beautiful village of Manastir. Near the village is situated the waterfall "Holy Spirit". Its height is about 15 meters and is the highest in the period April - June. The waterfall is located on the river Manastirska and is about 1.5 km walk from the center of the village of Manastir. It was declared as natural landmark in 1965, and the area of 0.5 ha around it is protected.

Curious fact:
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#Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
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#waterfall #bulgaria #hike
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#Bulgaria #waterfall #hike
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It is a wonderful place to explore and to dive into the Belasitsa mountain’s nature.

The face of our mountain expert Yuki-Doro is the living proof of this experience!

#Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Click bait post! Just joking, or maybe not? Last Click bait post! Just joking, or maybe not?

Last week we had the chance to visit once again one my most favourite Eco paths in Bulgaria – View to nine mountains.

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#bulgaria #hike #dog
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On 29 May 1876, after the ship left the port of Bechet, the Bulgarian revolutionaries, who had boarded it from different ports disguised as gardeners, forced the captain Dagobert Engländer to change course and transport the group to the Bulgarian port of Kozloduy, from where they would attempt to organize an anti-Ottoman uprising as a follow-up to the already crushed April Uprising of the same year.

Nowadays the steamship Radetzky is a national relic of Bulgaria. A village in Sliven Province bears its name, Radetski, and national writer Ivan Vazov wrote a poem based on the events of May 1876, which is today a popular patriotic song called Still White Danube Undulates.

#Bulgaria #history #museum
God's Bridge also known as Jabokrek, is a natural God's Bridge also known as Jabokrek, is a natural rock bridge in the Chirensko-Lilyashki karst region about 15 km north of Vratsa. It is about 20 meters high, 25 meters wide, and along its main axis the "tunnel" formed by the Lilyachka River is about 100 meters long. During the dry months of the year, the river under the bridge dries up and there are several ponds full of frogs. Hence the other name under which this rock phenomenon is known.

The place is quite phenomenal and it’s very interesting to explore. Here you can easily hike for an hour and enjoy the nature that offers not only this but a long side river with small waterfalls, amazing panoramic views and also a bit of history thanks to the vicinity of Borovanska Mogila where remains of a fortress from Roman times are found.

#Bulgaria #nature #hike
Dive in the animal kingdom of Budapest. Being hug Dive in the animal kingdom of Budapest.

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During my visit here, I was surprised how well divided the the zoo is, every continent had its personalized building where you can enjoy the rich variety of animals and plants.

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Most of them can be found in the centre of the city in the so-called Jewish neighbourhood, also known as the creative spot of Budapest.

#Budapest #art #graffities
The little cultural art universe of Budapest. The The little cultural art universe of Budapest.

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#Budapest #museum #art
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#Budapest #building #architecture
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#Budapest #Hungary #capital
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