As I said in my previous post, my trip to Toulouse was completed with a couple of day-trips to some interesting places around Toulouse. We visited some castles and monasteries in the area, and enjoyed nice landscapes on our way there.
I would highlight the visit to the Le Pont du Canal, where the Channel du Midi crosses a river by means of a bridge (quite unique to see), the visit to Auch following the first steps of D’Artagnan, and the monastery of Flaran, which hosts a very well organized museum to explain how the life in such a place is and the history behind it.
More pictures from Toulouse and surroundings in this slideshow.
I spent the second half of my September holidays visiting a friend living in Toulouse. It has been my second visit to the “Ville Rose” after the seminar which took me there in 2006, and I consider it an interesting place to visit, as it has not only the city (which is already quite nice), but also many interesting places relative near, allowing nice daytrips to get some variety. I devoted one full day to revisit the city, and we did a couple of trips on Saturday and Sunday (in the next post).
I do not know what you think, but a city with a river has automatically a couple of extra points in beauty and attractiveness than one without it… and Toulouse is not an exception. If you add to that well preserved buildings from their roman and medieval times, a very young and international population (attracted by a number of universities and important companies (Toulouse is by far one of the most important cities in the world for the aerospace industry)), and the famous cuisine… Perfect destination.
As usual, some more picture from Toulouse in this slideshow.
After my time in Japan I am a fan of sushi. Unfortunately for me, it is quite difficult to find good sushi places in Spain… especially if you are looking for cheap ones where you can eat good quality and big quantities. So, I decided to learn how to prepare it with a friend who had already demonstrated his good skills for this task in previous events.
After a good advice on where to buy good fish in Madrid, some reference material and a good couple of hours in the kitchen, the result was amazingly good. Probably, the best sushi I have tried in Madrid, and the “self-made” satisfaction.
Ibiza has many brands out in the tourist market. Apart from the sun & sand destination or the party destination, it is also famous among the hippy community. It has historically been a place to meet for people in this community, and one of the remaining proofs of it are the hippy markets. The following pictures are examples of handcraft that can be found in the Dalias Market, one of the most famous in Ibiza, and in my opinion, far from being authentically hippy, it is just another tourist attraction for everybody in the island.
Ibiza does not need any introduction in most of the developed world. This island in the Mediterranean Sea, best known for its nightlife (who hasn’t heard about Pacha Ibiza?), attracts millions of tourists every summer. This figure includes from the young groups looking for some fun in the discos and recovering in the afternoon in the beach, to wealthy and famous people with clear intentions of showing off… and everybody in any middle point.
But not everybody goes there because of the nightlife, and it was not my case either. Ibiza is a great place to enjoy the sea, and after this visit I am even more convinced that we underrate our islands in Mediterranean Sea. I went in the beginning of September and I do not remember having enjoyed more as this time, being in beach and discovering new calas every day.
Due to its location this island has been very important in the history of Mediterranean kingdoms and empires, and hence, the capital of the island is strongly fortified, and the life of the town was originally based in the upper part of the city (“Dalt Vila”). Great walk to complement the sun hours.
More pictures from the Isla Bonita in this slideshow.