Bonjour and welcome to this French edition of Sunday Sevens. We have been enjoying a week in the south of France, beginning in Toulouse…
Green Toulouse
I’m really impressed with Toulouse, it’s a beautiful city which is full of fantastic architecture, the public transport is clean, reliable and just great. Even the bridges are beautiful and floral in Toulouse… have you ever seen anything as lovely as this?? This was one of the bridges which link several parks together. What a great idea.
Don’t look down…
I’m not a fan of heights (staying in a holiday apartment on the 17th floor of a tower block meant issues for me) but I overcame my fears and went for a ride with the whole Postcard family on this lovely Ferris wheel. Situated on the bank of the River Garonne, it was a perfect vantage point to watch the sunset over Toulouse on Monday evening.
Astronaut toilets
On Tuesday we took a trip out to the Cité de l’Espace, a museum for the European Space Programme on the outskirts of Toulouse. There was a fascinating IMAX film about the international space station and another about the Aurora Borealis. We even got to see Venus through a huge telescope in the observatory. The highlight for the Little Postcards was most probably finding out about how astronauts go to the loo…
Planes, planes, planes…
On Wednesday we paid a visit to the Airbus factory in Toulouse. They do guided tours and take you inside to see where the giant, double decker A380 planes are assembled. We have a huge transport fan in the factory, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get up close to these amazing planes.
For security and to prevent their trade secrets being leaked you aren’t allowed to take any photos on the tour. It was really interesting (even for someone like me who doesn’t really even like flying ). The photo here is of an A350 just after take off on a test flight.
Carcassonne
Straight after our Airbus tour, we set off for Carcassonne, the highlight of the whole trip for me. After reading the Kate Mosse book, Labyrinth a few years ago, I have wanted to visit this medieval city which is one of the main venues in the story. It was a beautiful as I imagined.
We loved it so much that we changed our plans and decided to stay for 4 nights. That way we had the chance to really explore properly.
A riverside walk
The Cité of Carcassonne sits on a hill beside the River Aude. We took a lovely wander down by the river and sat on the bank watching the ducks and a little terrier diving in to retrieve his ball! It is such a lovely spot.
Window shopping in Carcassonne
Away from the medieval Cité, Carcassone has a lot to offer. We stayed on the same side of the River Aude as the Cité but across the river is a bustling modern city. Some of the shops were amazing. I love window shopping when I’m abroad, you see so many interesting things. This cheese shop really caught my eye, you’ve got to love a heart-shaped cheese!
Thanks for joining me again this week. I’m linking with Natalie at Threads & Bobbins who first created the Sunday Sevens weekly blog series.
Lovely photos,the castle reminds me so much of Castle Park in Colchester.
I have never been to Colchester Sandra, I will need to seek it out next time we are in that area 😊
Stunning trip. I loved our trip to Carcassonne back in February, it’s a fairy tale castle.
Absolutely- I loved everything about it. Did the mountain tops have snow on in February Cathy?
You look like you had an amazing time and it was worth spending another night. I love the heart shaped cheese!
Definitely was worth it Shazza, it’s so beautiful there. I wish I’d bought one now – I wonder what it tastes like…
Thanks for sharing your experiences in France. For me Carcossonne sounds fantastic. As a former History teacher I found junior high students loved discovering social aspects of medieval times especially how architecture and warfare dominated lifestyle.
My pleasure Denis. Carcassonne is absolutely fantastic. It was in ruins in the 19th Century and almost demolished but it was restored to it’s medieval state and really is a magical place. I bet anyone learning about medieval history would love a visit there.
It looks like you had a wonderful week. I’m sure the airbus tour must have been interesting even if it wasn’t your favourite subject.
I love exploring old foreign towns, and carcassonne looks like an amazing one to explore.
We had an amazing time thank you. The Airbus tour was fascinating, and knowing how many checks and safety precautions are done made me actually enjoy my flight home (I’m not the happiest air traveler).
Ah well that’s good. Air travel is surprisingly safe 🙂
Oh yes, I already know I’d love Carcassonne and the mediaeval period is one of my favourites, historically speaking. Having two young boys myself, I can picture the amusement of the astronaut loos! Good for you for braving the Ferris wheel – it’s usually worth it as the views are normally breathtaking from that height. The whole aeroplane thing sounds like fun, too. Shame no photos were allowed.
It’s stunning Sheila- so beautiful. There are so many lovely towns nearby with chateaux and ruins too, we want to go back again and explore a lot more. Is it wrong for me to admit that the whole washing and going to the toilet in space interested me too?! Haha, I think I have been surrounded by boys for so long they have turned me to their ways!!
I’m pleased with myself for being brave and doing the Ferris wheel too. I did have grand plans for taking loads of photos while we were up there but my pictures aren’t fantastic as I was holding our Littlest into his seat with one hand for the entire ride! That rather impaired my focus!! The Airbus factory tour was absolutely fascinating I would highly recommend it (especially if you have plane lovers in your family). 😊