Das leben ist schön: Travel Update #1: Toulouse, France

Back in February, we hopped on a plane to Toulouse to spend a week with French cousins Stephanie & Arnaud and their two adorable children, Nikita and Loup-Paul. If you remember back to almost a year ago, we first met my 4th cousin Stephanie and her family when we visited them in their quaint village of Ambert. Once again, they graciously hosted us but this time in their tiny 2-bedroom apartment in the beautiful city of Toulouse. Little Loup-Paul (3 months old at the time) was not feeling well and unfortunately had to spend most of the week in the hospital. With Arnaud and Stephanie busy caring for him and Nikita, Matt and I set out to explore Toulouse during our first full day there. The weather was crisp and sunny, a nice change from our gloomy Berlin winter weather. We walked a lot, visited a few museums, and of course enjoyed sampling the delicious French cuisine as we went. That evening, Arnaud and Nikita took us on a beautiful walk along the Garonne river. By the end of the week, Stephanie and Loup-Paul were home and well, just in time to enjoy a final evening of great food and conversation before our departure.

Toulouse

Nikita (3) by the river

A bridge on the Garonne (this print
now hangs above our couch!)

One of my many fabulous meals we had!

Adorable little Loup-Paul

Arnaud, Loup-Paul and Stephanie

We also took a mid-week excursion to the enchanting medieval city of Carcassonne. Carcassonne was only about a one hour train ride from Toulouse, and upon arrival we were greeted by the impressive stone wall that surrounds "la Cité", or the old city center. Our hotel sat right outside of one of the gate's main entrances. Being early February, we virtually had the place to ourselves and had fun exploring the adorable winding cobblestone alleyways that were tucked behind the massive wall. We took a tour of the castle, which allowed for unbelievable views along the top of the fortress, overlooking the beautiful valley below. A fun week in France!

Carcassonne