Toulouse, France's Rose City
The houses in Toulouse are not high, mostly four to five stories. Although the eaves and window bars are not as fancy as those in Paris, they still look elegant and refined; the streets here are very narrow, and the alleys are like spider webs. The city is divided into many triangles, but almost every alleyway is connected. No matter how you walk, you can end up at the same place - only such houses and streets are worthy of the quiet life of Toulouse people.
The most unforgettable thing is the Garonne River that flows quietly through Toulouse. On a sunny morning, we sat by the river, breathing fresh air and watching the locals doing morning exercises by the river. The ancient bridge across the river and the buildings on the other side of the river are reflected in the blue sky, together with a few teal ducks that happen to swim by, forming a beautiful and quiet oil painting.
Along the way, when the afterglow of the setting sun coated the rose-colored square bricks with a layer of gold, the first day of the trip came to an end on the banks of the Garonne River. The next day, you can travel back in time and visit Space City. This is both a historical city and a new city, and this contradiction is precisely the source of its vitality. Let yourself be intoxicated and leave the rest to Toulouse...
"It is rose-colored at dawn, lavender at noon, and red at dusk." To discover the beauty of Toulouse, you have to make a little sacrifice: get up early and go to bed late.
The tour begins at the Church of St. Cernan. This is a masterpiece of Roman art and the largest basilica in Europe. “The church of Saint-Cernan lights up the sky like coral flowers watered by the sun,” sang the Toulouse poet Claude Nogareau. This brick and stone church is a place of pilgrimage for many believers. Its structure embodies the miracle of balance and harmony. If you visit here at night, you will find another aspect of the church.
On the square is the Café Saint-Cernan, a place frequented by university students and artists, where you can taste delicious onion soup. Continuing forward, you will reach Rue de Tour, where you can see the typical style of old Toulouse. This area is very lively, with many college student cafes gathered around it. You can order a cup of mint tea and slowly experience the unique flavor of the old city to the music of Gainsbourg. Not far away are the city library and St. Cernan's Lyceum, while the Church of Our Lady of Tor, built entirely of square bricks, is known for its sophisticated decoration.
Now we come to the Place de la Ville de la Ville, which is a place where Toulouse people often meet for dates. Look up and see a large cross embedded in the middle of the square, at the end of which are the twelve signs of the zodiac. The Town Hall on the east side of the square can be visited for free, and the Hall of Fame introduces the glorious history of Toulouse. Leaving the Town Hall Square and walking south, you will reach Via Sant Roma, which is a section of the ancient road that runs from north to south of the city. Now it has become a pedestrian street and has many storefronts.
Tourists and Toulouse locals like to come here to browse the shops, buy egg pancakes, fried chestnuts, etc., or go to the nearby alleys to have a drink...
There are too many museums in Toulouse, here we only recommend three more representative ones: Austin Museum (ticket: 2.40 euros), where visitors can wander in the most beautiful monastery of the 14th and 15th centuries; Battlefield Museum ( Address: 76 Rue Charles de Feit, ticket: 6.10 euros). The exhibition mainly displays modern and contemporary art works. The exhibition hall covers an area of more than 6,000 square meters. There are both permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions here. The museum houses works by Brassaï, César, Dubiffe or Duchamp. The last one to recommend is the Water Castle Photography Gallery (Address: Lacana Square, ticket: 2.50 euros), which is the oldest and most popular photography gallery in Europe.
If Paris represents the romance and fashion of France, Toulouse, like other southern cities in France, exudes a natural and simple atmosphere. To me, this place may be more French than Paris - there are vineyards all over the place and the largest castle in Europe, and it is full of European pastoral scenery.
Drive out of Toulouse for more than an hour and arrive at Carcassonne. In fact, this is the capital of another department in southern France, but like Toulouse, it upholds the essence of the anti-centralization tradition of freedom and independence. It is famous for having what is known as the largest and most complete existing castle and winery in Europe. Carcassonne was also one of the stops in the 2004 Tour de France.
Walk through a large area of vineyards and approach the Carcassonne Castle. With its black and gray city walls and towering towers, the Carcassonne Castle looks even more mysterious against the cloudy sky, making people awe-inspiring. respect. When we first arrived at the castle, there were not many tourists. Standing between the two walls, it was as if we could already hear the sounds of ancient siege and defense fighting. This is indeed a place with frequent wars. It has been occupied by the Romans, Visigoths, Arabs, Crusaders, etc. for two thousand years. The castle has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The castle now has 52 towers and two layers of inner and outer walls, which are 3 kilometers long.
The most exciting thing is that when Charlemagne led an army to besiege the Castle of Carcassonne for 5 years, the castle had already run out of ammunition and food. At this time, the owner of the castle, Madame Carcassonne, asked people to He collected the last food in the city, fed the remaining pig, and then threw it down the city. The pig was thrown to the ground and its belly burst open, revealing undigested grain.
The besieging generals mistakenly thought that there were still sufficient reserves in the castle, so they retreated sadly.
Entering the archway of the castle reveals a different scene. Narrow streets are dotted with castles, and the castle has churches, central open spaces, and housing. The main street is lined with various shops and restaurants. In the afternoon, there are many tourists, strolling on the streets, or drinking coffee and taking a break. It is said that there are still more than 120 aborigines living in the castle, and they loyally guard the inheritance of their ancestors.
Fashionable places of interest: aristocratic shopping malls and avant-garde shops
Fashion brands Hermès (No. 22 Art Road), Cerruti 1881 (No. 3 Saint-Antoine Road), Cacharel (8 Rue Saint-Antoine) and Max Mara (26 Rue Saint-Antoine) both have stores in the Saint-Antoine neighborhood. Gorgeous tailoring, natural textures and trendy tones create a unique lifestyle style. For gorgeous Parisian fashion, check out the Christian Lacroix store (26 rue de Paranon). The Gaultier store embodies another concept: classic JPG, denim, accessories, leather, perfume... The full range of this brand's design works can be found here.
Other must-visit addresses: the Amy and Sonia Rykiel store at 22 Lafayette Street. The former specializes in pullovers, blouses, skirts and women's suits, while the latter deals in natural materials and ready-to-wear, both with the same elegance. In addition, you can also visit the Thierry Mugler store (2 rue Austerlitz). In addition to selling the famous designer's own works, you can also buy shoes and accessories. The last one is for you. The recommended store is Y'sYohji Yamamoto (24 Art Street).
Seeks of contemporary and cheerful fashion will be interested in Kenzo (31 rue Lafayette) and Kookai (25 rue Saint-Antoine and 6 rue Alsace-Lorraine). Take a look at the little lace mesh suit there. A fashion store with the same style is Manjuango (No. 5, Taryou Street), which is the work of a Spanish designer. The store mainly sells urban women's clothing as well as some decorations and small jewelry.
Addict (36 Chegong Road) is a weird and avant-garde shop. Here we specialize in men's and women's clothing: AntikBatik, Paul denim, Prada sportswear, etc. If you prefer concentrated shopping, head to Lafayette Mall in the heart of the city. Specialty stores in the mall include Amy and Rodier, and other well-known brands of women's clothing can also be purchased here. The "Noble Mall" Left Bank store combines tradition and modernity and embodies another style. This is the oldest of the four "Noble Malls" in Toulouse.
Finally, let’s take a look at the Salon shopping mall (37 rue de Riquet or Place Saint-Aubin). This mall specializes in high-end women's clothing from international brands: Paola Frani, Roland Mouret, Bende Lisi, Noriko, etc. The afternoon is coming to an end, so let’s end our fashion tour at Dolls (30 Toll Street) in the center of the old city. In addition to designer fashion FrenchConnection, Toit duMonde, AntikBatik, An toine and Lili, it also sells furniture, and there is also a tea room in the store that serves fresh juice. Is there any better place to go?
Since you are in this area, you cannot miss the "Olive Tree" (20 Lafayette Street). This confectionery and chocolate shop is a true Toulouse specialty. Faced with these purple sugar-coated snacks, almond-filled dark chocolate, and nut-filled chocolate, how can you go against your appetite?
Toulouse is also the headquarters of Airbus, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer. The A380 passenger aircraft ordered by many countries, including China, will also be assembled at the Toulouse factory. But the sky is not yet wide enough for this Gascon city.
To understand this, you need to visit the Space City here (open every day except Monday; opening hours: 9:00-18:00; tickets: 12 euros for adults, 9 euros for children). Visitors can see the huge rocket model in the park from a distance. This is a place to discover, experiment and understand the universe, consisting of three parts: the park, the planetarium and the exhibition hall. The Ariane 5 rocket model in the park is a replica of the Kourou (French Guiana) rocket prototype and made to the same dimensions.
The planetarium has many devices designed with 3D programs, including a dedicated Mars exhibition room. The exhibition hall has seven exhibitions with different themes from the earth to the most distant planets, through which visitors can have a broader understanding of the universe. After such a weightless journey, it will feel uncomfortable to return to Earth. The space city is very big, so you need to prepare at least a whole afternoon to visit, so you can have dinner on the spot.
Portland is the largest city in the state of Oregon in the United States and the county seat of Multnomah County. It is located not far south of the mouth of the Willamette River where it merges into the Columbia River. place. It is the second largest city in the Pacific Northwest of the United States after Seattle.
Portland is also known as the "City of Roses" (the name first came from the 1905 Lewis and Clark Expedition Centennial Exposition). This is because Portland's climate is particularly suitable for growing roses. There are many rose gardens on site, such as the International Rose Test Garden in Portland's Washington Park. Portland also has many other nicknames. For example, due to the rapid urban construction that year, the stumps left by felled trees had no time to be cleared, and the surrounding areas of the city were covered with stumps, so it was called "Stump City"; because of the many rivers and bridges, it was called "Tree Stump City". It is called "Bridge City", "River City" and so on.