Loose In Toulouse, 1

We have been near Toulouse several times but never made it to France's 6^th largest city, once the stronghold of the Visigoths, now the stronghold of France's formidable aerospace industry, makers, among other things, of the Airbus that got us across the Atlantic yet another time. We had reached our limit at Auch's aire, so we drove the 15 or 20 miles to Grimont and its larger aire, on a pretty lake, only a few hundred yards from the SNCF station and an hour's ride to Toulouse. FWIW, most of the campgrounds we have seen are still closed; not that we'd stay at them as long as there is room at the aire. Apart from the aerospace industry museum and various expositions—Antoine de Saint-Exupery got his wings here—most of Toulouse's sights are in the old city.

Great octagonal tower St. Sernin's Basilica

Inside, pretty stark, but some interesting
frescoes remain; the whole thing dates from
1080, France's largest strictly Romansque
church (so they say)

A bit of the nave and chancel

Another day, another Pantokrator (running gag)

Street scene; we had lunch along here at Attila, in the
Halles Victor Hugo, or somesuch, a market with restaurants
on the 2nd floor; not the greatest French fare, although
Vicki said the steak and frites were good

In a central square and park, the obligatory double-decker
merry-go-round

We theorize that Thomas is the French translation of
Woodrow