Day 15 - Tuesday, February 11 - We explore outside the city center on a walk to the Hall des la Cartoucheries, and go for an after dinner coffee and patisserie in the the square. Sunny 60°F (15°C)

The day dawned lovely and bright, and we took our time getting ready to go out, as one does in these situations (retired and in Europe). We are loving this leisurely pace of life. Here's what we see looking out from our fourth floor balcony:

Looking West:

Looking East:

And here is a video of the scene:

Today, we decided to explore outside the historic downtown area of Toulouse, by walking through the St Cyprien neighborhood to the Cartoucherie neighborhood. Our destination is Les Halles de la Cartoucherie. Halles de la Cartoucherie bills itself as "a third place, a hybrid space combining food, sport, culture, work and social ties, in a changing district of Toulouse".

First, we had to get there. The Cartoucherie neighborhood is on the other side of the Garonne River from the Capitole neighborhood, where we are staying. Our first scenic stop is at Le Pont Neuf. Of course, the inside joke is that this translate to "The New Bridge", which was built between 1544 and 1632. It's considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance and early 17th century. Apparently almost every French town has a "new bridge".

Started in the 16th century by Toulouse craftsmen, it was completed by the Parisian architect Jacques Lemercier. Along with the Pont Neuf in Paris and the Henry IV bridge in Châtellerault, the Toulouse bridge belongs to a new generation of innovative structures that were free of the houses and stores that cluttered the deck of medieval bridges. Moreover, Lemercier made a synthesis between bridges of Roman antiquity, for the use of superimposed spouts intended to spread the current and for the openings on the piers, and works of the Italian Renaissance such as the Ponte Sisto of Rome for its oculi or the Ponte Santa Trinita of Florence for its lowered arches allowing to moderate the difference in level.

Here's the view looking north:

And from the center of the bridge with the Basilique Notre Dame la Daurade in the background (where the black virgin relic resides).

Across the bridge and heading southward is a lovely tree-lined boulevard. Some of the public spaces we've encountered have fenced off areas under construction; perhaps due to the time of year:

We were not heading south, however, and proceeded through the new neighborhood St. Cyprian.

This area has a different feel. We noticed this cheese shop - though at first, it looked like they were selling doughnuts. These pics were taken so we could research the cheese later:

A few more blocks and the neighborhood changed dramatically, becoming more modern and open. We approached Les Halle de la Cartoucherie from its colorful side:

Inside, we saw a gym with folks doing workouts and an aerobics class. There were also co-working spaces available, but they seemed expensive and geared more for longer-term use.

The main part of the hall was dedicated to food!

We obtained a delicious veggie quiche and pear tart at La Mainson du Pain Bio:

Some more information on Les Halles de la Cartoucherie

Formerly rehabilitated industrial workshops, Halles de la Cartoucherie is a hybrid living venue combining food, sport, culture and work, in a Toulouse district in the midst of transformation. Open every day of the year, Halles de la Cartoucherie has many activities, catering stalls, shops, sports spaces, offices and meeting rooms, as well as mixed use spaces, rich event programming many of which are free.

We left out the other side of the hall, which borders a large square:

On the way back, we saw some cool street art:

and admired the streetscape again:

We also noted that although the Pont Neuf is relatively wide, it isn't swarmed with traffic and most of the lanes are for pedestrians, bikes, and scooters.

When we got back to the apartment, it was warm, so we sat with the balcony doors open and it was lovely. After eating dinner chez nous (pasta with pesto and veggies), we went out walking.

We found a cute little spot called Flowers Cafe, sat in the square and had coffee, hot chocolate, and patisserie. We had three separate kinds: a lemon meringue slice, pavlova with raspberries and blueberries, and a chocolate torte.

It was lovely to sit out and enjoy the evening vibe.