Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - We meet up with an old friend, and take a train to Toulouse.

Woke up at 9:00, packed up and had our first pain au chocolat of the trip - definitely will not be our last!

We checked out of the hotel and walked a few minutes to the Metro station at Notre Dame-de-Lorette, where there was a large church being rebuilt.

On the train we talked about how we were excited to be heading to meet up with our friend, Nancy, whom we had reached out to just yesterday. She had suggested meeting up for lunch nearby the station where we were to catch the 3pm train to Toulouse. She had also suggested the City Mapper app, which was a huge help in navigating the Paris metro. It's well-run, but also complicated, and there were at least a half-dozen different ways we could have gone from our hotel to our meeting place.

It was eleven stops on the metro to the Montparnasse - Bienvenue station. We arrived about a half hour before we were to meet with Nancy, so we stopped at a cafe, the Cafe Montparnasse . It was our first cafe stop of the trip, and we enjoyed every second of it. Especially the crepes au chocolat snack we decided we deserved.

Nancy arrived right on time, and we chatted for a while, then headed to our lunch spot: Le Bouillon Chartier. It was a bit touristy, and there was a line-up so we had to wait a few minutes, but it gave us more time to catch up with our friend.

After we got inside, we left our bags in a big pile of luggage by the door - felt a little weird but everyone was doing it so we did too. The inside is famous for it's Art Nouveau decor, and it is gorgeous. The food is French and the quality is only average, but we didn't care. It was busy but service was fast and there was lots to look at and do. As they say, don't go for the food, go for the experience.

After our lunch, we headed to the Gare du Montparnasse, where we were to catch our train. It was raining a little bit - so much like Portland - but it was a short walk and no one got very wet.

Nancy was again a great help by pointing out where to go, where to find the toilets, and where some shops and sitting areas for waiting are. We said our farewells and set off to explore the station while waiting for our train.

We had no trouble boarding the train and finding our seats. We had a moment of panic after settling in, as a couple approached our seats insisting we were sitting in car 7 and they were their seats. We were reasonably certain we were in the right spot, but jetlag can render one's brains a bit addled. So we began to double check and pack up; but then another passenger chimed in that no, this was in fact car 6 and that they were the ones in the wrong. No harm done and much "Excusez-moi" and "pardonnez-moi" and nodding of heads. Thank goodness because I'd already connected all my tech and unpacked some snacks.

The train was fast!

The train ride was long - about four and a half hours, which meant we arrived at about 7:45pm. It's tough to arrive in a new place in the dark, but we made do. We attempted to sleep, but that didn't work out very well.

Went full-on tourist and took some photos by the Toulouse sign.

It was another quick fifteen minute walk to our apartment, where we will be staying for eight nights. We're on the fourth floor, facing east, and have a balcony so we get to ride the world's most narrow elevator. It's a welcome refuge after a long day of travel.

More to come tomorrow ...