On my very first trip back in 2008, I carried a naff second-hand backpack that went in the bin as soon as I got home. I then bought a new Berghaus backpack in 2011, and that's what I've travelled with ever since. It's a bit worn, but everything still works. Even now that I'm way too old for youth hostels, I still cling to the idea that I'm a backpacker rather than a tourist. I feel that buying a wheeled suitcase would be a kind of surrender to old age, an acceptance that I'm essentially giving up on life, rather like getting married or taking up golf.
My backpack isn't huge but it's too big for airline cabins so it always goes in the hold. I have a much smaller secondary backpack for the cabin. It's a soft bag, which means it never gets pulled over for weighing or measuring; it just goes under the seat in front. Both my bags generally weigh under 10kg so weight restrictions are never a problem.
I used to take a slightly masochistic pleasure in walking long distances with one bag over each shoulder, and of course it's always nice to stretch one's legs after a long flight. But nowadays - with my 50th birthday coming at me like one of these high-speed French SNCF trains - that kind of thing does more harm than good, especially where my back is concerned.
Toulouse is probably my favourite French city so far. There's nothing particularly spectacular to see here. It's just a very nice place and I like strolling around it. I've been here a full week and you'd think that would have been long enough for me to think of something interesting to write in my blog. As you see above, it wasn't. I'll try harder next time.
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| Place du Capitole |
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| Le Capitole itself |
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| Rue de Metz |
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| Along the banks of the Garonne |
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| Basilique Notre-Dame de la Daurade |
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| Basilique Saint-Sernin |
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| Pont Neuf ('new bridge', though it is in fact nearly 400 years old) |
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| Edd vs Food #170 A croque monsieur for the ages at Mam Street Food, 11 Ave de la Gloire, Toulouse |
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| Edd vs Food #171 Vietnamese-themed set menu at Zig Zag, 9 Pl. du Pont Neuf, Toulouse L: Rouleau de printemps (spring roll) containing chicken & veg R: Beef & onions with pilau rice I don't think Vietnamese curry sauces are normally laced with red wine, but I'm not complaining. |
