Day 23- In Toulouse-43 kms

5 Jul

Today was a day to organise ourselves for the trip home for me and for Chris to sort out his arrangements to pick up his new bike in Niort

So we slept in a bit getting to breakfast at about 8.00am and using the time over a good feed to plan the day

First step was to find a bike shop so I could organise a bike box and Chris could buy a few items he needed for his new bike

The first shop was only a few kms away and was ok for the box but Chris wanted some particular tyres which the shop did not have so we resolved to have a look at other shops which seemed to be dotted around the town

On the way to the second shop we went to the Airbus museum which was located near the airport where Airbus have their big assembly plant

The museum was most interesting and gave a good account of the history of flight as well as having a Concorde on display

After a drink in the museum restaurant we then ventured in to the train station so Chris could get his tickets to Niort

After a sandwich lunch at a cafe near the station we then went to 2 more bike shops which didn’t have the gear that Chris wanted so on our way back to the hotel, we visited the first bike shop we saw in the morning and I got my box and Chris picked up some of his gear

After getting some help from the bike shop owner as to how to pack the bike I took a cab back to the hotel... Chris rode back!

Then it was time to clean the bikes and shoes and start to pack....yuck!

The weather today has been warm and humid but not really hot like yesterday

The traveling around Toulouse by bike was easy with good navigation and there seems to be a good network of bike paths and lanes on the road

Something I have been wanting to mention on this trip is the numbers of people in France who smoke!!!

It is staggering to see people young and old with cigarettes and cigars... much more than we see in Australia or New Zealand. People smoke anywhere and there seems to be spasmodic restrictions

Anyway a good day to finish off in Toulouse a city that I should visit again if possible.

A view of the river- La Garonne ( same river as in Bordeaux $