Macroeconomia

Toulouse

A flight with Montpellier as final destination was out of the question, it would be a very expensive choice just like all international flights to the capital of the Hérault department. Generally, the majority of students who come to France end up choosing Paris, for various reasons that we all know well. But as I was going to Montpellier, Paris was not the best option to me, expensive as well. After some research I saw that the best options were Toulouse and Marseille. The idea seemed great, I would have the chance to visit one city that I didn’t know much about at moment, but which are quite famous worldwide.

Choosing between the two cities was not so difficult after seeing that Toulouse has almost the same way of life as Montpellier, popular with students from France and around the world, Toulouse attracts a lot of them for its pleasant living environment and for its known and recognized student life. It would be a nice way of adapting to the new life style that I would have in Montpellier.

And then, finally, the big day came, November 23, 2017 after 7 hours of flight between Recife and Lisbon and then another 2 hours I arrived in France for the very first time. With all the curiosities, expectations and fears that pass in the mind of a foreigner in a new country.

The first contact I had the first day was to see the Airbus facilities in the suburb of the city right in front of my hotel. It was then that I discovered that Toulouse is the Centre of the European aerospace industry. It was only what I saw in the first night, after all, I was pretty tired after crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

On the second day I left the suburb to the center of the city, was my first time using the French public transport system, which is quite efficient and easy to use, anyone with a minimum of french can get around the city using the metro or the tram. The destination was the Place du Capitole, the true heart of Toulouse.

Leaving the metro station, we arrived in the city center. It was crowded, everyone enjoyed the last moments of the summer and in a short time I arrived at the Place du Capitole. The Capitole building is remarkable for its pink marble columns which decorate the classical style facade. The building is the home of the city's administration. It houses the town hall and also the opera house: the Théâtre national du Capitole. In the center of the square is the occitan cross.

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In the afternoon I visited the park Prairie des Filtres, a beautiful green area situated along the river Garonne and right next to the park is the beautiful and famous bridge, Pont Neuf.

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Then I went to see the basilica of Notre-Dame La Daurade and The La Daurade Park, a nice park at the river bank where everyone get together to enjoy one of the best views of the city, especially at sunset.

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I took advantage of the fact that I was in the park to take a guided boat trip and see the main bridges of the city Catalans, Saint-Pierre, Pont-Neuf and Saint Michel. Really cool to see the city from another angle.

On my third and last day I took a walk around the city center to see the main churches and monuments and also visited the three famous gardens Jardins des Plantes, Jardin Royal, Grand Rond and Jardin Japonais.

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