Day 19
Got up, packed up our stuff, skipped breakfast, and left Les Glycines 426€ poorer.
Took some scenic roads to Cahors, passing Chateau Mercuès (first night) on the way.
Got to Cahors around noon, looking for the cafes we had seen on day 1. We parked and found a couple, but it didn’t look quite right. We were going to go back to the car, but Kristen insisted she needed the bathroom immediately, so we went in a brasserie-type place.
Kristen was super-pissy because Jill did not bring her toy bag. Lunch was mediocre but fast. Jill had a salad, Dave the buffet.
Drove by the Pont Valentré one more time, then onto the autoroute for a 1 ½ hour drive south to Toulouse.
Our entry into Toulouse was complicated by several factors – we had no map of town available (a little photocopy was packed), we didn’t have the street address of the hotel (just a general idea where it was), and the fact that Toulouse was a lot bigger and more sprawling than I realized.
Took some scenic roads to Cahors, passing Chateau Mercuès (first night) on the way.
Got to Cahors around noon, looking for the cafes we had seen on day 1. We parked and found a couple, but it didn’t look quite right. We were going to go back to the car, but Kristen insisted she needed the bathroom immediately, so we went in a brasserie-type place.
Kristen was super-pissy because Jill did not bring her toy bag. Lunch was mediocre but fast. Jill had a salad, Dave the buffet.
Drove by the Pont Valentré one more time, then onto the autoroute for a 1 ½ hour drive south to Toulouse.
Our entry into Toulouse was complicated by several factors – we had no map of town available (a little photocopy was packed), we didn’t have the street address of the hotel (just a general idea where it was), and the fact that Toulouse was a lot bigger and more sprawling than I realized.
We followed the Centre Ville signs looking for Place Wilson and our Citadines Apartment-Hotel Wilson. Found Centre Ville, approximately, but quickly got lost in bumper-to-bumper, construction-aggravated traffic.
Jill got the little map from the trunk, slamming the hatchback on her head at a red light. It looked kinda funny in the rear view mirror, but wasn’t to her.
Finally after about an hour, and the second time up the same street, Jill spied the hotel! But nowhere to park, or even stop the car. We had to park in an underground lot 4 blocks away.
Kind of a crummy looking city, like New York was 15 years ago, with bums and panhandlers. But not the feeling of unease we had in Barcelona.
High security at the hotel with an electronic key required to enter, a key, a passcode to exit the garage, etc.
Unloaded all our stuff up from the hotel garage. Signage was so poor, I thought a utility closet was the elevator and complained. Oh yeah, they lost our reservation too, but fortunately had a room.
By now we were pretty stressed out, and went out for a beer. Walked about 6 blocks to the old part of town and waited for a waiter who never came. Jill got pissed and made us leave.
Took Kristen on a carousel, found another outdoor café, had the beer, felt better. After forgetting Kristen’s toys again, Jill took her to Monoprix for some stuff. Kristen committed the faux pas of the day, dropping and breaking a glass.
Found another nice outdoor café for dinner. Jill – salad and cassoulet, Dave – foie gras paté salad and cassoulet. All excellent. Too stuffed for dessert. Had a Grand Marnier and wine and OJ at a café, then in bed around 11, all packed.
Remind me to avoid cities on relaxing trips.
Day 20 >>>
Jill got the little map from the trunk, slamming the hatchback on her head at a red light. It looked kinda funny in the rear view mirror, but wasn’t to her.
Finally after about an hour, and the second time up the same street, Jill spied the hotel! But nowhere to park, or even stop the car. We had to park in an underground lot 4 blocks away.
Kind of a crummy looking city, like New York was 15 years ago, with bums and panhandlers. But not the feeling of unease we had in Barcelona.
High security at the hotel with an electronic key required to enter, a key, a passcode to exit the garage, etc.
Unloaded all our stuff up from the hotel garage. Signage was so poor, I thought a utility closet was the elevator and complained. Oh yeah, they lost our reservation too, but fortunately had a room.
By now we were pretty stressed out, and went out for a beer. Walked about 6 blocks to the old part of town and waited for a waiter who never came. Jill got pissed and made us leave.
Took Kristen on a carousel, found another outdoor café, had the beer, felt better. After forgetting Kristen’s toys again, Jill took her to Monoprix for some stuff. Kristen committed the faux pas of the day, dropping and breaking a glass.
Found another nice outdoor café for dinner. Jill – salad and cassoulet, Dave – foie gras paté salad and cassoulet. All excellent. Too stuffed for dessert. Had a Grand Marnier and wine and OJ at a café, then in bed around 11, all packed.
Remind me to avoid cities on relaxing trips.
Day 20 >>>