My second full weekend in Toulouse, my hosts invited me to come with them to the Lot, an area of the Midi-Pyrénées region north of Montauban. The family has shared a house there with another family for the past few years, and they rent it to other people when they aren’t using it. We left early Saturday morning to take advantage of the great weather, 30°C and sunny, according to the forecast. What more could you want?
After an hour and a half on the road, we arrived in la Garnède, a group of country houses in a valley of the Midi-Pyrénées region. When I got out of the car, I was immediately reminded of the French countryside: peace and quiet, beautiful nature, and an incredible view. First we had lunch and then we went for a walk to gather blackberries, figs and plums. Unfortunately, the South of France had a very dry summer and most of the fruit wasn’t very good. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool, but because of how cold the temperature was, only the bravest of us went for a dip. At the late afternoon, two families joined us for dinner and we prepared a good, simple meal together, followed by cheese, an orange cake and a chocolate cake.
The next day, we woke up bright and early, right after sunrise. For breakfast, I tried chestnut cream, good spread on bread or mixed with fresh cheese, for the first time. It reminded me of Nutella and of the South-American specialty, dulce de leche. Although chestnut cream is not a regional specialty, I liked it a lot and I bought a jar when I got back to Toulouse. After breakfast, we went for another walk, but this time we got lost in a field for a long time and didn’t know how to get back home. Thankfully, my host had her iPhone with her and thanks to the practical GoogleMaps app, we were able to get our bearings and find our way home again. Once we got back to la Garnède, the families and I prepared lunch together. We sat at the table all afternoon and once we had digested everything, some of us swam a bit more before leaving for Toulouse.
This weekend in the countryside was very relaxed and I took advantage of the peacefulness and of the beautiful weather. These two days also allowed me to visit a part of the Midi-Pyrénées that is completely different from the city, where I spend most of my time. I also got to meet my hosts’ friends, whom I didn’t know yet and whom I’m sure I’ll see fairly often throughout the semester.