Toulouse archivos - Page 3 of 4 - VOLARE MAGAZINE

In Toulouse, the temperature in summer can soar to over 30°C. So it’s good to know a few places where you can cool down, either within a few minutes of the city, or in the city centre itself. Here are some ideas for pools, lakes, rivers and beaches where you can take a dip or get some fresh air!

POOL PARTY: the pool at Le Canard sur le Toit

This restaurant has become a summer pool location. A few minutes from Toulouse by car, the pool at Le Canard sur le Toit has a large garden. Stretch out in the shade on the grass, or in the sun on a deckchair, while taking in the background electro music. Then slip on your swimwear and dive head first into the pool. Around 7 p.m. it’s time to get into after-work mode, sip a champagne mojito and pick at some tapas until late into the night. Entry is €5 or €10 with drinks on special evenings. Saturdays and Sundays are given over to pool parties from midday onwards, when everyone spends the afternoon dancing around the pool and diving into it. A party atmosphere is guaranteed!

FOR LANDLUBBERS: the river at Clermont Lefort

For something quieter and more countrified, there’s a little spot for you on the beach at Clermont Lefort. Twenty kilometres from Toulouse, beside the River Ariège, this is the perfect place to relax in the sun and to cool down. It’s known only by word of mouth (shush!) and bathing is still prohibited here, but that needn’t stop you taking a stroll through the trees on the riverbank, chancing upon a little beach and deciding to take a dip beside the river. From there you can also watch the canoes go by.

THE COOL OF THE LAKES: Caraman and La Ramée

Perhaps you prefer still waters? Less than 30 kilometres from Toulouse, the Lac de l’Orme Blanc in Caraman has a lovely sandy beach and a little footpath for strolling around the lake. This location is perfect for picnicking and bathing, and has lots of shady spots to enjoy. Entry is €1.50 for non-residents, and bathing is supervised. There are even beach games on loan, free of charge, for both adults and children! If you don’t feel like travelling quite so far, you can also opt for the Lac de la Ramée. Since last year, bathing is now allowed there! Or there are lots of watersports you can have a go at: sailing, canoeing or fishing.

SOLITUDE ON THE SAND: Toulouse Beach

All through the summer until the end of August, La Prairie des Filtres in the city centre is transformed into a Toulouse Plage (Toulouse Beach) with activities on offer every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. An open-access watersports area gives visitors the chance to discover the joys of boating on the Garonne in a canoe or rowing boat. A beach area offers sporting activities on the sand such as rugby, soccer, volleyball and tennis. Other possibilities include yoga or dancing, or sitting on a deckchair reading a good book and going to cool down every now and then under the giant sprays.

Summertime sees pop-up cafés, bars and restaurants spring up all over Toulouse. We have put together an overview of the best concepts and the top spots for fun in the sun!

Canaille Club

Back for its third summer, Canaille Club is a concept that has been given a fresh twist every year. After previous incarnations treating the people of Toulouse to cuisine from top-notch chefs on a barge, then local producers in the courtyard of a building near the city law courts, this year’s edition puts the winegrowers of southern France in the spotlight. Though the formula has changed this year, the venue remains the same. Each week, a different winemaker will be given top billing and come to the club for a tasting evening. Amid fairy lights and bushy trees, customers can accompany their wine with light bites and delicious sharing platters in this perfect spot for stylish drinks and nibbles!

A fabulous cruise

Got your sea legs? Then head for the Samsara canal boat every Thursday from 8 p.m. for Les Fabuleuses Croisières, A three-hour cruise along the Canal du Midi, complete with great food and party atmosphere. Each week, a different DJ takes to the stage to transform the deck into a dancefloor. The music line-up is bang on trend, featuring the likes of Mme Gaultier, Gones The DJ and Matt Mendez. There is plenty of time to eat, drink and dance before the barge docks again just after midnight, though you might need to kneel down on occasion to avoid banging your head on a bridge or two on the way!

A musical garden

Every summer for the past three years, the Jardins de l’Olympe have been home to a pop-up lounge area with an outdoor bar where the people of Toulouse can enjoy a drink in the open air. With its sofas and coffee tables and relaxed but efficient service, the space attracts families out for dinner, but most of all local thirtysomethings meeting up for after-work drinks. Settle in and share a bottle or two of frozen Corsican rosé and a plate of delicious deli meats. Alternatively, order from the cocktail menu and sip on your chosen tipple while listening to the soothing sound of the wind whistling through the surrounding trees and the audacious but really rather good music. Every Sunday throughout the summer season, a collective called Les Robins des Bois lays on a high-quality programme of musical entertainment.

An electric island

Housed in an old electrical plant on the Ile de Ramier, a little island in the middle of the Garonne river, La Centrale is opening its doors for another summer. Share a glass of sangria and some Andalusian light bites while savouring the fresh air of the Garonne from the pop-up beach. Recycling and reuse are the watchwords here: tables that look like old paint pails, chairs made of scrap iron, an old train carriage transformed into a restaurant. Grab yourself a sun lounger, get yourself a drink, and enjoy!

Google:

Canaille Club

Les Fabuleuses Croisières

Jardins de l’Olympe

La Centrale

The Pink City is so close to Spain that you won’t go far without encountering a dish of tapas. As soon as the first rays of spring sunshine appear you’ll find the people of Toulouse outside bars and restaurants sharing drinks and little bowls of food. So, would you like to sample foodie delights in the sun too?

L’Esquinade in the sunny South-West

Once the sun starts to shine on the Pink City, nothing beats sitting en terrasse with friends trying delicacies. The place to meet is l’Esquinade where the sun seeps into the chef’s cooking. And because this place knows the way to a customer’s heart they’ve set up tables in the Tiercerettes square, just outside. With any luck, there will be one available. Once seated order a pitcher full of cocktail of the week, a nice big serving of patatas bravas, plancha grilled vegetables, seafood and foie gras and share with friends until late into the night.

Pintxos pandemonium at l’Extrapade

Meet on the other side of the Garonne river in a spot as lively as the one above: the Estrapade. The restaurant borrowed the name. It just threw in the X from pintxos (the Basque name for tapas) to become l’Extrapade. The food comes in tiny morsels – often little portions atop slices of bread – enjoyed outside in the sunshine or sheltered under a big marquee. With a glass of red. What’s the best thing to order? Try the duck breast with green pepper Pintxos, the three cheeses or the ricotta stuffed pepper. And you will fall head over heels for the mini foie gras burgers!

Chez Vincente – the friendly bodega

In this place, there’s more room outside than there is inside at the bar. The plates of food are immaculately put together but stepping inside the restaurant is like coming home, Chez Vincente– it’s a summer thing! Sit outside the Dalbade Church with a glass of white or rosé wine and sample cuisine that sits between Spanish and Toulouse culture. Tapas, cured meats, unique cassolettes and homemade cheese boards – this place celebrates sharing. Let the sunshine in!

Tapas delicacies at l’Avant Marius

Chef Nicolas Brousse wanted to transform his bistro cuisine into something more delicate. l’Avant Marius is the result of this experimentation. It opened a year and a half ago, next door to big brother, Monsieur Marius, which already has a great reputation. People pour in after work and sit outside eating the chef’s delicious creations. Diners can’t get enough of the bold, quirky taste combinations: tuna, foie gras, soya, noir de Bigorre rillettes, apricots and prunes. However, please be aware that there are only 20 seats outside. And, as such, it is better to book a table…

Do you know these little oases of green in the city of Toulouse? Whether you’re looking for somewhere delicious, celebratory, exotic, sporty or even educational, they have it all. In any case, they all provide a little greenery for the Pink City’s residents. Let’s take a tour of the gardens.

Compans-Caffarelli garden: musical and globetrotting

The Compans Caffarelli garden has two sides to it. It’s clear as soon as you enter the garden. Firstly, you’ll see a huge 10-hectare garden for the public, with playgrounds, a pond and a jet of water which leaps up into the blue sky in summer. And it’s in summer that the Siestes Electroniques put on their annual festival. Whether you’re comfortably seated on a picnic rug or dancing around to great DJ sets, you can enjoy the outdoor festival in the sunshine and explore the surroundings. Crossing over the little red bridge, you’ll see the second garden, a Japanese garden with its tea pavilion and oriental plants which immediately transport you to the land of the rising sun. Contrasting with the park’s electronica setting, this garden makes you think of the gardens of Kyoto…

The Jardin de Plantes: deliciously traditional

A former botanical garden, the Jardin de Plantes in Toulouse is part of a group of three gardens (along with the Boulingrin and the Royal Garden), located to the south-east of the city centre. You enter the garden via imposing gates before strolling around on foot. Here and there, you can see marble statues, cute little kiosks and horses and carriages which offer tours around the garden. You’ll also come across other animals: water fowl, ducks, geese, swans, and even a peacock, in the garden adjoining the Jardin de Plantes and belonging to the Natural History Museum. This also has a lovely restaurant called le Moai where you can enjoy fresh, seasonal dishes in the shade of the trees.

Museum gardens: artistic and educational

Nope, the Museum gardens aren’t found right next to the Museum! In fact, they’re in Borderouge, on the other side of the city! But they’re worth the trip: in the heart of the new residential area, they offer a breath of fresh air! It’s a garden filled with scents, colours and flavours from all over the world, which you can explore with guided tours. You can also attend workshops on discovering nature, gardening and cooking with chefs. It sometimes hosts artistic events for exhibitions or concerts.

Prairie des Filtres: a spot for sport and dancing

The last stop on your bucolic tour: Prairie des Filtres. On the left bank of the Garonne, this garden is popular with Toulouse residents as soon as the sun comes out. You can enjoy a picnic with friends, a game of pétanque and even dance the salsa. You can juggle there. You can even have a go at water-skiing. In June, Prairie des Filtres heats up with Rio Loco, the largest music festival in the Toulouse area. In summer, the garden is transformed to welcome Toulouse Plage (Toulouse City Beach) with its deckchairs and sporting events.

French songs have the wind in their sails. In Toulouse, certain places have specialised in a programme of French and local artists who are bringing back the traditional French “chansonette” with gusto. Settle down to enjoy the quality of the lyrics, the harmony of the words, the finesse of the music and the magic of the story; come sit in front of these little stages which may not always be that well-known but which are always very musical.

Sweet melodies in the Cave Poésie

French music and words filled with poetry await you in this little Toulousian brick-lined cellar. Seat yourselves around a tiny table and sip a local brew, you’re at a show. When it comes to music, this place gives priority to poetic bands, newcomers and new creations. People come to the Cave Poésie for Les Nuits de la Plein Lune, an open-mic night when the stage is open to anybody who wishes to tread the boards. They also come for the Chansons à la Cheminée (Songs by the Chimney Corner), where the Toulousian artist, Simon Chouf, invites his fellow musicians along for a round of charming covers that are 100% Toulouse.

The Bijou, a real institution

Located in the back of a neighbourhood bistro, the Bijou is a hidden jewel. This is, however, the historic reference point when it comes to Toulousian songs. Created in 1989 by Philippe Pagès, the location served as a springboard for many artists, because the owner had an interest in and flair for production. Passing into the hands of Emma and Pascal Chauvet in 2012, the Bijou still gives pride of place to established artists and newcomers. It has also retained its events, like the Public Auditions. Once a month, you can go and support a selection of artists who each have twenty minutes to make a good impression. Free-entry evenings with a wonderful atmosphere, where lots of new talent is to be discovered!

Chez Ta Mère, you know how the song goes.

For the last five years, despite difficulties, this charming café has been known for its cheerful atmosphere as well as the quality of its music. Up until the month of June, Chez Ta Mère still has discoveries for us in the world of the French song. Folks like to go there for la Goguette, and create new takes on the classics by spicing up the lyrics. People also flock here on Sunday evenings. They come with friends to enjoy a musical show, in sign language or improv theatre. Just before, you order a drink from the bar. But please note, if you do want a drink, you will need a member’s card… But don’t worry, joining up is free. So we’ll cross our fingers and hope that, next season, Chez Ta Mère will find its cultural second wind.

With its quarter century of experience, one might think it was obsolete with its silent films, its thick books and reels from the old days. However, the Cinémathèque in Toulouse remains incredibly contemporary, intrepid and audacious, focusing both on modern cinema and the stars of yesteryear. Located for the last two decades at 69 rue du Taur, it’s just celebrated another birthday.

A great spot

Slightly hidden away at the bottom of a pretty courtyard in the centre of Toulouse, the Cinémathèque welcomes more than 80,000 filmgoers every year. However, few Toulouse residents know about it with its two projection rooms, its library and its large exhibition hall. The most inquisitive may know that it has now been declared a national cinémathèque (film library) within the region. But very few know that for the last ten years, it’s had an extension in Balma: a centre for research, conservation and archiving of films, posters and photos. But back to the city centre to buy a ticket. Films await us.

An activist feel

For its President, Robert Guédiguian, it’s “a space for freedom and civilisation. It questions the world.” It aims to preserve films and documents related to the history of cinema. But it must also promote and share the cinematographic heritage which it keeps safe. Visitors come to see arthouse films, silent films, colour films, black and white films, for children and for adults. People also visit to attend meetings and lectures, to broaden their knowledge of the world of cinema and to watch out-of-the-ordinary films unlike the widely available blockbusters. With specific events for different audiences, the Cinémathèque in Toulouse covers the entire history of all cinema, making it as open and accessible as possible. And it works! After fifty years, 20 of which have been spent in rue du Taur, it’s emerged from hiding and has found a large audience of cinema lovers.

A flourishing programme

More than 900 films are shown every year on its screens. Short films, feature films, documentaries: they’re from all eras and all countries. Every month, schedulers come up with new retrospectives, focusing on a genre, a theme, an actor or a director. They also pay homage, organise sociable events and invite musical groups for popular evening events combining films and concerts. It also hosts various Toulouse festivals including Cinélatino, or Cinespaña, with its courtyard used for outdoor cocktail parties, in addition to its screens. Refusing to follow the path of “classic” cinema, the Cinémathèque hosts “Extreme Cinema”, an off-the-wall festival with extravagant and out-there films. Once a year, Toulouse residents meet together for a one-off evening of cinematic experiences: ten hours of non-stop screening with short films, trailers and late-night noise. Breakfast is available as soon as the sun comes up. It’d be a shame to miss out on this experience and to miss out on this Cinémathèque.

The Cinémathèque in Toulouse, 69 Rue du Taur, 31000 Toulouse. Tel: 0033 (0)5 62 30 30 10.

New Realism at Les Abattoirs, New Cities at Le Quai des Savoirs and New Tandem at L’Espace Croix Baragnon. Here are the three absolute must-see Toulouse exhibitions for spring 2017!

New realism, Les Abattoirs

This is undoubtedly one of the most visual, playful and accessible exhibitions to be put on at Les Abattoirs. A specialist in edgy works and special worlds, the Toulouse Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art takes us on a discovery of new realism. We come across original works: Yves Klein monochromes, lacerated posters by Raymond Hains; upended “snare pictures” by Daniel Spoerri. Each reflects industrialisation’s transforming influence on daily life and the huge consumption of the 60s. Everyday objects, car posters, neon lights and plastic waste earn their stripes and even become art. The basement is even more captivating: an ode to Daniel Spoerri entitled Daniel Spoerri, the hobbyhorses of the two Daniels. This curiosity shop includes vast and moving works, chairs, skulls, armour…all play a role. The icing on the cake on the next floor is artist Joël Andrianomearisoa’s Sentimental Products: transforming objects with the titles of his works, paying subtle homage to the people of Toulouse and creating poetic treasure hunts. “Alone on the sand” in a bottle, “Don’t leave without me” on a ticket or even “The ideal man” in a sachet. He makes you want to buy everything and come back…before 28 May!

New cities, Le Quai des Savoirs

Goodbye contemporary art, hello science culture. Visit Le Quai des Savoirs, and Invent the city where you are the hero. First, the exhibition immerses you in the cities of today: treasure hunts, plays on words, virtual reality, videos… It’s all designed to better understand the issues faced by the world and by modern cities. Everything is also set up to host visitors’ novel ideas and increase understanding of the cities of tomorrow: more united, more connected, “smarter”, more natural. You can design the future of the city where you will be comfortable. An interactive, kinaesthetic, exciting and innovative journey! In town until 27 August!

New Tandem, Croix Baragnon

This is the twentieth Tandem offered by L’Espace Croix Baragnon. This Gallery, which gives local creation star billing, puts two local artists together. As a result, Jacques Tison and Patrick Meunier have worked together to offer visitors a fresh perspective on their works. Paintings, sculpture and architectural motifs play off one another and alter the two-floor gallery spaces. Sad and rural landscapes play off minimalist motifs. The swell and water towers evoke flowing and perched sculptures. It’s enough to feel hypnotised until 29 April.

In Toulouse, although the winters are mild, we like to make a stop when out walking to drink a nice coffee, tea or hot chocolate. So, to stop you shivering and to give you a well-earned break, here are the five places where we love to hang out!

Saint Sernin: A hot chocolate… and a board game! A stone’s throw from the basilica, Les Gourmands de Saint-Sernin offers you salvation of a different kind after your visit. Go through the door, plonk yourself down into one of the comfy leather armchairs and order a large hot chocolate with a piece of cake. This season’s special: the hazelnut Bundt cake, lovingly prepared by Emilie the pastry cook. And if you want to prolong the enjoyment… board games are available! So, fancy a game?

Saint Cyprien: A herbal tea… and a good book. You’ve ventured across from the other side of the Garonne and you’re tired? Don’t panic! L’Estaminot knows how to pamper you. Part second-hand library, part junk shop, part tearoom, we love this friendly Bohemian place! We order a cup of tea here, with a piece of gluten-free toast or cake. We might even tell each other stories as a family, or bump into a storyteller!

Capitole: A cappuccino and a nice cake. A ray of sun has appeared in the middle of town? Well then, we’re stopping to enjoy the heated terrace of Flower’s café! First, each of us chooses a cake from the seventeen varieties displayed in the window, then we each order a cappuccino and take a seat near the fountain, in the lovely square, place Salengro. Too cold? Don’t panic! There’s room upstairs, at the top of the staircase.

Carmes: A coffee… traditional style! With our elbows resting on the counter of the Brûlerie des Filatiers, we inhale the lovely aroma of freshly roasted coffee. It’s here, where some fifteen or so flavours are transformed on the premises, that espresso lovers stop off. The greediest opt for a latté, a macchiato, a cappuccino, or a coffee with whipped cream… prepared by the master’s hand!

Saint Aubin: A cup of tea… and an exhibition. Hidden away at the end of a little Toulouse alley, we find the Blue Tea Pot. And no, it’s not just for those who’ve got the blues! Cheerful Toulouse inhabitants come here to taste one of the fifty teas offered on the menu. We can’t resist the organic chai with a piece of cake. And we also enjoy the exhibition, which changes very month!

So? Shall we treat ourselves to a little break before hitting the road again?

Toulouse, called France’s pink city because of the rosy, glowing colours of its medieval brickwork – is a lively mixture of old and new. Renaissance mansions line the streets of the old town, where the campanile of the 12th century Basilique St-Sernin is an unmissable landmark, and graceful old bridges span the River Garonne. But Toulouse is also very much a 21st century city, as the capital of Europe’s aerospace industry and the home of Airbus Industrie. It’s a university town, so local life has a youthful edge. Toulouse is a gastronomic hub, and locals boasts that their take on cassoulet – a hearty casserole of beans, sausage, pork, and duck – is the finest that France has to offer, and is best enjoyed on a chilly autumn or winter’s day.

The first time I came to Toulouse – a long time ago, before I lived there – I wanted to see Saint Sernin straight away, all because of Claude Nougaro and his song ” Toulouse“, the most beautiful song ever written about the Pink City. Saint Sernin deserves such an honour: it is a genuinely magnificent building with its red bricks. It would be better if it were surrounded by something nicer than an asphalt car park but its bell tower, which soars into the sky, makes it look impressive nonetheless. It was once the heart of a very important monastery, protected by a perimeter wall of which only the door remains, opposite the Rue du Taur. Nougaro calls it “the Saint Sernin church” but it is actually a basilica, and what’s more (as people in Toulouse are too often unaware), it’s the largest Romanesque basilica in Europe.

Leaving the Capitole that day, I walked up the Rue du Taur, which goes straight towards Saint Sernin, very close to the most central part of the city: this is the path which the bull took, in 250AD, when it killed Saint Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse (Saint Sernin is a corruption of Saint Saturnin) and a Christian martyr who refused to participate in pagan worship. Toulouse was then an important Roman city whose walls, built in the 1st century, surrounded between 20,000 and 40,000 inhabitants.

Saint Sernin has 5 naves: two rows of aisle galleries, the pillars of which support the structure built in a triangle shape, run alongside the main nave, which faces eastwards. It is dizzyingly high.

The majestic, impressive building is rather bare: it is a spiritual place, of course, but is also a historic and cultural site which has a special place in the hearts of Toulouse’s residents.

In the north part of the transept (the transept is the transverse nave which intersects the main nave where the steeple stands), the walls and ceilings are covered with beautiful paintings. There is a faithful reproduction of the altar (the original altar, made of white marble from the Pyrenees, was dedicated in 1096 by Pope Urban II) and a magnificent Romanesque Christ figure from the twelfth century. Behind the apse where the altar is (next to which the ombrellino/umbrella confirms the building’s classification as a basilica), in the ambulatory, relics are found in sarcophagi: Toulouse was once an important centre for pilgrimage.

Before going down into the crypt, there’s something to see in the flagstones if you’re an in-the-know sports fan: the intertwined initials of Saint Thomas which inspired the logo of the Stadium of Toulouse!

Right next to Saint Sernin, the courtyard of the Musée Saint Raymond has a lovely little (and little known) café, le Jardin des Antiques, where you can sit and have a drink or a bite to eat under the laurel, cypress and palm trees, enjoying the tranquillity of the vine and olive trees, far from the noise of the city (open daily from 10.30am ’til 6pm), which you’ll soon get back to, taking the Rue du Taur back towards the Capitole…