Toulouse…. An interesting adventure

So in the morning Hugo and I got up early so Hugo could drop me off at the Metro station before work. We got ready and ate breakfast (surprise, bread! Lol) Then we headed out. Hugo dropped me off at the Metro station and headed to work. I went into the station only to realize I was 20 cents short. I thought I had enough coins but apparently I used more than I thought at the last train station. I tried my card but I knew it wouldn’t work because it only works with Credit Cards that had the chip thing in them, mine does not. So I texted Hugo asking where a nearby ATM was, he didn’t know. I asked the lady in a shop and she said there was one before the station, but there wasn’t. The best part of this was that the Metro station was in between cities on the highway. Great!!! I figured I would just walk along the highway till I found an ATM and then come back. So I started walking…

I walked in the direction toward Hugo’s house for a few blocks, but it didn’t look promising. So I decided if I was going to walk I might as well walk in the right direction (toward Toulouse) so I turned around and went that way. I walked, and walked and walked and walked along the highway. I followed that damn highway for over an hour. Then I took an exit that was marked for a Metro station. I wandered around the edge of town very lost till I found a Metro with an ATM and café nearby. I got cash, and then bought a croissant at the café to get change. Finally I got on the Metro after about an hour and a half of walking about 4 or 5 miles along the highway.

-side note, I found the change I thought I had for the Metro later that day in the wrong pocket. Stupid Amber!!!

Anyway finally I got off the Metro and started walking around. I didn’t have a map, but I had directions that Hugo had given me. I got off the train and tried to find the street in Hugo’s directions. I couldn’t find it anywhere. Finally I asked the woman working at the Carousel, who asked her father, who pointed me in a direction, so I started walking. So I walked and walked and walked and walked for 2 hours trying to find this church, or the tourism office so I could get a map, or the little square where I had started. I couldn’t find any. Eventually I found lunch, and then the tourism office, so I got a map. I found the Cathedral St. Etienne on the map, but by this point my feet were so tired I didn’t want to walk anywhere, I just wanted to find a place to sit, and eat the salad I had bought. I saw that the little square where I started (with a park) was only a block away. So I walked there, sat down and ate my salad on a park bench.

When I had first walked thought this little square I had noticed that they had Cinemas, so I had looked at what was playing out of curiosity. There were several American movies, but they were only showing the French versions. That is except for the movie they were showing in the original version, it happened to be the one I wanted to see the most, Inception! I had looked at the times just in case I decided to see a movie that day. Well after my epic highway walking, and my lost in the center of Toulouse walking I had walked about a total of 4 hours, thus, my feet were tired and I was tired of walking. So it made perfect sense to me to go see a movie. So I went into the theatre to get my ticket and see the show. I was expecting the ticket to be around 8 or 10 euros, luckily, I WAS WRONG!!! Not only did the movie theatre had a student ticket price (4,20 euros) but they had this membership card thing that gave you discounts on movies. Of course I didn’t have one, but I wish they had something like that back in the States. I would totally get one. I couldn’t help thinking to myself that I spent way too much on movies last summer, but I could’ve saved a ton if we had those things.

Anyway I got my popcorn and went into watch the movie. Of course all the previews were in French and there were French subtitles, but it wasn’t at all distracting from the movie because it was SO GOOD!!! The only time the subtitles threw me were when there were American subtitles too. Then I was confused, but that was only for like 2 minutes so no big. The movie was super good and I still can’t stop thinking about the ending!!! AHHH!!! I wish I had someone to talk to about it in English, lol. For those of you that actually read this and haven’t seen it, go!!! Such a good movie, and so thought provoking!!!

Sorry moving on, after the movie I felt much better, and couldn’t help smiling when I saw a flower shop named “Happy”. I got out my map and actually found the Cathedral. It was super pretty so I’m glad I went. Then I shopped for a bit. Bought Nick a Birthday present (ha ha!!! ) a pair of shoes, (I am actually kind of surprised I hadn’t gotten any yet, but these are super cute little short boots that were on Soldes), and a Bright Green Fedora!!! I know no one is surprised, it sounds like something I would buy, but I’m still really excited about it, in fact I am wearing it now!

I chilled for a bit in the park behind the Capitol building till Hugo called. Then I took the Metro to where he dropped my off (no trouble this time). We chatted and I told him about my epic walking. When I told him which Metro I walked to he was very shocked because it was so far. Then I told him about my difficulty finding the Cathedral and we realized I read the Metro stop for one of his other directions, not the ones to the church, so then it made more sense. Still I think from now on when wandering I want a map!

When we got back to Hugo’s house his sister plus 2 of her friends were there. Unfortunately Hugo had to go back to work, so it was me and the girls. We ate some “Mexican Burritos”, they weren’t that Mexican, but I think they’re the closest thing I’ve seen to Mexican food in France. Still I couldn’t help but giggle a little. Then it was nice and weird. They clearly wanted nothing to do with Hugo’s weird American friend (keeping in mind these are high school girls so I wasn’t nearly cool enough for them, lol). So I went online and blogged and chatted. Then when they went outside to play cards and smoke (without Hugo’s sister, just the two friends, Hugo’s sister was upstairs. Honestly I didn’t really get it, they had a very strange dynamic of friendship and hanging out.) I decided to put on a movie. Hugo happened to own “The Big Lebowski” which I had never seen (I know its shameful) so I put it in to watch it. It was okay, I dunno it wasn’t as good as I expected from all the hype about it, but it was fun.

Hugo finally got back at 11 something, so we hung out for a little bit and talked about stuff like school. I gave him a glass piece mom had made, and some gingerbread and we went to bed.