June 13
Dear Liza,
We had a long travel day getting from Montpellier to Toulouse. Our 1:05 train was delayed, then delayed again, then finally cancelled and a new one installed.
When the train finally arrived, it was old…I haven’t found a picture of it online to get a date, but it had been sitting outside for a while. The seats and tray tables were real metal, and the windows had curtains. There were only a few electrical outlets in each car, rather than one-at-each-seat in modern trains. And there was a definite wobble which pitched us back and forth as we walked up the aisle. This was vintage French train travel.
BUT we got free boxed dinners, since we had been delayed through dinnertime, and we got where we were going. We rode west from Montpellier along the coast, then cut into the hills past Carcassone, across the Canal du Midi, and into Toulouse.
The weather was cooler, which was a blessed relief, and we all felt a sense of “I’m gonna like it here!”
As we walked up the Rue Jean Jaurès towards our apartment, we passed neighborhood parties, fountains dedicated to Occitanie poets, shade trees, and gardens.
And by the time we had a salad and milkshake at the Café Albert and made our way up yet another antique stairway to our rented apartment, we were ready to be Home Sweet Home.
Another Adventure tomorrow, I guarantee it!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 