Bonjour, Toulouse!

We’re into our apartment and finally getting settled, and really, at the moment, nothing could make me happier. I love it here. I love that my street is one lane only, but with massive sidewalks; I love that I can say hello to my neighbours across the way through our open third-story windows; I love that I can lean out my sill and look down on the street below; I love that at night I can hear the fountain in the square at the end of the street, and the people talking and laughing in the bar just a few doors over.

I love that we are slowly filling up the house with things that make it ours; I love how all the shops I like are within a ten minute walk. I love how everywhere you turn, you can buy ice cream. I love how there are hundreds of amazing restaurants, and all you have to do is pick a direction to start walking. I love how everyone gets around on the metro, and it really doesn’t make sense to try driving in downtown Toulouse; I love how Toulouse is a pedestrian’s dream city, and I am a perpetual pedestrian. I love how quiet the streets are on Sundays, when nothing is open; I love how, every few blocks, there are squares and parks and green spaces. I love how beautiful everything is here.

I love my apartment. I love how my room has an armchair and a Soviet propaganda poster from WWII and a bookshelf that is thoroughly unnecessary because I also have a shelf built into my wall. I love how all my clothes fit neatly into a wardrobe and everything is tucked out of the way. I love how open and bright it is. I love how I can leave my giant windows open at night; I love how, even in the city, there are a few sparrows around to chirp a welcome to the morning sun. Bonjour, Toulouse!

I love how there is an open wireless connection in the neighbourhood that we can borrow so that I can tell you how much I love all of this.