From Paris to Toulouse: Insights into Travel Life

4/12/2024

The bus ride from Paris to Toulouse takes 10 hours. The seat next to me remains empty, which is a great advantage as I can at least lie down a bit. However, I find it hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. Fatigue quickly overcomes me, but I keep feeling the seatbelt in my back and waking up in pain. It’s my own fault for traveling at night. At least I save money because I don’t have to pay for a hostel stay. “I’m still young,” I think to myself. “I can handle this.” A young woman sits next to me. We chat a bit, and I lend her my flashlight to read since the reading lights on the bus don’t work. I feel a bit empty and exhausted. My body is no longer used to the exertions of the past few days. I had spent most of the months before the trip at home, not walking much, maybe 5,000 steps a day. In this first week of my trip, I averaged 20,000 steps per day. But the journey is not only physically draining. It will take me a few days to process the past few days. Three ukulele events in one week, right at the start of my trip. I shake my head slightly and think, “Incredible!” The idea of the ukulele trip came to me quite spontaneously during my travel preparations. I originally wanted to do “just” a world trip and “just” avoid airplanes. Now my entire travel plan is turned upside down, and I spend my time looking for ukulele clubs in my destinations.

Who would have thought that I would go on a “Ukulele World Tour”? I like the idea. In Paris, I was able to meet so many locals through our shared hobby - playing the ukulele. Maybe it will work in other places too? On my previous travels, I spent most of my time in hostels. I like the hostel vibe a lot, but usually, you only meet other travelers from around the world, not the locals. I continue to spin my thoughts until I fall asleep.

First Impressions and Explorations

In the morning, I enjoy the view from the window. Southern France is beautiful! Mathias from RAOUL told me about the ukulele club in Toulouse. You can even build your own ukulele in a two-day workshop (Link to the ukulele maker in Toulouse). Unfortunately, there is no ukulele club today and tomorrow, and I have neither the money nor the space for another ukulele, but that’s okay. Maybe I’ll come back here on my trip, with more time but probably less money.

Arriving in Toulouse, I walk 20 minutes with my backpack to the hostel. On the way, I stop by Decathlon to see if there’s anything I could use. I linger a bit longer in front of the umbrellas. So far, I’ve been lucky with the weather, but I don’t want to spend 10€ on an umbrella that looks like it could break at the first opportunity. So I postpone this purchase to a later day. The hostel is beautiful and located in the middle of Toulouse. When I ring the doorbell, the receptionist waves at me from the window and lets me in. She is in a very good mood. Loud blues music is playing in her office. I spontaneously start dancing with my big backpack. She laughs and dances a bit with me. I’m too early for check-in, but I can leave my backpack and use the shower in the hallway - a great advantage of hostels!

The Charm of Toulouse

I use the time to buy a snack from a bakery around the corner and then explore the city center. Toulouse, often referred to as “La Ville Rose” (the pink city), is a charming city known for its characteristic pink terracotta buildings. The city is home to numerous historical landmarks, including the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, one of the largest Romanesque buildings in Europe, and the magnificent Capitole de Toulouse, which serves as the city hall and opera house. Toulouse is also a major center of the aerospace industry, home to Airbus and the Cité de l’Espace. There are many bustling cafes and numerous boutiques and other shops. I quickly get lost and feel like the city center is one big shopping and nightlife district.

A Day in the Hostel

After two hours, I’m so exhausted that I want to check into my hostel room as quickly as possible. At exactly 2 PM, I’m back at the hostel and check-in. This time, the receptionist is listening to “Queen,” my childhood favorite band. I’m impressed by the amenities of my 6-bed room. The room has two separate showers, a toilet, and a kitchenette. I’ve never seen such luxury in a room on my travels. I collapse exhausted into bed and sleep through until 6 PM.

When I wake up, I feel my stomach growling. Damn, food is really a problem when traveling. Since accommodations are already so expensive, I have to save on food. In Paris, I lived mostly on ready meals from the supermarket and fast food. That’s not really healthy and not really cheap either. Today I want to use the luxury of the kitchen and cook something. I set off to find the nearest supermarket. Once there, I’m initially overwhelmed by the selection. I have no idea what to cook and wander a bit helplessly along the shelves. It takes a while to orient myself and get an overview of the offerings. Oh God, is it going to be like this in every new place? I actually want to fry vegetables, but my roommates certainly won’t appreciate the smell of onions late in the evening. In the end, bread, tomato spread, tortellini, and frozen stir-fry vegetables end up in my shopping basket. I can eat the tortellini today and take the rest with me in my lunchbox tomorrow. I’m a little proud of cooking for the first time on the trip, even if tortellini really don’t require any cooking skills.

After eating, I sit in the common room and try to work on my laptop. It’s difficult because someone is playing music loudly over their phone, and two Spaniards next to me are discussing the possible independence of Catalonia for an hour in Spanish. My Spanish is quite rusty, but I can catch that much. The crazy thing is that they both speak most of the time at the same time, trying to outdo each other. It’s interesting but also exhausting. Eventually, I give up and retreat to my bed quite early.

Preparations for the onward journey to Madrid

Tomorrow evening, the bus to Madrid leaves! But before that, I want to explore the city a bit more and use the afternoon to record the experiences of this week.