Provence, Canal du Midi and More

[Jacques Vert]

Some final photos of Toulouse from +1:








Interesting that most of the street signs are in two languages, reflecting the city's history...




We stumbled across these guys; perhaps not the world's best band but they were having a lot of fun and were very entertaining:

 

[Jacques Vert]

From Toulouse we were headed to Madrid. However, I was unable to find a convenient, direct route through the Pyrenees by public transport. The train goes either of two ways: Toulouse-Narbonne-Barcelona-Madrid or Toulouse-Bordeaux- Biarritz-Madrid. Both routes turned out to be quite expensive and we have been to all of those towns previously. There was the possibility of a long bus ride or three but that didn't excite us.

I then discovered that both Air Nostrum and Iberia Express fly from Lyon to Madrid. While Air Nostrum fly every day and fares start at Eur264:shock:, IB Express fly 3 days (Sun, M & W) with fares starting at Eur40 - go figure.

Having never been to Lyon we decided to take the TGV to Lyon, stay two nights and then fly to MAD (well this is a frequent flyer forum, after all).

So onto the TGV to Lyon at Eur26 each; here is the dining car:

 

[ellen10]

Love the TGV trains.

 

[Jacques Vert]

In Lyon, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza which is situated about 15 minutes from the main railway station (Part-Dieu) at the Conference centre. This is also about 15 mins on the bus from the main areas of interest for visitors but there is a bus stop at the door and the fares are Eur 1-80 to the station or town. A nice, typical CP so not a bad option.

Here's our room:








Like the CP in Toulouse, this CP gives complimentary lounge access to Platinum IHG members. While the lounge is a nice area on the 8th floor, the food offerings are sparse, and there was only one bottle of white and one of red; no rose. This was not really an issue as there was only one other couple present when we were there but you will certainly need to venture elsewhere for dinner so not worth paying (expensive) extra $ for the lounge access.

There are a couple of nice restaurants near the hotel so we ate there the first night in an Italian place specialising in piazza ad pasta; quite nice and and very reasonably priced.

Still, we appreciated the hospitality and it ticked another box on my accelerate offer so I am certainly not complaining.

No photo of the lounge but we did find this waiting for us in our room:




And the view from our room at night:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Next morning we caught the bus into the CBD and headed for the old town:

 

[Jacques Vert]

First we passed by one of the two cathedrals and popped inside:






Then we took the finiculaire to the other cathedral:

 

[Jacques Vert]

The one on top of the hill, Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, is far more impressive on the inside with some stunning mosaics:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Great views from the back of the Basilica (that's the other cathedral in the right foreground):





We then passed by the Roman theartre:






Then back down via the finiculaire and a walk through the old city:

 

[Jacques Vert]

More of the old town:

 

[Jacques Vert]

As this was our last night in France (this trip) we decided to accept a recommendation to dine at Aux Trois Mairies, a traditional Lyonnaise restaurant. We were not disappointed:






It has a lovely outside area but as this was October, everyone was inside:






On our way home after dinner we realised just how cold Lyon is at this time of year (minus ?); I had my ski gloves, two jackets and my QPR beanie on: sorry, no photos allowed...................

 

[Jacques Vert]

Walking back to the bus stop for our ride back to the CP we pass some nice places:





One for the Sydney Siders:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Entrance to the CP at night:




Next morning it's the bus to Gare Part-Dieu and then the Express Tram to the Aeroport (Eur 15-90 each), the brochure says it takes less than 30 minutes: True, it takes 29 minutes.

Then IB3735 to our next stop, Madrid.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Back in 2010 we had an 11hr 55min transit in Madrid and took the opportunity to spend a day in the city; we liked what we saw and have always wanted to return and spend a little more time here. Back then we both also wanted to go to a bullfight; not because we support such stuff but because we wanted to see for ourselves what it is really like. There were none scheduled during our visit back then but on this occasion there was.

We picked up a hire car near the airport and stayed at a typical HI on the way to the city.

As it happened it was raining and the bullfight was postponed until later in the week.

So we had paella for dinner at a restaurant recommended by the receptionist at the HI:




Was excellent.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Next day we drove to Toledo:




We stayed at the AC Ciudad de Toledo, a Marriott hotel. Quite a nice property at a good price but outside the old city. It was only a Eur 1 ride into the city on the local bus however. the bus only comes once an hour outside of peak times. OTOH, a taxi was only Eur8.70 from the centre of the city so, on balance, not a bad option.










There's also a hop on, hop off bus but I don't recommend it; only goes one way around and although it stops right outside the AC hotel we found it inconvenient and only caught it once.

However, the same company does have a walking tour of the city that was excellent value.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Some of +1's photos of Toledo:

 

[ellen10]

Enjoying all the photos and trip updates.
We will be in the Burgundy area next July staying in Beaune, also visiting Dijon. Was not sure whether to add in Lyon.
We tried to fit in Spain but not enough time to do it justice - oh well will have to be next trip. Toledo looks interesting.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Toledo looks interesting.

Yes indeed; what an incredible city. It is said that the history of Spain is reflected in the city of Toledo.

A brief history (with thanks to Lonely Planet, Wikipeadia, et al.)

The city dates back to the bronze age and was conquered by the Romans in 193 BC. There are numerous remains from Roman times, particularly drains, watercourses and the odd bit of road. There was also a significant number of Jews among the population from at least those Roman times. And as the late Roman Empire declined, the city was taken over by the Visigoths and became their capital.

Apparently infighting between the Visigoth nobles left the city vulnerable and in 711AD it was conquered by the Muslims with little resistance.

In 1085 Toledo was recaptured by Alfonso VI and then followed a period of prosperity where Jews, Christians and Muslims coexisted and flourished; well at least until the Pope got involved. The Vatican decided to reorganise Toledo as a seat of the church. Around 1492, Toledo’s Jews and Muslims were given the “choice” to convert to Christianity or get out. It is estimated that around 200,000 converted while 40,000 to 100,000 were forced into exile.

For a time, Toledo was the capital of the Spanish Empire until the capital was moved to Madrid in 1561. And in modern times, Toledo was a decisive point in the Spanish civil war with the siege of its Alcazar.

The result is a city that has an incredible mix of Synagogues, Roman remains, Mosques, Churches, a Cathedral, Gothic architecture, a modern community and lots more.

Firstly, this is the Mosque of Cristo de la Luz built in 999 AD.








In 1186 King Alfonso VIII gave the building to the Knights of the Order of St John, who converted it into a Christian Chapel and added an apse.

 

[Jacques Vert]

There's the remains of the Roman road out front:





Some more views around the streets:

 

[Jacques Vert]

Some of the Roman remains:








There's a clothing shop that has a glass floor to show the ruins, rather than cover them up:




And the change rooms:

 

[Jacques Vert]

One of the remaining Synagogues dating from 1180:






Of course, the Christians turned it into a church in 1405/1411 but did not make any major structural changes. It is thought by many to be the oldest Synagogue building remaining in Europe.