Tonight is the last of three nights we've spent in Toulouse, one of the largest cities in France and capital of Europe's aerospace industry. It's actually pretty nice for a big city and we've enjoyed our stay here. It's been consistently sunny and in the upper 80s; a little hot but not nearly as bad as the South was.
Yesterday I had a busy day of photography work here in Toulouse, with David joining me later in the evening. I visited the fantastic Basilica of St. Sernin in both the morning and evening (for light in both directions) and two excellent museums in between. Happily, all three sights allowed unrestricted photography.
The Basilica of St. Sernin was built 1080-1120 to better accommodate all the pilgrims stopping by on their way to Santiago. It is huge, with two side aisle on each side, a tall central tower, and a roomy ambulatory with chapels around the east end. And it has lots of great details to discover, like medieval murals in the north transept, reliquaries in the crypt, and many Romanesque sculptures on the outside.
The Musee des Augustins, housed in a former monastery, has a huge collection of Romanesque and Gothic art salvaged from churches in Toulouse, some of which were destroyed in the Revolution.
Some of my favorite things in the Musee des Augustins:
