I decided that I would enjoy the day in Toulouse by doing the things I really enjoy while here. I got up and walked down to the local cafe to have breakfast. I learned one lesson in this as I went at 10:00 am and on Saturday all the chocolate croissants are gone by that time so I had to settle for a regular croissant and a hot chocolate. I will make up for missing the chocolate croissant tomorrow. The croissant was fantastic so I could not really complain much. I did not take a picture of breakfast as it was sort ordinary.

I headed for the Saint Cyprien market as I had not been there since I had been back. It is much smaller than the Victor Hugo market but it was still very busy as it was Saturday morning. I love that the French have no problem having a glass of wine or beer before noon while they are out shopping. All the markets have bars/cafes/restaurants around them and people shop and relax. Another great thing is you can buy food at the market and then eat it at tables set-up outside. I saw people eating oysters from one of the seafood stalls and enjoying wine with them. Shopping and lunch all in one place.

I splurged and went Fages, which is a famous chocolate shop in the Saint Cyprien district and had a second hot chocolate. This one was the robuste and is made with chocolate that is 80% chocolate. It is somewhat bitter but very good. One of the interesting things about Fages is that they have statues made of chocolate in the shop. They are amazing.

I wandered some more and then read for part of the afternoon.

For dinner, of course, I went to Le Panache. My favorite restaurant in Toulouse. As usual, I was greeted warmly and made to feel at home. I usually have an appetizer and a main course but the restaurant has a number of smaller shared plates so I went with three of them. The duck ravioli with Thai broth was out of this world. I think it was one of the best things that I have had at Le Panache. I also had the Parmesan croquettes and the shrimp. I deviated a little as well as I had a cocktail before dinner.

The dessert was a pavlova but nothing like I had before. It was a portion of whipped cream with citrus fruit on the whipped cream with three broken pieces of meringue stacked in the whipped cream. It was delicious and beautifully presented.

All in all a fantastic birthday dinner! I am very grateful that I have both my health and the resources to pursue the life that I want to enjoy. I am definitely living a full and happy life. I missed celebrating my birthday with friends but it is as a good day. I am very blessed that I can say all this!

I did try to take a picture of the solar eclipse but the cloud cover was too much and so you get a cloudy picture for the main picture of the day.