On Tuesdays, I usually have a big lunch so that I do not have to cook dinner after running with the Run in Toulouse group. I had found Restaurant Gascon, I have mentioned it before as I joke that I feel at times I am eating at a retirement home when I go there as most of patrons seem to be retirees and well known by the wait staff.

It has good hardy and cheap meals. As most places in France, especially Toulouse have “formule meals” where you get an appetizer (entree in French) plat (main course) and dessert for a fixed price. They can vary on what you have as you can have a two out of three option for a cheaper price than all three. Restaurant Gascon has a very cheap version of 15.50 euros for all three.

I was originally going to go for the plat and dessert today as the entree was potato salad and I am not a big fan of it. I went for the Roti de porcelette which came with a small portion of salad and French fries. It was a large meal so I opted out of the dessert at the end.

I usually have a glass of wine with lunch as I am in France and do as the French do. The waitress offered me a carafe of wine. This was I think the 25 cl option but a not totally sure. It basically served about 2.5 glasses of standard restaurant wine glass size portions.

When I went to pay, the charge was 12.50 euros. I paid the bill but then thought that price could not include both the meal and the carafe of wine. I thought about it as I was walking out of the restaurant. I decided I needed to go back in and make sure I had been charged properly. I went back in and asked if they hard charged me for the wine. I was told yes, the 12.50 euros covered both the plat and the wine. The conversation was a little stressful for me as it all in French. I thanked them and left still marveling that a carafe of wine and main dish with sides was so cheap.

I think the wait staff thought it was amusing that I had come back in to question whether I had paid enough. I will definitely be going back there for more lunches.

I had a fun morning shopping for fruits and vegetables at the street farmers market. I bought fresh strawberries which are really good. I can leave them out on the counter and not in the refrigerator for a couple of days and they do not get moldy or go bad. Leaving them out helps them keep their flavor. Also, bought more good cheese. There are so many different types of cheese that I tried to buy different ones to get a taste of all of them.

I ran with the group and it was larger than usual. I think it must be the nice weather. The highs are in the low seventies, no humidity and sunny. They had to break the larger middle group of runners into two group as there were so many people. It was somewhat difficult running as a group as there were so many people out walking and at cafes enjoying the weather. We did get out of the center of the city and ran along the river but it was still challenging when running in the center of the city. As I keep saying, I am always amazed that we run slightly different courses each run. I do not think we have run the exact course since I started running with the group.

It is sometimes funny as I think I know Toulouse better than Elliot does. I tell him that is because I have nothing better to do than wander around and explore.

Another beautiful sunset.

The featured picture is my favorite patisserie Au Poussin Rose. It is like a kid in a candy shop to me. They have chocolate, pastries (both large and small), bread and things like quiche. The young lady who works there most day that I go is super nice and helps me with my French when ordering. She chuckles at times when I say something and then corrects me.