Monday is laundry day. It makes me realize this is not all vacation. Getting used to the European washing machine has been interesting. They are much smaller than I am used to so have to make sure I do not overstuff it. Also, there is no dryer so everything has to be air dried. Not that it is much of an issue but you have to make sure you do not need something for about 24 hours as it takes a while for cotton to dry. I have mainly brought tech fabric items for basics so they dry pretty quickly. It is all better for the environment as they use less water and energy in washing and then air drying is definitely better.

I did my usual walk for the day as the weather was cool, windy but sunny. As I walked I came across and memorial ceremony that was honoring Catalans who had been persecuted and killed during WWII. With the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII coming up in May for Europe. There seems to be a number of ceremonies and commemorations that will be taking place in Europe.

For this one, they were commemorating those Spaniards who had fled Spain at the end of the Spanish Civil War and ended up in Toulouse. From what I have learned, many of the Republicans who need to leave Spain when Franco took power immigrated to Toulouse. Since they were opposed to Fascism in Spain, they opposed it in France. I think many joined the French resistance but others probably were targeted for their activities in Spain during the civil war which was supported by the Nazis. The attendance at the ceremony was small and the audience and those being commemorated (who are still alive) were old. There were a number of speeches and I even understood most of it. There seemed to be government officials from Toulouse and the Garonne administration there.

I had a beer and enjoyed the late afternoon and my neighborhood cafe. They have a few tables outside and you can see over the river to St. Cyprien from the tables. When the weather is nice, it is a nice place to have a beverage and read.

I, also, had to buy a baguette for lunch and they did not have the “traditional”, they were sold out. I think it was because on Monday most small shops are closed so the local bakery gets more business as it is open. I bought a Montagu which is 5 centimes more expensive and looks like they roll the dough before baking it unlike a traditional baguette. The bakery also sells the classic which seems to be more like the ones you get in the United States. They are not baked as long or as brown as the traditional. I am learning more and more about the art of a baguette.