I was surprised as there did not seem to be any commemoration of the end of WWII here in Toulouse. There might have been but I was not able to find any. One of my friends texted me and asked about any celebration and asked if anything was being done in the “Free Zone”. I had not thought about it but maybe the feeling is not the same as the bombing and invasions did not go through this area of France so the feelings and views are different.

I know there was resistance to the Nazis here in Toulouse as I see plaques around the city showing the names and places where people were killed resisting the Nazis. In the cathedral, there is a plaque with a speech by the Archbishop encouraging resistance to the treatment of Jews and others in Toulouse.

I did my standard walk around the city which is one of my favorite things to do. There is so much beauty and liveliness in the city. VE Day is a national holiday so many people were out and enjoying the weather. Unlike the United States, many shops and restaurants were closed because of the holiday. In the US, they would all be open and having sales to encourage people to spend money. I walked along the river and down the Main Street to the Grand Rond and the Royal Garden and Jardin de Plantes. It is a broad walking plaza lined with trees which is quite beautiful.

In the Royal Garden is a statue to Antoine de Saint-Exupèry the writer of the Le Petit Prince. This was one of my favorite stories growing up so it was fun to see the statute.

I found a new restaurant and had a great meal. It is near the Victor Hugo market and called Le Gourmand. I had a ravioli dish with fresh local vegetables. I was delicious and as usual, beautifully presented.

In the evening, I joined the running group. We took a different route and ran partially through a park that I had never seen before. I am going to have to go back there and walk around it so I can find out more about it. There seems to be old buildings, a bridge and other artifacts of a different era in the park. We ran along a body of water along a dirt trail. It is not the usual place that the running group runs but it was beautiful and fun. I chatted with the Irish guy I met last week along the run and both before and after. I am beginning to feel more part of the group. We always “race” the last part of the run back to the Place de Capitole and last night, I was running beside a young lady. We were doing well and then got caught up by a car and had to slowdown. She seemed to be flagging but I encouraged her and we picked up speed and really kicked it in. When we got to the end, we high fived which was fun.