I went to Le Panache as usual on Friday nights. It was packed and that is really good for Enzo’s business but Enzo and Erwin were working like crazy.

When I first arrived there were two very stylish young ladies arriving at the same time I did. They sat at the bar as well. They were regulars as far as I could tell as Enzo and Erwin gave them the triple cheek air kiss (Toulouse does three rather than two as is done in the rest of France). They heard Erwin call me Peter and we started chatting – a combination of French and English. They wanted to know what I was doing in Toulouse and how I got to spend 3 months at a time here. It was a fun chat.

Later, a friend of Enzo’s who I had met at the end of my last trip came in. Embarrassingly, I did not remember his name but we had a great conversation. He spoke some English and my French is definitely getting better. He is a triathlete so we talked running, biking and running. He showed me his Strava of some of his rides in the Pyrenees. He has ridden the Col de Tourmalet which is one of the highest mountain passes in the Pyrenees. It is one of the famous climbs of the Tour de France. We talked about life, work and just fun things.

I stayed until after 11:00 pm which is late for the restaurant but things were still going on with the big party. They ran out of Patron tequila as they were serving lots of shots. I did not get a shot of tequila but Erwin gave me a shot to have with him. It was a fun night and makes me feel like I actually live in Toulouse.

The rest of the day was a normal day. I wandered around and enjoyed seeing the city. There is a SuperFit Triathlon on Sunday and it was being set up. There is also a regular set of triathlons as well. I think the city is going to be effectively shut down Sunday. There is also a festival in the Plaza Saint Pierre on Saturday and it was being set up. I am going to wander over the festival on Saturday. It should be fun.

I had hot chocolate at a cafe on the banks of the Garonne. It is not a great cafe but the setting is great. Also had a beer at another cafe.

In the morning, I got up and walked to the local boulangerie as I needed a baguette for lunch and decided to treat myself to a croissant for breakfast. I wandered out without even showering as it was early. I was somewhat disappointed as there were no chocolatines but I heard the women working the counter telling a customer (obviously a regular) that there had been a run on the chocolatines that morning. The warm croissant was good and I was not that disappointed.