I have four weeks left in Toulouse before I return to Alexandria. My stays are based on the Tourist Visa requirements. I can only stay 90 days in any 180 period. So it is basically 3 months in Toulouse and 3 months in Alexandria.

I have mixed emotions about this routine. I love Toulouse and my life here but I also miss my friends in Alexandria and like to spend time with them. My life in each place is very different but good. In Toulouse, I live a relatively independent life where I only have to think about what I want to do and then do it. In Alexandria because I have lots of friends (which I love), I have to make decisions based on the communities that I belong to in Alexandria. One is not better than the other, it just brings different aspects to life.

I definitely miss Toulouse when I am back in Alexandria. The city is just so different. Toulouse is small, totally walkable, very vibrant every day and easy to enjoy. Alexandria is a suburb of Washington, DC and is part of a large metropolitan area. It definitely requires a car to do many things which makes it harder to do all the things I want to do easily. I cannot just walk out the door and be everywhere I want in 20-25 minutes. Also, there is not the cafe life that you find in Toulouse.

Enough of those thoughts as I have four more weeks here in Toulouse. The highlight of upcoming life is the Christmas Market. I am really looking to participate in the Christmas activities.

The world is small! Last night on the run, a man said, is that English I hear. I started to talk to him and found out that he was from Rockville, MD. This is about 30 minutes from where I live in the United States. This makes 2 people who I have met on this trip who are originally from the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) area. It is especially unusual as Toulouse is not on the top 10 places in France to visit or live.

John is a scientist who decided he wanted to leave the US and found a job in Toulouse. He and his two adult children decided to relocate to here. He has been here just over a month. It was interesting to chat with him.

The run was the hill run which I was not prepared for after running the half marathon but I was able to do the run without too much difficulty. Elliot was the run after recovering from COVID and being under the weather. It was nice to chat with him again. We ended up having a beer after the run.

My other running friend, Marc, is a great runner and he loves the hills. I was barely making it up the hill and he did it twice. He is also very fast and I always harass him about trying to be first in the last dash to the finish of the run.

The only other activity was going to Reflets for lunch. The young man who runs the front of the restaurant greeted me by name. I would like to say that I am that memorable but my guess is that I am the only person who makes reservations using Peter as the name. Since I eat there fairly regularly, it should be easy to remember me. I asked his name so I could greet him as well. His name is Xavier. I wish I could drink full bottles of wine as he seems very knowledgeable about wine and Reflets I think is known for its wine. He was actually tasting wine with someone who brought samples end at the end of lunch.