The weather is fabulous in Toulouse so it makes the days and evenings very pleasant. It makes wandering the city and enjoying the activities around the city fun.

This morning I did some of my usual wandering. I am glad I walked through the Place du Capitole as they had set up a flower display in the center of the place. In the center of the plaza is an astrological display which is in the sign of the Toulouse cross. Until reading about the it today, I did not know it was the Toulouse cross, I just thought it was astrological. There was a large flower display over the center celebrating the year of villages and cities of flowers. The city horticultural services had set up the display.

In the evening, after the run, I walked over to the St. Cyprien market as every now and then they have open nights at the markets. They server beer and have music. I was impressed as it was packed. I could not get in, or at least did not want to wait, as there was a two block long wait to get inside to hear the music and get beer. I am always impressed with the activities and things that the city hosts here. It was a beautiful night to enjoy the festivities.

I did the usual run with Run in Toulouse. I did not push hard in the run as I have the Urban Trail this weekend and want to make sure I am not too tired to run it. I am not sure I am fully prepared but I will see how it goes. I was happy to see on the run that the streets are marked for the course. As it is not really a race, they do not block the streets and have barriers for the runners. It does seem like the course is well marked so I should be able to follow it. I, also, downloaded the course on my phone so I can check if I am going the right way.

I love running over the passerelles – the pedestrian bridges that are both useful and architecturally beautiful.

I had my usual lunch at Terra Tolosa and it was even better than normal. The starter was not new but was excellent. Mackerel fillets with peas and pea soup. The presentation is always stunning.

For my main, I had the asparagus risotto. It was excellent. It was not as creamy as some risottos I have had but the flavors were great. The crumble added to it gave texture that you do not get with many risottos.

The dessert was Clafoutis – Pierre told me it was a very traditional French dessert. It was one of the best things I have tasted in a long time. I am a fan of pear in general so that added to the goodness of the dessert. IT was layers of pastry with cooked pears within the pastry. The pears were sweet and soft in a custard, great texture and rich flavors. It is served with whipped cream on a pear purée. It is definitely a dessert I would have again. I looked up the recipe and it seems that most are made to be served as slices but there were individual servings.