Today for lunch I went to Terra Tolosa. One of the two must eat restaurants in Toulouse for me. As you know, the other is Le Panache.

I found Terra Tolosa when I was looking for some place to have Easter lunch two years ago. The menu sounded good and it was one of the only places I found a specific Easter menu. Since then, I eat Thursday lunch there. I do not think I am there best customer (spend the most) but I am the most regular is my guess.

I got a warm welcome from Yochen (chef), Thomas, Remi, Jesse and the other staff. Jesse had worked in the Virgin Islands but had returned to be a sous chef at Terra Tolosa. The food was delicious as usual. I sat under a tree on the terrace and, even though, it was warm but pleasant. The restaurant was busy which was good.

Thomas said that the summer was brutal and that people did not really want to sit on the terrace during the heat waves which made it somewhat difficult. He said the weather was unseasonable warm for this time of year but it was good as they could have the terrace open.

I did a nice walk afterwards to hit another grocery store that I knew was just across the river in St. Cyprien. I am still trying to find a grocery store that is similar to the Monoprix that is closed for renovations. They have some items that seem to be exclusive to Monoprix (only the large ones not the corner ones) that I cannot find at other grocery stores. One is loose tea. The Monoprix carries a number of brands and options but I cannot find that other stores.

In the evening, I went to Run in Toulouse. At the end of the run, we ran the Rue de la Daurade by La Reserve. I told Eliott, who I was running with, that this was the exact activity that convinced me to try to Toulouse as a place to live. On my first exploratory trip, I was sitting at La Reserve having a drink and saw the Run in Toulouse group run by and knew this was a place to try. I guess with old age I am getting nostalgic!

The weather has been unseasonably warm and the run was quite warm. I have been better at taking water to run with which was something I was never good with doing before. Since I had the kidney stone and it was so painful, I do not want another experience as that so try to keep more hydrated. The doctor said that it was probably due to dehydration so I try to hydrate better. We do a couple of water breaks on the run when it is hot which is good. Toulouse has lots of public water fountains which is another plus for the city.

At the end of the run, I saw Hugo. I had met him last time I was here through Marc. I had not sent him at the run since I had ben back. He ran with another group and I had not seen him at the beginning. He was running with his girlfriend. She seemed very nice. We discussed some running and he said that the injury he received in the trail run where I saw him last June was pretty bad and he had not run for quite a while. It was fun to see him as he is always very enthusiastic and seems to be a very positive person. He “forced” me to stay for the calisthenics which is good but I hate.

The sunset was fantastic. I was one of the first times that I saw one of the magnificent sunsets that I feel Toulouse is famous for. They look like Renaissance paintings. The colors are so vivid and impressive. I do not know what its is with the conditions that make these happen but I love it.