First week in Toulouse

So to start off the week one thing was apparant and that was French people love food, and good food at that. The first day our group spent the day going to different farmers markets where there was so much fresh food. Colorful fruits and vegetables lined the stands along with the smell of fresh bread, different types of cheeses, and meat. The streets were filled with people coming to shop for fresh food where shouting could be heard and no lines were ever found. If you wanted something you were going to have to push through the crowd and speak up. Even going to the Casino down the streeet, that is the local HEB I guess you could say, had more fresh products than processed food like in the U.S.. After visiting different farms and the Chambre d'agriculture one thing was apparent GMO's were not liked at all in France. Most farmers had organic farms and had to fight so many battles over different things on their farms. Permission was constatnly having to be received for each little change wanting to be made.

Later during the week we enjoyed a tour of downtown Toulouse near the capitole and toured different museums and churches;  personally this was one of my favorite parts. I loved seeing the churches and all their grandeur. I loved seeing the stained glass windows and massive organs that hung from the wall. It definitely wasn't something you would see in a small town in Texas. We were also able to make it to the opera on Sunday afternoon after we were first supposed to see it on Tuesday but a riot in the the opera house prevented us from seeing it. Seeing the riot was definitely interesting because in the U.S. they (the protesters) never would have gotten as far as they did. The police simply stood and watched them where as in the U.S. well the second they started making noise it would have been shut down. Needless to say the first week was a success in learning the culture and the people, but I have to say my absolute favorite moment from the week was on the weekend two of the girls and I stayed in Toulouse and walked around on the streets where we came across a little store and the lady who ran it was so sweet to us and helped us practice our french so we would be able to speak it "flawlessly" when we went to Paris.