Toulouse

For 23 centuries, Toulouse has been flourishing on the banks of the Garonne river, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, near the Pyrénées and Spain. On the eve of the 3rd millennium, the "Pink City" became the strategic cross roads of southern Europe. It is the 4th biggest town in France and the 2nd largest university town after Paris as well as the largest European centre for aeronautics and space technology. Rich in its history, its youth and its pleasant climate, Toulouse is a city where it is good to live and study. The Alliance Française of Toulouse, as the city itself, is very dynamic and adapts its courses to the needs of the students.

Website: www.alliance-toulouse.org

To see in Toulouse:

• Musée des Augustins : the museum's collection of Romanesque sculptures is one of the richest in the world. § Cité de l'espace : some half a million visitors each year come here to learn what it's like to program a satellite's launch into orbit or how to manoeuvre one in space. Both an interactive teaching tool and a fun place to visit, here life-size structural models abound, including one of an astronaut riding an exercise bike in zero gravity.
  

• Eglise des Jacobins : founded in 1215, the church suffered under Napoleon, who used is to stable 300 of his horses, however the ceiling is still a riot of ribbed red and green bricks.
  

• Cathédrale Saint-Etienne : the cathedral's construction spanned five centuries. It is a curious amalgam of both Mediterranean and Gothic influences. The overall effect is disconcerting, mainly because the nave and chancel are not aligned.
  

• Basilique Saint-Sernin : the city's major monument, consecrated in 1096, is the largest and finest Romanesque church extant in Europe. An outstanding feature is the Porte Miègeville, opening onto the south aisle and decorated with 12th-century sculptures.
  
  Source: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187175-Toulouse_Midi_Pyrenees-Vacations.html