How often do you get to see a city with the locals? I have colleagues in Toulouse, but no friends, at least before I started the trip.

M&M are two sisters, who grew up in Toulouse. They are 5-6 years apart, so I will refer to them as older M and younger M. I met older M at FRA. Both of us had nothing to do, but to wait for our delayed flight to Toulouse. We chatted, and became friends. That was a week ago.

Today is Saturday, and we meet at the Capitole at 11am. The plan is to go to a Japanese tea shop for lunch and then hit an English tea house. Sounds great!

The Japanese place does not open until 12. To kill an hour, we started from the ice cream shop at the Capitole, which was very popular even to a newly arrival like me. It turned out that the space used to be a “book store,” owned by an old lady. She retired six months ago. The new store sells gelato, the Italian ice cream or sorbet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelato

http://www.italylogue.com/food-drink/italian-gelato-flavors-decoded.html

One can select a cup (or cone) size, and ask to sample as many flavors as one wants. I love hazelnuts and coffee beans, so I chose these two. Younger M picked a cookie flavor, very sweet, and also the passion fruit for her sis. (You can tell how close they are!) Older M picked another cookie flavor, Amaretto, and something else (my memory!). I loved mine, though I should not have had ice creams before lunch, especially on a cold day (not to mention my acid reflux last night). We each tried all six flavors, and chatted.

Then, we walked through the “main gate” of the Capitole. There were three flags, one for France, one for the EU, and one for the Midi-Pyrénées that has red background and yellow symbol. The same symbol is on the ground in the middle of the square. You can go find your birthday star, stand on it, and make a wish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology

Older M told me that Saturday is a wedding day for the locals at the Capitole. Since so many people want to get married there, each couple has only 15 mins! Well, it must be hard. Indeed, there were lots of people there, at noon and even at 3:30pm when I passed there again to take some photos.

The Japanese shop was unique. It sells a set menu, with “miso soup” and some chicken dish on top of steamed rice. I would call it a funky place because it has lots of Japanese decors. M&M talked about their plans to visit Japan someday. Fascinating! I learned later on that the Japanese place is run by a different person each day, though the menu stays the same. How interesting!

Then, we walked to the English tea house. It was packed, but we got our little table in no time. M&M each ordered a scone, which turns out to be my favorite. I told them a story of my girlfriend, who studied and lived in England before she moved to Hawaii. She can make the British scones at home, and we would have an afternoon tea at her house. That impressed M&M.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone_%28bread%29

Baking scones is not hard and jam is easy to get. The trouble is to make the cream, the Devon cream.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotted_cream#Preparation

After the tea, we went shopping. Older M actually is leaving this afternoon, to go back to Germany. (I am so grateful that she spends her last day in Toulouse with me!) She needs to get some syrup made from violettes (or violet in English), a local thing. We went from one little shop to the next. Toulouse does not have SUPERmarkets in the city. Everywhere you go, you see little shops. It’s fun, especially if you can talk stories with the locals! (“Talking stories” is a local expression used in Hawaii, meaning chatting.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_%28plant%29#Culinary

Wiki: Candied violets are still made commercially in Toulouse, France, where they are known as violettes de Toulouse. They are used as decorating or included in aromatic desserts.

Oh, I wish I will see M&M again someday, hopefully in Hawaii…