I made my first escapade from the Institut today - having not been outside the main gates since my arrival 48 hours earlier. I was trying to track down some batteries for our interpretation equipment - of course it takes a kind which is not universally stocked by small shops but this was soon sorted out. The city is a wonderful medieaval rabbit warren of streets with beautiful squares and open spaces.
And all of the street names are in two languages - French and Occitan
Just round the corner is the rather Harry Potter sounding Pumpkin Lane.
I went out for supper with Denis and Monique - Denis was on the commission des ministères of the ERF with me for 9 years and we met in Paris once a month during that time. He speaks fluent Occitan, his father was a Protestant pastor in Spain and had to leave in 1938 because of the civil war.
He has just deleivered me back to the institute after a rather chaotic night time visit of the city - the St Saturnin Basilica and the Jacobins church both looked very impressive lit up - however the road works mean that he no longer knows the way around his own city!
Walking to their place earlier this evening I went past a plaque saying that Simon de Montford died here during the siege of Toulouse. The rest of the group went to Carcasonne and I'll hear about thier impresisons tomorrow.
More about the content of what we discussed this morning - fascinating as always - when I have a chance tomorrow - we begin group work in earnest and we interpreters will be kept busy.
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