Harry's Free Tour
Hi, I'm the guy that'll show you the fun things that there are to do in Toulouse and will share with you the dramatic events that have occurred (not just the dry boring history.) I am a writer, researcher, barman, quizmaster and history fanatic. Over 20 years ago I moved from Edinburgh to Toulouse. That's from Rain and Whisky to Sun and Swimming Pools. And no, as much as I miss my people I've never, ever regretted the decision. I love this place, I love how alive it is and always has been. And if you let me show it to you, you will too.
Pickup
I'll be in a hat and the Hawaiian shirt waiting across the street from the cafe "Les Delices de Saturnin." I will be standing in the grounds of the Basilica Saint-Sernin at the point where where rue Saint- Bernard joins Place Saint-Sernin. Type "Harry's Free Tour Toulouse" into google if you require a GPS pin. If you can see doors into the Basilica then you are in the WRONG place. The Cafe "Les Delices de Saturnin" is across the street from the rdv and is open every day from 8 if you want to arrive early and grab a coffee or if you need to hide from the rain.
Description
Hi. This is VERY much a History Tour. It opens with a 15 minute introduction to the city, so much fun in January, just standing there. I just thought it best you know upfront that I cover most of the sites for siteseeing but it is not the focus of the tour. The focus is on the major events and era's in the cities past. I speak of them in linked stories trying to leave you (by the end of the Tour) with a real idea of how the city came to be what it is. It's not easy to do in 3hrs but I do try, and I love the subject.
I've lived here over 20 years now and have spent quite a lot of that time trying to write an Historical Fiction of this city. What does that mean for you? It means I've studied its History as a personal passion and have always regarded its Historical events through the lens of "How could this best be told in narrative form?" Which is what I do. I tell stories. True stories of things that happened here in Toulouse. But stories, nevertheless.
On this Tour you you will see…
- Place du Capitole
- Rue Saint Rome
- Hotel Assezat
- Pont Neuf
- La Daurade and la Basilique
- Les Jacobins
- Rue de Taur
- La Basilica St Sernin
And, although the History stuff does tend to wander I try to make its telling as linear as possible.
I will cover…
- Medieval Toulouse
- The Cathars
- The Albigensian Crusade
- The Inquisition
- The Canal du Midi
- The Revolution in Toulouse
- The Great Flood of 1875
- and a lot more…
Things like the Capitouls, the Troubadours and their influence, a bit of the Ligne Aeropostale, some Martydom by Bull, the Resistance and all the fun of the Black Plague.
I won't leave you ignorant either as to where is best to eat and drink in town and what other things there are to do. I always try my best but constrained as I am by the limitations of time and geography I cannot cover everything I would like.
Most notably lacking from my Tour will be much mention of Toulouse's Blue Dye Trade, the rebellion of the Huguenots and a visit to the Cathedral. There is (of course) lots of other stuff I have to leave out but these three pain me the most. Sorry.
P.S. In the summer I tend to open up some afternoon tours. These are less reliable than the morning tours. If you book an afternoon tour understand that it may get cancelled if it gets too hot. Around 35c is ok with a bit of wind but from around 38c or over the tour is probabaly going to be cancelled a couple of days before. With that kind of heat we'd all just be feeling like rotisserie chickens anyway! It's no fun. Those are the kind of days where you want to find a cocktail and some air conditioning.
Disclaimers.
1. I sometimes get involved in the subject matter. I never tire of telling my stories but if English is a foreign language to you I may at times talk too quickly. Let me know and I will slow. I try to remember but... hell! How do you give a passionate tour while talking slowly and carefully?
2. I like variety in the world. I like religions. In my opinion the Modern day Catholic church and the Dominican Order are organizations that give a lot of people hope and strength and help have my full support. The Pre-Enlightenment Catholic Church was not so nice. Not all saints were saintly and the first century of the existence of the Dominican Order and its expansion of the Inquisition and what they did was positively evil. If you have a problem with any of these statements and/or can't bear to hear ill spoken of the church or the Dominican Order in any context then you REALLY don't want to take my tour. I'm not here to offend and yet -even avoiding all conjecture- I keep managing to do so. It's not through some wish to be contentious, more a refusal to give an anodyne or sterile tour. That's just not me.
3. If you've come for the match (any match) and you're just looking to find out where the good restaurants and bars are and what there is to do I will cover it all (I know them well) but unless you're also really, really into history you might be bored. "Too much information." is a comment I get a lot of. I'm sorry.
There are other tours and they are all shorter and may be more fit for purpose. I'm not trying to be rid of you I just say this because - you're on Vacation, you want to have fun! And I'm not here to bore you. I try to make the tour as funny and entertaining as possible but I accept that history just isn't everyone's bag.
4. I am a Scot (from Scotland) I know I sound American. It's a complicated thing. ;)
Final Note.
Percentage wise by time spent my History Tour is divided by the relevance of the era to the Modern day city (I.M.O). All in all, in the tour it comes out about -
15% Antiquity
5% Dark Ages
35% Medieval
5% Renaissance
15% Industrial era/Post
15% Architecture
10% Food Places/Stuff to do.
The percentages may vary depending on whether people show a particular interest in one era. And the tour may overrun if everyone seems like there having fun, but rarely more than by 10 mins.
Basically I tried to create the Tour I'd like to go on.
There. That's done. I hope I haven't put you off too much. Toulouse is an amazing place and its history isn't so much drama as melodrama and I love telling people all about it.
I look forward to seeing you on the Tour. Take care.
H.