I will write again about the goodness of Toulouse and the Midi-Pyrenees!

[highlight]ミディ・ピレネーこそフランス！[/highlight]というのは私の持論。

The Toulouse Capitole Orchestra visited Japan!

2月の終わりから3月初頭にかけて、[highlight]トゥールーズ・キャピトール管弦楽団[/highlight]が来日していたとのこと。非常に素晴らしい公演だったと、聴きにいた私の友人たちが口をそろえて絶賛していました。twitter等を見る限りにおいても、とてもよい演奏会だったようです。

I am very happy for Toulouse lovers.

Although I didn’t go this time, I have been to two concerts of this orchestra, the first one at Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the second one at Halle aux Grains in Toulouse.

By the way, the conductor at that time was very beautiful, wasn’t she? I’ll post it again (laughs).

This is one of my favorite orchestras with a very French sound. The last two performances here have been very satisfying.

With the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra’s visit to Japan, I thought I’d write a little about Toulouse.

Where is Toulouse?

Toulouse is the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées region of France.

いわゆる[highlight]「オクシタニア（Occitània）」[/highlight]とその昔呼ばれたエリアの中心の街がトゥールーズとなります。こちらの紋章がとっても印象的。

The Toulouse connection

I have visited Toulouse a total of three times so far.

The first time I visited was in 1998, at the World Cup in France. I was a student at that time. It was here that Japan played their first match against Argentina. I went there to see it.

Nowadays, Japan is a natural participant in the World Cup, but at the time, it was our first appearance. And, as many of you may remember, it was also a tournament that was shaken by the ticket problem. Before my departure, I was told by a travel agent at Narita Airport that I might not be able to see the match between Japan and Argentina, which was scheduled to be completed at the site, but if I signed a pledge that I would be OK with it, I would be taken along.

僕の場合は、とある特殊事情により無料でフランスまで行けて観光できること、さらにトゥールーズでの日本戦以外にもパリでもう一試合（ドイツ対アメリカ）が見られる、という状況でもありましたので、全く意義を唱えることなく誓約書にサインし、フランスへと旅だったのでした。

それから15年後たった2013年、再訪の機会が訪れました。実はこの時は既にフランスの最も美しい村巡りのまっただ中で、後述しますが、フランスで、[highlight]最も「フランスの最も美しい村」がある[/highlight]ミディ・ピレネーの首府トゥールーズの側を何度も通過していたんですよね。それでも、美しい村巡りを優先するあまり、この街を訪れはしなかったんです。

However, I happened to hear that a friend and his wife, whom I met on the way to this beautiful village, were going to stay in Toulouse, so I arranged a date to go and see them, and my return visit was realized. We stayed in Toulouse for one night at that time.

And the following year, that is, last year, the third visit was with my family and my wife’s family, a total of nine people. My wife and I are getting married there. The wedding venue is much more Italian, but I really wanted to invite everyone to this memorable place, so I was allowed to do so. We stayed 3 nights at this time.

What kind of city is Toulouse?

To put it bluntly, it is a provincial city and there are not so many sightseeing spots. In the city, there are only impressive Capitol Square, Saint-Sernin Church, and walking around the city. The rest of the city is in the suburbs, but I guess you can visit the Airbus factory.

But.

• Plenty of tourist resources nearby
• The roots of French cuisine are here.
• A treasure trove of beautiful villages!

This is the advantage of the orchestra. Oops, of course the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra is good too.

The following is a step-by-step explanation.

Plenty of tourist resources nearby

This is also the reason why it is difficult to stay in Toulouse.

まずは[highlight]「カルカソンヌ」[/highlight]でしょう！フランスが誇る世界遺産。中世の趣を感じたいなら絶対にここでしょう。フランスでも大人気の観光エリアです。カードゲームにもなっていますね。

It is about an hour by train from Toulouse. The trains are very frequent, so it’s safe. There are many people who visit from Toulouse, so even if you get a little lost, I think you can manage.

続いてはアルビ。ここも2013年に世界遺産になりましたね。近いです。そして、カストルもおすすめ。トゥールーズ・ロートレック美術館、ゴヤ美術館などアート好きには見逃せないスポットが豊富。トゥールーズ市内ではないですけれど（笑）。

As you can see from the map, both Albi and Castres are easy to get to if you use Toulouse as a hub.

You can also take the route from Toulouse to Bordeaux or from Bordeaux to Toulouse. Bordeaux is a very nice city, but there are not many tourist resources around, so if you visit Bordeaux, I recommend you to go through Toulouse. But it might be uncomfortable if you are not used to travel…

なお、トゥールーズ、実は世界遺産だったりします。[highlight]サン・ティアゴ・デ・コンポステーラの巡礼路[/highlight]上の街でもあるからです。

In France, it would be called Saint Jacques de Compostela. And some monuments and churches on this pilgrimage route are also registered as World Heritage.

The Midi-Pyrenees region is located on the pilgrimage route, and therefore has many small but historic buildings registered as World Heritage sites. Some of the villages included in the list of the « Most Beautiful Villages of France » are also on the pilgrimage route, and their churches are included in this World Heritage Site.

So, Toulouse, which is located on the route, also has a building that is part of this World Heritage Site as well. It is the « Saint-Sernin Abbey » located about 5 minutes walk from the Place du Capitole.

The roots of French cuisine are here.

ミディ・ピレネーといえば、食の宝庫といっても過言ではないはず。そして、実はよく知られるフレンチの王道ともいえるメニューの多くが、ここミディ・ピレネーが発祥だったりします。どちらかというと、[highlight]がっつり系・こってり系[/highlight]が多いのも特徴。体にはあまり良くないかも…。

もっとも代表的なものは、[highlight]「鴨のコンフィ」[/highlight]でしょうか。

By the way, the photo was not taken there, but when we had it at the restaurant « Loblue » in Tokyo. I recommend this restaurant, so please try it.

続いては[highlight]「カスレ」[/highlight]、これもミディ・ピレネーの名産物。隣の地域圏「ラングドック・ルーション」でもポピュラーです。

The classic topping is duck confit, but it can also be a large sausage. This is Toulouse style sausage, a sausage sometimes found in the Midi-Pyrenees area.

When you travel in the countryside around here, the cassowary encounter rate is very high.

そして、比較的このエリアを旅行してよく見かけて食べる機会が多いものが、[highlight]「砂肝のコンフィ」[/highlight]です。よくサラダのトッピングとして一緒に出されるケースが多かったです。これまた美味。

We received them in Carcassonne and Auch, respectively.

And of course, the wine is delicious. It is cheap. Many of the wines are from the neighboring regions of Aquitaine and Languedoc-Roussillon, but since they are both in Occitania, they are readily available locally.

ちなみに[highlight]「フォアグラ」[/highlight]もこの南西エリアの特産物。

Foie gras is most famous in the Dordogne region of the Aquitaine region, near Périgueux and Sarlat, which is adjacent to the Midi-Pyrénées, so you can find foie gras dishes all over the Midi-Pyrénées. It is less peculiar and easier to eat than the one in Japan, and it is very generous. It is often sold as a souvenir.

Roquefort, one of the three best blue cheeses in the world, is also a specialty of the Midi-Pyrenees region. Sometimes it is eaten directly, and sometimes it is melted and used as a sauce. It is also exquisite.

As you can see, the Midi-Pyrenees is the birthplace of some of the most familiar ingredients and menus in French cuisine.

A treasure trove of beautiful villages!

そして、最後はこの話題。やはり、ダントツの多さを誇る美しい村々。[highlight]全156箇所のうち31の村がこのエリアに存在[/highlight]。そして、これこそミディ・ピレネー最大の魅力だと思っています。

Needless to say, it was the beautiful village tour that made me fall in love with this area. If you are looking for the roots of the good old medieval France, I think Midi-Pyrenees is the area you can’t miss. If you want to find the roots of the good old medieval France, the Midi-Pyrenees is the place to be. It has some disadvantages such as bad traffic and lack of concentration of attractions, but once you get over that, you will be able to enjoy the charm of France again.

ぜひぜひ、南西エリアを！