City Breaks

Seville Episode 02 The Alcazar

The Alcazar is the heart of moorish Seville, perhaps the most beautiful building in the city, although there's strong competition. It captivated later Christian kings like Ferdinand of Castille who moved in and determined to 'die under its roof'. Meet other inhabitants like Pedro the Cruel, who so admired Islamic designs that he borrowed builders from his friend the Emir of Granada and Ferdinand and Isabella who set up their 'Casa de la Contratacion' in the Alcazar and ran their New World Empire from there. Find out what to see and what travel-writers from past ages had to say about this lovely building and its beautiful gardens.

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Seville Episode 01 Introduction

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Episode 01 of City Breaks Seville, which will give you an overview of the city, historically, geographically and culturally and an idea of the material to be covered in the remaining 12 episodes. We hope you will enjoy this series, and maybe feel inspired to plan a visit to lovely Seville. Or perhaps you have already been and will enjoy reminiscing. Either way, we hope you will love our 'virtual visit'!

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Toulouse Episode 09 Gastronomy

Gastronomy is a definite highlight of a visit to Toulouse and not just because it's the home of cassoulet. Of course we'll look at the legends behind that warming dish and get as far as we can on what might be in the highly secret recipe, but we mustn't neglect Toulouse sausages, the great duck versus goose debate, the many uses of violet as a flavouring or such sweet treats as the apricot-and-almond delight which is fénétra. And then there's the wine. Obviously. We’ll hear too from writers who lingered in the Languedoc and wrote enticingly about the delicious morsels and gargantuan feasts they savoured.

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Toulouse Episode 08 Carcassonne and Toulouse Lautrec

Two ideas for easy excursions from Toulouse. First, the medieval citadel of Carcassonne, silhouetted against the skyline on a million postcards, whose romantic exterior belies an often gruesome history. And secondly, the equally beautiful city of Albi which boasts not just a unique medieval heritage, and a gorgeous gothic cathedral, but also the Musée Toulouse Lautrec. Here you can learn about the life of the artist who grew up in Albi before he set off to Paris to paint some of that city's most iconic artworks. The museum here has over 200 of his paintings and posters, plus a large collection of his drawings.

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Toulouse Episode 07 The Canal du Midi

What more idyllic escape from city-centre Toulouse than to potter up the Canal du Midi on foot, by bike or – best of all – in a boat? Hear how ‘Europe’s biggest public works project since the fall of the Roman Empire’ came to be opened in 1681, and find out what there is to see along its banks, just day-out distance from Toulouse. Enjoy the reminiscences of writers who describe sailing down it as ‘motoring though an impressionist painting’ or drifting lazily through ‘a land of sunflowers, wheat fields, vineyards, ancient cities with red-tiled rooves, crumbling ruins wrapped in mystery.’

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Toulouse Episode 06 Art and Architecture

We start with a tour of some of the 'hotels particuliers' which are such a feature of Toulouse architecture, finding out what kind of houses the city's elite built themselves once money and political power had come their way. Then we visit a variety of art galleries, large and tiny, to discover the wonderful range of goodies on offer, from Roman remains to cutting edge photography, taking in plenty of medieval sculpture, 'Golden Age' paintings and oriental treasures en route, while not forgetting to pass by 'one of France’s best contemporary museums' too. Meet some local artists-made-good and a host of internationally famous ones as well.

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Toulouse Episode 05 Museums (from woad to outer space)

The story of Toulouse's museums tells us what has been most important in shaping the city. We visit 9 institutions, starting with Terre de Pastel, where you can discover how woad brought fabulous wealth to 15th century Toulouse and ending at La Cité de l'Espace which celebrates the city's massive contribution to space travel. Along the way you'll hear how a love-stuck Genoese soldier brought the first violets to Toulouse, how the pilot of the earliest night mail flights to South America turned novelist and wrote about his adventures and how the work of monks caring for medieval pilgrims led to today's renowned Oncopole cancer research centre

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Toulouse Episode 04 The Resistance

The fascinating ‘Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation is tucked away near the Jardin des Plantes. Its detailed displays of documents, photographs and memorabilia pay tribute to the bravery of the many Résistants who did all they could to work against the German occupation of the city from 1942-44. It also bears witness to the terrible fate of many of the city’s Jews, deported from Toulouse to the concentration camps. Hear about the places in Toulouse which tell us more about the period and the people whose bravery should be related to each new generation.

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Toulouse Episode 03 The Capitol

The elegant pink façade of the Capitol, Toulouse’s town hall, which overlooks the magnificent Place du Capitole, is the city’s best-known symbol. Hear about some of its key historical moments, including executions to prove a point and the slaughter of one religious group by another. Then find out what to look out for on a visit, including paintings recalling Toulouse’s great moments, such as a visit from Pope Urban II and the defeat of Simon de Montfort. Plus busts of the citizens of whom the city is most proud, including the mathematician Fermat (of last theorem fame) and Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer who built the Canal du Midi.

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Toulouse Episode 02 Churches and Troubadours

First, a tour of the main churches in Toulouse. The Basilique St Sernin was founded after the Bishop of Toulouse was martyred by being dragged through the streets tied to a bull. The Couvent des Jacobins is a one-time centre of the Inquisition against heretics and also the burial site of a saint who never visited the city. Find out too about the Cathars whose pious, very particular, take on Christianity so enraged the established church that the Pope sent crusaders to ‘Kill them all.’ Then hear about the troubadours, wandering poets who shunned Latin and wrote in the Occitan language, thus proving their independence of mind.

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