Ville Rose

I'm in Toulouse for a couple of days before beginning our week at Chateau Dumas. Toulouse, known as the pink city - or Ville Rose - for it's distinctive brick architecture - is one of my very favorite cities - it's large enough to get lost in, but small enough to find your way back home if you wander long enough. I passed through the old winding streets and came upon an old mansion on Rue Velane which housed an antique shop owned by Laure Baudet. Filled with old gilt framed mirrors and pierced metal tables - this was a treasure trove of objects that had all been hand-picked by Laure over the past 30 years. Born in the house, Laure now occupies the mansion and fills it with whatever she likes - and she likes a lot! 18th century chandeliers, hand-carved Napoleonic beds and the occasional stuffed raven and crow. When I stepped into the foyer, I felt like I was home - as if I had just been absent for a very long time. Good antique shops do that to me - they make me feel like I belong - even if I am thousands of miles away from home.  I asked her if she had any old textiles and she told me to come back on Saturday - she would bring down a sack full of old materials that her grandmother used to sew with.  Somehow, someway I need to return on Saturday!