Bridges, parks, and springtime sunlight - Garonne, Toulouse, France.

The Pont Neuf (literally - "New Bridge") area houses a green meadow that stretches along the banks of the Garonne river. Right in the middle of the city, it is one of the few places where some peace and quiet can be found away from the busy shopping areas and traffic. I rather enjoyed sitting on the grass with a book, although I was soon distracted by the many activities going on about the meadow and spent the next half hour or so people-watching. It was a lovely spring day, one of the first warm days this year, and the meadow was full of couples, families and young people, the latter of whom had clearly escaped school to enjoy the sunlight. 

The meadow also offers a pleasant view of the bridge itself, which was built in 1659 (so it's not really that new at all!). Note that the bridge is lit up at night - which makes for a stunning sight too. You can also see the older part of Toulouse from the meadow, with its old pink brick buildings, domes roofs and the other bridges dotting the Garonne. The boats passing by also make for interesting watching - and in the summer there are, of course, many, many more of them.

Oxford's less(er) known attractions - Part I

There are a few well-kept "secrets", of sort, in Oxford. These are the places tourists rarely venture into, but they are worth a visit if you feel like seeing/experiencing something slightly different.

The first is a coffee shop called "The Missing Bean" - a place which, I am willing to swear, makes the best coffee in Oxford. Unfortnately, tables are hard to get, as the place is busy pretty much most of the time. But it's worth the wait - their cappuccinos are divine and the barristas are phenomenal. I love to bring a book and sit on the windowsill with a cup of coffee and a slice of carrot cake - especially during those long rainy evenings (conveniently, "The Bean" is open until late - 9 pm).

Most tellingly, it's the place where the Oxfordians get their coffee!

THE MISSING BEAN
14 Turl Street
Oxford, OX1 3DQ
Telephone: 01865 794886

A second place - the University Parks - I came to love after discovering it to be a shortcut from my department to college. The pathways are very pretty and the scenery, especially after snowfall, is gorgeous. The photo on the right was taken on a particularly foggy (and snowy!) afternoon, for example, but during summertime the Parks are an expanse of green lawns and lush trees. A good place for picnics or just a brisk morning walk, a little corner of serenity located near the city center. On summer evenings, the Parks become a flurry of activity, with juggling, cricket and football clubs all using the grounds as practice fields.

UNIVERSITY PARKS
South Parks Road
Oxford, OX1 3RF

Thought not as grand as some of the other Oxford colleges, Green Templeton College, is nevertheless a place worth a visit. It boasts Oxford's first Observatory, built especially for the purpose of studying the transit of Venus. A small graduate college, it has lovely grounds and a sense of "Oxford-iness" despite not being the quintessential "quads and towers" type of college (such as Christ Church and Magdalen, amongst others). If you're lucky, you may also meet Professor Felix Burbank, the very fat, very spoilt, and much beloved college tabby cat.

GREEN TEMPLETON COLLEGE
Woodstock Road
Oxford, OX2 6HG