Why We Are Turning Pink ?
There is a certain romanticism in a plan when you are searching for the location in France which we would call home. You spend hours on YouTube, keep dozens of bookmarks saved in your browser, and build a vision of a specific balcony in a specific city. For a long time, for us, that city was Montpellier. It was our first French crush: sun-drenched, elegant, and close to the Mediterranean. We imagined ourselves riding our bikes to the sea.
But a move like this isn't just about finding a beautiful place to visit; it’s about finding a place to be.
As we dug deeper into the logistics of our new life, we looked at Lelaine’s continuation of her doctoral research, teaching opportunities, and writing. I looked at my love of woodworking and ceramics, thinking about taking on a new class, a new hobby, or just getting deeper into what I already know. We started to notice a different city calling to us from the southwest. A city known as La Ville Rose (The Pink City).
Place du Capitole
We’ve always promised to keep this journey authentic, which means admitting when our perspective shifts. Montpellier is stunning, and for many, it is the ultimate destination. But as we looked at our own "life left to live," we realized we weren't quite ready for the slower, sun-baked pace of a retirement-friendly coastal hub. We wanted energy. We wanted a bit more of a "working" city.
Why Toulouse?
It started with the climate. While we love the sun, the reality of the intensifying Mediterranean summer gave me a short pause. I don’t function my best in a very hot summer. Toulouse offers a slightly milder breath of air and a rhythm that feels a bit more sustainable for the long haul.
Then, there is the heartbeat of the city itself. Toulouse is a place of movement. It’s a university town which creates a vibrant, younger energy that feels contagious. It is a major industrial hub for aerospace and Airbus, not to mention the excellent art, music, and food scene.
For Lelaine, the academic landscape and the wealth of teaching opportunities felt like a door swinging wide open. For me, the history of the city, the craftsmanship in the region, and the incredible culinary heritage felt like something was calling.
The Feeling of "Yes"
One of the most surprising things we discovered was the warmth of the Toulousains. There is a legendary friendliness here, a "village" feel within a major city. We found ourselves drawn to the active expat groups and the fact that, while we are committed to learning French, the international presence in Toulouse provides a soft landing. It’s a place where we feel we can contribute and grow.
The more we learned about the city, the more we felt something pulling us there. It is hard to explain that feeling. You find a city and you think, "Yeah, that is pretty cool," and you keep looking. Then you find another one and you just stop a little longer. You study it a little bit more, gather more information, and all of a sudden you are trying to picture yourself on a street.
Can I live there? Can I walk those streets? Can I be part of that community? The answers kept going: yes, yes, yes. OK. Let’s do it.
The Pencil and the Eraser
Changing our destination hasn’t felt like losing Montpellier; it’s felt like finding ourselves. It’s a reminder that plans are not written in stone. They are written with a pencil, with an eraser lying on the table, ready to adjust as you learn and as you find out more about yourself.
Airfare changed and tickets are updated. May 13th is the departure day, and we arrive on the 14th in Toulouse. We are officially trading the blue of the Mediterranean for the terracotta pink of Toulouse. We will still have water around us, which is really important to both of us, including the river Garonne and the Canal du Midi.
We can’t wait to take you there with us. It will be fun, we are sure of that. At least, we hope it will be!