colonnades and statues above and horizontal stripes of red and white below, this has been the town’s administrative centre since 1190. The building has been embellished over the centuries to become a vast edifice housing an enormous theatre, the town hall, the Tourist Information Centre, the Registry Office and much else besides.
Seek out La Maison de la Violette on the east side of town on the Canal du Midi. Hélène Vié’s violet and green houseboat is the fruit of 20 years’ work reviving the fortunes of the Toulouse Violet. On the top deck violets are grown for sale during the flowering season from October to April. Below deck, shelves are straining under violet conserves, mustards, salts, sugars, honeys and liqueurs, as well as perfume, incense and scented candles. Try a violet cream tea. Delicate little pastries melt into creamy fragrance, served with a large pot of – you guessed it - violet tea.
http://www.toulouse-visit.com/
Below deck, shelves are straining under violet conserves,
Three Romantic Weekends in France for Valentine's Day
Madame Christine Calas, Grand Master of the Violet Brotherhood (la Confrérie de la Violette).