DESTINATIONS TOULOUSE | EUROPE
STAY: MAMA SHELTER TOULOUSE
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Halle de la Machine; Mama Shelter Toulouse; Flight of the Pioneers; Cité de l’espace
PICTURES: Chloé Sabatier/Agence d’Attractivité; Francis Amiand; Manuel Huynh/l’Envoi des Pionniers; Cité de l’espace/Laurent Garcia
Created by a scion of the Club Med dynasty, Mama Shelter hotels combine a wealth of hospitality experience with a desire to do things a little differently, and the new outpost in Toulouse is a perfect example of the brand’s stylish but affordable offering. Conveniently located
DAY ONEi
09.30: Take a stroll along the Canal du Midi to the city’s imposing main station, Toulouse- Matabiau. It’s just a four-minute ride by TER regional train to the suburb of Montaudran, where the city’s connection with aviation began.
10.00: Visit Flight of the Pioneers, a new museum commemorating the trailblazers who spearheaded long-distance flight from Europe (entry €8; lenvol-des-pionniers. com). After the First World War ended, aeronautical engineer Pierre-Georges Latécoère used the former military aircraft and aviators – including aristocratic author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – to carry mail to the French colonies in Africa and South America.
travelweekly.co.uk At the former aerodrome, watch
actors deliver dramatic accounts of their exploits and achievements (in English as well as French). Then test your flying skills on a custom- designed simulator, piloting a Breguet 19 biplane over the desert where Saint-Exupéry crashed – inspiring him to write Le Petit Prince.
11.30: Next door, engineering takes a quirky turn. Street-theatre company La Machine has built a permanent home for some of its mechanical creations, including a gigantic spider and a winged, fire-breathing Minotaur, which paraded through the city streets last year at the exhibit’s launch. Watch operators work smaller machines in the hall, then take a 45-minute ride up and down the former runway on the back of the 15m-tall Minotaur. Finish up with lunch at the Minotaur
Cafe, which overlooks the machines (€16 for entrance and ride;
halledelamachine.fr).
13.30: Just 10 minutes in a taxi – Toulouse has Uber – will take you out of this world, at Cité de l’espace. This extraordinary space museum will give you an insight both into the city’s role – the Mars rover Curiosity was partially developed and piloted from Toulouse, and this is where young French astronaut Thomas Pesquet studied – and into the wider history of space exploration. See a live feed from the window of the International Space Station, journey through the galaxy in the planetarium and learn how astronauts go to the loo in zero gravity. Outside, you can see a real-size model of the Ariane 5 rocket, walk through a prototype
in the old centre, behind an unassuming facade, lies real individuality. Public spaces are key in Mama Shelter hotels, and immediately beyond the reception desk is the pivotal, sprawling bar and restaurant. The ceiling is one giant
chalkboard mural and there’s a living wall, an orange foosball table and bright furniture. It’s a sociable spot, from breakfast time – when you can tuck into everything from Toulouse sausage to granola and green juice – until the early hours, when you can drink your cocktail by the bar, or outside on the large terrace (perfect for balmy summer nights). Upstairs, rooms are simple
but idiosyncratically furnished, with lamps in the shape of Darth Vader’s helmet, pink lighting, and handwritten messages on the mirrors. Book it: From €79 per room per night. ²
mamashelter.com
4 JULY 2019 63
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