Urban Outfitters

I grew up in suburbia. And Phil did too (although he'll tell you a good story about growing up on a farm and his favorite song is "A Country Boy Can Survive"). So I can say, without a doubt, Toulon, our current city, is much more urban than any place we've ever lived.

Toulon is not one of the largest cities in France. There are 170,000-ish people who live within the 16.5 square miles that make up the city...However, a quick comparison to other cities I know well...Columbus, Ohio, for instance--has four times as many people, but they have thirteen times as many square miles making up the city. Jacksonville, Florida, for instance---also has four times as many people living within the city limits, but they have fifty-fives times as much space within the city limits. All this to say, the city of Toulon isn't very big (we can drive across the city in ten minutes)...but compared to other places it has a much higher population density.

Here are some of the issues that make it feel so much more urban on a daily basis. Every place is crowded. The green space in Toulon is very limited, although there are some good playgrounds. We are surrounded by tons of apartments. In order to go the super market I have to park in a parking garage. In order to go other places in the city, you have to allow extra time to park because in general parking is very limited, and sometimes it seems like our Subaru Outback is the equivalent of a Hummer compared to the Renaults, Citroens, and Fiats on the road. And traffic during the week can be infuriating.

But living the city life has positive aspects to it as well. I've been able to take the bus the morning markets and mall a couple of times. It costs 1.40 Euro each way (kids are free), and for a Wednesday, Lily's day off school, she thinks it is the most exciting adventure ever.

(Here are some pictures from a morning bus ride)

This is the bus stop closest to our house--it's about a quarter mile walk away from us.
I promise I do wear makeup---but on this cloudy day, I didn't particularly feel like it.
Our bus fare ticket
The twelve minute bus ride takes us here... the bustling daily market in Le Mourillon (a "neighborhood" within the city limits of Toulon)
And I couldn't resist this picture--what you can't see from this angle of the picture is the age of the woman. I would guess in her seventies---wearing a fur, leopard print coat, and short skirt to the market on a rainy day. And who wouldn't wear heels to grocery shop??? This is why some days I don't wear makeup--I can't even begin to keep up with this!

It's taken me two months to be able to say this (I had to get over my initial disappointment of not finding a house in Hyères) but I'm coming to realize that we're experiencing the best of "a city life" and the suburbia we're used to. Our house, with a yard, is on a very quiet, dead-end street with mostly single family homes on it--the suburbia we love. And yet we can easily walk to bus stops, Lily's school, the beach, and a favorite pizza kitchen and a bakery - tastes of an urban life we are beginning to appreciate.