Upon returning to Poland and telling my professors that I had spent the holidays in Paris and Athens, my professor of metaphysics said to me, “Those trips sound okay, but if you want to do something really worthwhile, then you should visit Toulouse because that is where Thomas Aquinas is buried.”

Not more than a month later, I booked an AirBnB 238 metres from the Church of the Jacobins and went to see Aquinas’ tomb.

Here was my petite chambre tranquille.

I had one full day in Toulouse. First I attended mass at the Basilica of Saint-Sernin. Then, I spent much of the day walking up and down Rue de Taur. I was enchanted by this charming street on which I enjoyed a crepe at Le Sherpa. Then I strolled between the several chocolate shops, cafes, and bookstores. I even recall taking out a notebook that I have since lost in which I scribbled a vivid description of that street and its passers by.

Toulouse is a hidden gem I would not have discovered if not for my metaphysics professor daring me to get close to the relics of the thirteenth century Doctor of the Church whose feast day it is today.