My brother Nate came back through Toulouse after spending about a month backpacking through Europe. He was less jet-legged this time around and got to participate in some of my team's activities. The highlights of his second visit were going on a hike near the Spanish border (and then having a jam session afterward) and taking a day trip to Carcassonne. 

France has a carpool system called covoiturage, which we used to get to get to and from the fortified city. It is pretty nifty. Drivers and prospective passengers can post their itineraries on the website along with the price per passenger. Then passengers can sign up with drivers (and vice-versa). You get a code to give to the driver (which they have to enter in on the site to get paid). It worked well for us, and we made some new friends, including a pet ferret with which we shared the backseat on the return trip. 

I could write a short novel about how much it meant to me to have my brother visit, experience a bit of my life and meet some of my friends and teammates, but, instead, I made a slideshow. Enjoy!

It is officially spring in France, and a great time to go hiking (faire la randonée). Often our team has formal sorties (outings) to go skiing, hiking or head to the beach. This time around we were more informal and each invited a couple friends to join us for a hike up a mountain in a nearby village. 

We explored a couple caves thanks to the flashlight app on Assad's iPhone. Next time, I will remember my headlamp!

Spring turned to "fall" for this part of our hike in the woods. Don't we look like a fun bunch?!

The beauty of this view couldn't be captured in a photo.

What? You mean we have to walk back down the mountain too? According to Michael, more people die on the way down than the way up (don't worry, we all made it back down alive).

One thing I am appreciating about living in France is actually enjoying spring. I forget sometimes how much hope spring brings.