Toulouse 2026 : Raúl’s view (Day 1)

My name is Raúl Deamo and I’m from Barcelona. This is my third international symposium and my first one as a correspondent. I’m very excited to be here in Toulouse. Gaël, Ivan and I are the three correspondents. Some people from staff call us “the Three Musketeers.” This is our outfit and the pieces of advice we got today:

Today is the first day. I get up early and go to cover a very special activity: the instructors’ meeting. It’s a place where all the instructors and staff come together to meet each other. There are team-building activities where they exchange ideas about teaching at the symposium. Instructors have their own doubts and they help each other.

After the meeting, the staff and instructors go on a guided tour of the city. This is called the Faculty Tour. We split into three groups. Mine is with Marina, a nice and helpful guide from the Toulouse Tourist Office.

She knows a lot about the city’s history, and we learn a lot about Toulouse and its origins. We visit three iconic and historical buildings of the city: Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Chapelle des Carmélites, and Capitole de Toulouse.

At each place we have enough time to enjoy ourselves, chat, and sketch. Today is very hot (there’s a heat wave all week), so we are always looking for shade and cooler indoor spots to sit and draw. At the Capitole de Toulouse I choose to sketch the awesome ‘Salle des Illustres’. Here, people who are really from Toulouse can celebrate their wedding… for free!

Near the Capitole we have lunch at Le Bibent restaurant: a fancy place with tasty local cuisine and French wines. I speak with the other correspondents and a few instructors, all sharing the same table. We also look at each other’s sketchbooks while having lunch.

In the afternoon it’s time for registration. Meanwhile, we correspondents take the opportunity to finish our sketches and help Ivan record a video showing the contents of the goodie bags.

At 7:30 p.m., the opening reception begins in the main auditorium of the Pierre Baudis Congress Center.

The staff, the local group, the volunteers, the correspondents, and all the people who make this symposium possible speak on stage. There is also a recognition for the sponsors. We learn some tips and typical things about Toulouse.

After the ceremony, we all drink, eat, and chat with old friends and new ones. And after spending all day sketching, many people are still sketching now… yes, we’re all addicted!