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Come to Toulouse to learn French and you'll be joining thousands
of other students studying at its many universities, colleges
and grandes écoles. Perhaps no exaggeration, then, to say
this is the learning centre of the south. And, whilst clinging
onto its age- old architecture and beautiful vieux quartier, it
is also one of France's fastest growing cities and an important
hub of industry and commerce, stemming in part from its strategic
aeronautical position during the wars.
Today, though, Toulouse lies virtually within throwing distance
of the Pyrenees and just a couple of hours from each of the Atlantic
and Mediterranean coasts - within range, we should add, of a warm
Spanish sun sneaking up generously from the south. Hence we have
it that student life does not limit itself to the countless libraries,
bookshops or museums in Toulouse, but instead to the open-air
terraces and attractive park areas. | 
