The Tarn
The landscape in the Tarn is breathtaking. On a hot summer’s day you lounge after a leisurely lunch by the pool, drinking your third glass of Pimms or a local wine from the “Golden Triangle” (an imaginary shape between the points of Cordes-sur-Ciel, Albi and Gaillac, a very highly-regarded and expensive wine region.) The inflatables bob around gently in the early evening breeze as the children play in the field out the back, or you hear the familiar slap, slap, slap of the ping-pong ball hit repetitively on the gravelled courtyard. At the weekends, it is the time of markets and fairs, festivals and parties. Music plays at street corners and through speakers on the corners of historic buildings. The place is buzzing and the people are full of summer cheer and smiles. Scrumptious smells waft slowly through open doors of boulangeries and boucheries, gingham tablecloths flutter briefly in the clean air at road-side cafés. Sun hats and bikinis, long elegant dresses or jaunty shorts, strappy numbers or flip-flops. Summers of fun and laughter, of photos and videos, postcards and souvenirs.
La cathédrale Sainte-Cécile
When you reflect on the jewel of the Tarn, Albi, you might be excused for just thinking of the amazing sites it has to offer. You could visit “La cathédrale Sainte-Cécile”, the largest cathedral in the world made of brick that resembles more a Gothic fortress than a place of worship. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and when you climb the stairs to open the huge door, you would quickly understand why. The colours, the stained-glass windows, the sculptures, all make a visit well worthwhile. If you are lucky enough to be there when they are rehearsing for a concert or mass, (which I have had the good fortune to be on several occasions) you will quickly realise why it is used for concerts all year round, the acoustics are incredible.
Le musée Toulouse-Lautrec
Just by the cathedral is the “Le musée Toulouse-Lautrec”. Albi pays hommage here to the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a post-impressionist painter who was born in Albi. He achieved notoriety in the nineteenth century not only for his work as a painter depicting the dark nightlife of Paris, but also due to his very short stature, and his scandalous and well-reported behaviour. His most famous works were the posters commissioned by “Le Moulin Rouge” cabaret.
Ancient fortified town
Whilst you are in the area, you need to take a wander around the historic centre of the city, and allow yourself to wind around the tight little alleyways between medieval buildings, part of an ancient fortified town. As you continue through the streets you will find yourself in the well-known shopping quarter of the region, full of quaint expensive boutiques. After a long day exploring, you can sit in the large “Place du Vigan” at one of the restaurants and people-watch before going out again to take a walking tour offered by the tourist office, or a “promenade en gabarre” (boat trip) along the river Tarn.
Carnival time
Before we travel in elsewhere in Occitanie, the carnival in Albi is worth a mention. That cheap winter break wouldn’t be complete without experiencing how the whole town comes alive at carnival time. It is the third biggest in France after Nice and Nantes. This year, the 67th edition theme is “put on your masks”. A fanfare of colour, music, feathers, acrobatics and just the weird and the wonderful echoes around the centre of the town, as over two weekends the city centre is gridlocked as the floats go by and the funfair tinkles it’s familiar music loudly. There are rides and food, attractions and laughter. It lightens up the dark cold winter days, and is well worth a visit!
MidLife Crisis In France
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