Worthwhile day trip to Albi

It was our plan all along to make a day trip to Albi while in Toulouse, but we both agonized over it because the train ride was going to cost 50 euros. I am sure this probably wouldn't even make it our most expensive day trip, but it certainly seemed high compared to ridiculously low cost of the regional bus transfers (1 to 3 euros). We did even find a bus alternative, but we would end up spending more time transporting than in Albi.

So, we decided to finally give blablacar.com (ride sharing) a try. Our previous hesitations were confirmed the evening before -- our driver canceled the trip! We ended up going to Albi on the train, but were determined to use blabacar and rode back to Toulouse in a Citroën C3 with a very simpatica sociology professor from Toulouse university -- what an edifying ride!

Albi itself is beautiful. Their resplendent cathedral is more worthwhile than all the rest of churches we saw in France put together. The Toulouse-Lautrec Museum is a very good single artist museum. Having missed Toulouse-Lutrec at the NCMA years ago, and again last year in Bilbao, I could now say -- I am not much a fan.

Waiting for our train to Albi at Toulouse-Matabiau Station.


On the train.


As we walk from Albi-Ville railway station to town, we immediately see brick buildings.


Soon the Cathedral is poking out above the trees into the hazy morning.




We first head to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum as it closes for 2 hours for lunch. Yikes! But the ticket is good all day so we can go back when they reopen if needed. Here's a self-portrait painted when Henri was 16.


The museum is located in the former Bishops' Palace.


It's a very good museum; English language info, comfortable; and a good job of presenting HTL's life, paintings, and posters.












The Bishops' Palace sits below the Cathedral (seen here) and has a garden and views towards the Tarn River.


The Garden with Palace at right.


We ate our picnic lunch in front of the Market Hall.




On to the Albi Cathedral (aka Cathedral Basilica of Saint Cecilia). Spectacular! At one end of the Cathedral is an enormous Last Judgement below the organ.




The deep blue ceiling frescoes lead ones eye to the elaborate choir screen.




These expressive atlantes hold up the pulpit.


Into the choir. The choir gate used to separate the clergy and the holies from the worshipers, now it separates the ticketed from the ticketless although IMO it's definitely worth 6 euros.


Prophets, Saints, and Disciples ring the choir. Saint Judith.






Inside the choir looking back towards the nave.




Daniel.


Angels.


Back into the nave.




We walked down to the Tarn River and across the old bridge to get a view back to the old town.








And then back across and up to Saint Salvi.




The Saint Salvi Cloister was intimate and down-to-earth.


More walking through the old town.


Sun-Ling remarked that this small lane was her image of a French town before we took this trip.


We waited for Maria and her blablacar at the base of the Cathedral Tower.


And a final shot of the Cathedral, the largest brick building in France they say.

Carcassonne did not disappoint

When I read that Carcassonne, a walled medieval village, is the 2nd (to the Eiffel Tower) most visited place in France, "overrated" alarm bells went off all over the place in my head. Now I know their popularity is not unjustified.

Once again, we had awful weather, rain/wind/cold. In fact, we hid in our apartment for 20 hours before venturing out. Only the week before I was wondering how we were going to kill two nights in Carcassonne. Luckily the bad weather warded off the hordes. A fan of old city walls, I loved all the towers and ramparts. The place was very atmospheric. I could feel myself transported in time, in books...

When the weather was nicer the second day, it was a different place.... Not to mention the outrageous installation art. I was forewarned -- the ridiculous thing appeared in the my news reader the week before Otherwise, I might have suffered shock. Every time I walked by, I had to stick my hands in the pockets to contain my urge to sabotage.


Photographs of the Cité de Carcassonne, the old walled city. Here's the city wall near the Narbonne Gate.


Narbonne Gate.


Between the Outer Wall and the Inner Wall.




The artist Felice Varini has painted (actually pressed yellow aluminum) onto the Cite Walls. From a certain spot, one sees concentric circles, thus the title of the work, "Cercles concentriques excentriques". From other vantage points, one gets an "eccentric" view like this.




The Chateau (foreground) and Church (back) are both inside the walls.


There are 52 towers, these three are from the Roman Era.


Great views to the new town, established the 13th century, below.


We get closer to the "concentric" view.






Voila!




And then moving away down the hill.






And on the pavement we spot some yellow remnants of an installation from his Linear Period.


And looking back to the Old City Walls from across the Old Bridge.




Some Trompe-l'œil in the New City.


A series of night views.


















The next day, our train was at 14:00 so walked a few kilometers east on the Canal Du Midi, turning around at a set of locks at the edge of town.






Some "lock action" video.


If the video does not play, click here.

There is just enough time to walk up through the city walls one more time.






Deco-ish house seen on the walk to the train station.


The new town.


Waiting for the TGV at Gare de Carcassonne.