Albi - Art and Thunderstorms

The lovely old town of St Antonin

Monday 8 September

After plenty of driving and sight seeing we resolved to have an easy day today and so drove just 50 minutes into the Tarn department to visit the city of Albi which is on the Tarn River.  The road climbs high up from the Aveyron River and then drops down through an area of vineyards (famous Gaillac wines) to Albi.  On a clear day it is possible to see the Pyrenees mountain chain, but this morning the skies were cloudy so no such views for us.  Albi is another rose-brick town which is prettily situated in a wide valley.  We parked in the centre of town, close to the enormous red brick cathedral of St Cecilia.  It is lavishly decorated inside, with painted stone walls like St Pierre cathedral that we visited in Moissac.

Red brick cathedral and entrance to Berbie Palace, Albi

After a good look around we crossed the street to the Berbie Palace which houses the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum.  Henri Toulouse-Lautrec came from an aristocratic family whose chateau is in nearby Lautrec and the museum here has the largest collection of his works.  The Berbie Palace is a magnificent brick castle which is immaculately preserved and shows off the collection so well.  There are lovely views from the windows across the river to the city and the countryside beyond as well as to an intricate and colourful formal garden in the courtyard.

View from the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum across the River Tarn and the city of Albi

We spent ages in the museum which has excellent written guides that provide extensive information about the life and work of Toulouse-Lautrec.  A really superb place to visit in the centre of Albi.
After our visit we found a charming restaurant with a great three course menu for 20 euros and we sat outdoors and enjoyed a delicious lunch, all the while watching the dark thunder clouds roll in (they were forecast).  Before we finished eating the rain came down and the waiters quickly buzzed the electrically operated shades into place as we finished eating to the sound of thunderclaps and raindrops. The rain did not spoil our meal of Coquilles St Jacques a la Breton, steak with Roquefort sauce and delicious desserts.
It seemed as though the rain had set in for the afternoon so we drove back over the hills to St Antonin and enjoyed the rest of the day being lazy at home.  By evening the clouds had moved on and the skies were sunny - with promise of lots of fine weather to come.  Before the sun went down I walked through the town and over the bridge where there are lovely views.

Across the Aveyron to St Antonin

Crossing back over the bridge I stopped to watch an old guy sitting by the river bank, cleaning his catch of fish with a fire ready to barbecue them.  What more could you want!

Fisherman's paradise - St Antonin