Today’s plan included a short ride on the Tarn Valley Vélo Route to Albi followed by either a) the Henri de Toulouse-Latrec museum, or b) an out and back in the Tarn gorge. I decided to put the decision off until after I had arrived in Albi. It was a bright sunny day, but the wind had picked up considerably from yesterday. Following the left bank of the river, the scenery was similar to yesterday – flat and not very interesting to the south, with glimpses of the Tarn or hillsides to the north. After a brief stop at Tersac, I arrived in Albi a little past mid-day and considered my options for the afternoon and the following days.
I booked three nights in Albi with the plan of visiting the museum today followed by two days of cycling - the Tarn gorge and a loop to Cordes-Sur-Ciel. The potential snag was the weather. The easterly wind that had battered me pretty well today is expected to be even stronger tomorrow, and rain is predicted for Tuesday. That would make Tuesday the perfect day for the museum, except that it is closed on Tuesdays. I finally decided to put Cordes at the bottom of my priority list and headed out to see the sights of Albi on this bright sunny day. I would be fresh tomorrow to tackle the wind in the gorge, where the steeper hillsides might provide a little protection.
On this day, Albi was bright with colors - blue sky, red brick buildings and pink. Little girls in pink running through the plaza fountains, hesitant yet delighting in their soaking. And pink umbrellas were everywhere, strung on high over the narrow city streets to highlight the fight against breast cancer. I passed through the covered market as they were getting ready to close and arrived in front of Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, said to be the largest brick building in the world. It is truly massive and more than a little austere, save for the elaborate porch and entryway. However, the interior of the church is the complete opposite of austere – a tsunami ornateness and color that overwhelmed me. Choral sounds filled the air while scores of tourists stood or sat silently with audioguides pressed to an ear. It was too much for me to absorb. I left after a taking a few photos, thinking I might return early Tuesday if the rain forecast was accurate.
Departing the cathedral, I went down to the Tarn River, glad at last to be able to stroll along its banks. I eventually made my way up to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, which is housed in the Berbie Palace. I had brought Vincent with me as I knew he would be excited to reunite in spirit with his old friend, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The two had met shortly after Vincent arrived in Paris, when both were studying at Fernand Common’s studio. Henri introduced Vincent to a number of painters and merchants, and even made of chalk pastel portrait of Vincent one evening in 1887 when the two were at a Paris bar - a portrait I saw at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam earlier in this trip.
While Vincent was thrilled, I found the museum tour enjoyable but a little frustrating. The early, pre-Paris works of hunters and animals were quite interesting and it was a treat to see some of his iconic posters. I did make good use of the audioguide that relayed the significance of certain paintings/posters, but was frustrated that the more general information was conveyed only in French. More significantly, many of Toulouse-Lautrec’s works normally housed at the Albi museum are on loan to the Paris Grand Palais, which is currently hosting a large retrospective. I guess that will be on the list of my museum visits after the cycling ends and I return to Paris later this week.
The arches are all that remain of the Roman cloisters that lay between Sainte-Cécile's and the Berbie Palace
The Pont Vieux, or old bridge, one of the oldest bridges in France still in use. Built around 1040, it provided an important link for commerce to the right bank and the development of what is now the suburb Madeleine.
After the museum, we headed back to the hotel where I noshed on lunch leftovers and started thinking about the last few days of my tour. The brake break skewed my schedule a bit, but I’m delighted that I was able to appreciate some of Albi’s splendor on such a wonderful afternoon. And tomorrow, the long-anticipated ride through the Tarn gorge. Fie on the wind.
