October 15, 2019
Idling in Albi
Cathedrals and Shutters
The rain woke me at 5:15 am, a steady hard rain that did not bode well for a planned loop to Cordes-Sur-Ciel. Still, I was down for breakfast by 8:00 in the hopes that weather might improve. By 9:00, I’d given up thoughts of riding and headed out to learn more about the Sainte-Cécile Cathedral. I arrived about 10 minutes before the actual opening, and sat nearly alone in the darkened church – there was one other visitor and two men who were getting ready to open the small ticket office selling audioguides and visits to the choir. I almost immediately discovered that I had not put the memory card back in my camera, so I sat listening to the choral music and taking in my surroundings. Finally I left, deciding that this was not to be a day to dive into the history and meaning of the Cathedral and her works of art. My decision was reinforced as I exited the church an encountered a throng of people blocking my way.
I headed over to the covered market to replenish my cheese supply and had a wonderful exchange with the cheese monger. Some of his family moved to Michigan years ago, and he is a huge fan of the Detroit Tigers. He even took out his phone and showed me a picture of himself at in Tiger Stadium. He was such a kind and happy fellow, and he gave me a little bonus of comté to keep me strong while riding my bike.
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The sun came out briefly in the afternoon and I headed across Pont Vieux to the Madeline suburb of Albi, hoping to get some interesting photos of Albi, the Cathedral and the Berbie Palace. Looking for a good vantage point, I headed up a street parallel to the river but found that the private houses lining the street were keeping the views to themselves. I then made my way to the Church of Sainte-Madeline d’Albi, which dominates the skyline of Madeline. Similar to a lot of buildings on this side of the Tarn, the church was in poor repair. There was a notice of an upcoming concert to be held inside, but the door to the church was locked. And there was no view of Albi. A bit frustrated, I was drawn to some of the more upbeat things about the town – shutters. Especially those brightly painted shutters that provide a nice contrast with the red-hued buildings so common in this region. I did end up getting a pretty good perspective of Albi and her iconic landmarks while crossing back over the Tarn on the newer bridge, Pont Neuf or Pont du 22 Août, 1944
In lieu of any cycling or any otherwise productive activity, I post some results of my foto-fixation during a day idling in Albi. I’m back on the road tomorrow, and trust that the stories and pictures will be a bit more diverse.
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Also sorry to see your tour drawing to a close. I’ve really enjoyed your journal and photographs. Thanks for taking us along!
4 years ago
4 years ago