France: Albi Day 2

 Sunday

It’s a leisurely start on Sunday morning. We are loitering outside Maison du Vieil Alby by about ten and they open a little later. It’s supposed to be the oldest house in Albi and is the base for the Association which defends the heritage of Albi. There are also some reproductions by a local painter, Cordoba, including the famous Bosch.

After that we go to the Cathedral for Sunday mass. What with the poor acoustics and my poorer French I only understand the credo because I have it written in front of me. But it’s an opportunity to absorb the atmosphere and listen to the splendid organ which, finally, at the end, is also illuminated. After that, we go to the Town Hall which is open for the Heritage days. There’s not much to see but what with a stroll around Albi it’s soon time to get back to base for an uninspiring lunch of the overripe tomatoes and some pasta that came with us, enlivened only by some mouthfuls which Andrea concocts with tomato, bread, goat cheese and avocado. 

After a rest we go for another stroll around Albi. Our first stop is at the Saint-Salvi Collegiate church where there is a concert by the beautiful young Chinese violinist Lisa Yang. It’s suggestive in the church, but the pieces of music are quite short and nothing we recognize. We were late in, but half an hour is enough.

We go out the back way to see where it takes us and go back to wandering Albi. After that our main objective is the ice-cream we glimpsed before - Glaces Trempées. Whippy ice-cream then dipped head first into the molten chocolate of your choice. A ‘simple’ cone is 4.50 and we have one each. It’s good, for the contrasting texture, although I’m pleased we found a table because it would have been a challenge to eat it standing up without dropping bits down me. We move to a bench outside the cathedral and then have another look at the choir area inside. There are a few tourists about but not many.

We are still in the mood for strolling so walk in the direction of the modern theatre, imposing but closed and then onwards to the well manicured Jardin du Rochegarde. I’m impressed by the adventurous and successful choice of plants, not just as flowers but also as foliage. The displays are very attractive. People are lying on the grass and reading, or strolling, and the temperature is very pleasant. We walk back through Jardin national and then back to base. We like Albi!!