Today started yesterday, with excessive wind. Whilst it’s often windy on Tenerife, an inevitable consequence of island living, it doesn’t normally affect us too much. As we drove to TFS, we watched with some concern when several landing flights could be seen aborting and trying again. Flightradar24 showed an Air France flight that gave up after two attempts and went to Gran Canaria instead – we felt for those whose holiday got off to a bumpy start.
Our flight was showing as 30 mins delayed, so we had a bit longer in the lounge, before trundling down to the gate. Within minutes they announced our incoming plane had been diverted to TFN and we should wait until they decided what to do – bus us there or something else. In the end, it was something else and two hours later we are sat in a different plane, not the one we should have used. We manage to be the first on though!
The backlog meant we sat for ages, it was approaching three hours delay before we set off for Toulouse. We landed with just two minutes to the car-hire closing time. I hot-footed straight there (no immigration needed) and just made it with the good will of the car-boys who had waited for us. Another group just arrived in time too. Mark arrived much later with the suitcase.
An hour later we arrive in Albi and find our hotel just after midnight, such a long and trying journey which should have been easy.
After breakfast we head north to the river Tarn, cross over and view the old pasta factory, now an hotel, overlooking the weir and an ancient bridge dating back to 1040. Currently undergoing works, it looks a bit odd but it’s age gives an inkling to how ancient and interesting the city of Albi is.
We wander around the northern, or right bank, for a while, past a peaceful cemetery, dark church and the railway bridge, before crossing the old bridge to the old city.
We take a quick wander around the bishop’s palace grounds, we will return here another day. Within a few minutes we bump into Michelle, our friend and mother of the groom, the reason we’re in a town we’ve never heard of or been to before, have a quick chat and then go our separate ways, plenty of time to catch up later.
The cathedral is stunning, an enormous building dating back to 1282, it is an absolute work of art with Rennaisance frescos on every surface. Built of brick, it has the curious distinction of being the biggest brick building in the world. We visit the treasury, find some bits of the church’s patron saint, Ste Cecile or Cecilia (which is fascinating as we used to work on St Cecilia Street!) and then tour the choir, with its intricate stonework. A wander round the nave, finding a new alter at the top created in 1980, directly under the organ, quite an unusual design.
Moving on we wander the streets of the old town, visit the modern (only 1901) marketplace, another ancient church and cloisters, St Salvy, before deciding it’s lunch time back in the square where we met Michelle earlier. We enjoy Cæsar and House salads, mine has pâté foie gras and magret de canard fumé, both are fabulous.
Our walk takes us past many interesting and ancient buildings, some interesting birth-places including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, which is why we will return to the bishop’s palace, now a museum to him. After a very late night and poor sleep, we’ve had enough and return to our room for a while, but then decide to go out again for a walk the opposite way, which has a fortunate consequence – yes, ice cream, and we find free parking so move the car from the expensive car park we used last night.
Soon it’s time to shower and dress for dinner, we are joining the wedding party for a pre-wedding day dinner this evening In town.
We all meet at Le Pontié, just a couple of minutes away, so we’re early and it takes a while before the lovebirds and family all turn up. We’re OK with our Chardonnay until they are settled. We share a lamb dish, supposedly shoulder for two but it’s a shredded whole leg of lamb, slow cooked, which we share between us and uncle John, we enjoy it immensely. Once the family is dispatched we order profiteroles and crêpes Suzette – both are scrummy.
