Toulouse and Environs

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There have been many highlights during my 2016 trip to France. In fact, I have so many photos, and such wonderful memories, that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks to the fantastically hospitable Bjd, visiting Toulouse and a handful of surrounding villages was quite a treat. I'm sure Bixa will have just as many pictures to post, and probably more descriptions, so hang onto your hats while I begin to scratch the surface of Toulouse and Environs.

I was quite pleased with our hotel which was an Ibis Styles.





It was certainly convenient to the train station across the street, but was still quiet inside.




On our first day Bjd led us on an extensive tour of the city. We saw lots of interesting architecture, including several churches, but the extensive street market was one of my favorite stops.

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I had made a quick side trip into this church before catching a train in 2008, so it was nice to see more of it.




Outside the streets remained interesting.










This reminded me of a film set for that Russell Crow film.

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Lots more to come...

[breeze]

This is new territory for me. Ready and waiting.

[mossie]

Thanks to our indefatigable tourists we will soon have covered all of France. But it is always interesting to see new places.

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Oh, we are just getting started!!!

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There's certainly no lack of interesting sights for this tourist train to visit.






















We spent a fair amount of time along the Garonne. Taking me to see water is always a good thing.

[bixaorellana]

Sooo looking forward to more of this! It's fun to relive that visit and a (somewhat envious) pleasure to see how you zeroed in on beautiful or quirky details I missed. The church interiors are fabulous and you got so many perfect water shots. So far, my favorite picture is the wonderful clutter of shutters one.

[htmb]

Thank you, Bixa. No doubt our different reports will complement each other, and imagine you'll fill in lots of the important information I'm leaving out. We sure had a great time with Bjd!

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On the day we toured Toulouse we walked eleven miles, and rode the métro twice so we saw a lot of Bjd's city. Here are just a few more photos taken mainly near the river and the canal, with some stops in between.

























Clearly, I found the architecture extremely interesting.

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Which Russell Crowe film?

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Most likely one you've never seen, based on a Peter Mayle book.

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The next day Bjd picked us up and we headed to Albi, stopping in a few small towns along the way.

A trio of bad snaps from out the car window....









We stopped first in the pleasant town of Rabastens-sur-Tarn.

[mossie]

Quite a place. I like the alley with the "brocante" sign, that is a word that says to me "broken or cracked china"

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I went to look at my own photo report from 3 years ago, and it's amazing how different people see different things although we have nearly identical photos of a few items. And Bjd's report from 6 years ago is also delightfully different.

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More from Rabastens and the church I believe to be Notre Dame du Bourg with its beautiful painted walls.

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A few more views of Rabastens before we move on.

Here's the River Tarn, just past the church.






















This would be a town to explore more, for sure.

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We moved on past vineyards to the charming town of Lisle-sur-Tarn.




The local cats were waiting to greet us.










I only wish we could have gotten inside one of these buildings.

[bixaorellana]

Htmb, I am totally bowled over! I haven't even seen my own photos of this wonderful day out with Bjd yet, but right now am thinking "why bother?". You have captured so much so beautifully that I can truly say that I'm reliving that magical day all over again. Just as a tiny for-instance, I remember being so taken with the brickwork and buildings in Lisle-sur-Tarn. Your photographs perfectly capture the antique charm and the rich play of sunlight and shadow there. And that last photo, with that beautiful composition and the incredible detail of the wire mirroring the streetlight's spiral? Wow, wow, wow.

[htmb]

Oh, pooh. The more the merrier, I say!

I must mention that at times during the past few weeks I just had to turn off my camera and try hard to absorb what I was seeing. We saw so many wonderful sights that every variation will be worthwhile.

Continuing now with more architectural detail.













Lest we forget, this is the region of France where Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born.

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I really like the church with the red interior.

I also find it fascinating to see all of old brick buildings. The other part of France where the buildings are almost all made of brick are in Picardy and French Flanders, but there is almost nothing from before 1920 since just about everything was destroyed in the Great War.

[htmb]

I bet you would have liked seeing the inside of this next church, too, Kerouac. It was very dark, but my camera lens brightened it up a bit, highlighting hidden corners. I'm sure Bixa has many more photos and has captured lots of detail.

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A quick look inside the beautiful Église Notre Dame de la Jonquière before moving on to our final destination; somewhere I have wanted to visit for a very long time.










Anyone need a quick pit stop before getting back into the car?




The countryside was gorgeous, and we had many glimpses of sunflower fields along the way.










And now, arriving at our final destination: the city of Albi and the Cathedral of Saint-Cécile, purportedly the largest brick structure in the world.




I was unable to capture satisfactory photos of the enormous church exterior.







On one side is the Toulouse-Lautrec museum, which we did not visit.



And here are some of the buildings across the way.

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Of all the churches I've seen on this trip, this one certainly had the most "wow" factor. Apparently it was built for that very reason, to impress upon everyone the power of the Church of Rome.

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The cathedral is so massive, and there is so much detail to take in, that all I could do was gawk.

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I don't recall ever seeing such vivid blues in a church.




A side chapel features a replica of the body of Saint Cécile, the patron saint of musicians.




I did think it a little odd. She certainly looks different from most other replicas where saints are depicted lying rigidly on their backs.







The murals depicting the Last Judgement were quite elaborate. More information may be found here: www.sacred-destinations.com/france/albi-cathedral

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Just a few more cathedral photos.




The main altar certainly sparkled.



















Then it was time to go, which was a good thing because I was having a difficult time absorbing any more information.

[lagatta]

Yes, one does get a dose of church-and-museum fatigue, no matter how breathtaking or intriguing they are. I don't blame you for not taking in the Toulouse-Lautrec museum.

[mossie]

What an overpowering place, they really knew how to lay on the bling in those days.

[htmb]

A good, local friend is worth a fortune and Bjd never failed to show us new wonders, nor did her energy level ever seem to flag. After visiting the cathedral she introduced us to a wonderful little cloistered garden; an oasis in the middle of a very hot, city day.