I arrived in Albi yesterday afternoon and will be leaving for Toulouse in the morning. I am staying with couchsurfing hosts Dan and Bettina, a couple in their early 50's with 3 grown children from other marriages. They live in a wonderful rustic converted barn on the edge of Albi (Dan has done all of the work on the house. Bettina is of German descent and teaches French as a second language to refugees/immigrants. Dan works in a heating/plumbing company. Their friend Carmen was visiting - a Spaniard who grew up in German and teaches German in high school. Bettina took us for a walk around the medieval parts of Albi yesterday afternoon - we even broke in on 2 weddings in some of the more historic and beautiful buildings. The four of us at dinner late at their house and then went out at 10 for a free Celtic music concert with dancing.
Bettina and Dan were busy so I toured Albi on my own. Albi has a huge cathedral. I'll talk more about it when I dedicate a blog to the Cathers - there is a link with Hildegard of Bingen as she was in favor of suppressing this "heretical sect." The other big presence in Albi is Toulose-Letrec. He was born here of an inbred aristocratic family and his museum has many early sketches and show the development of his work. And the location is also beautiful - the former bishop's palace with sculptured gardens along the banks of the Tarn River. On Sat. we saw a bridal party that came there to take their pictures.
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