A UNIQUE DAY OUT - ALBI

When we last visited Lautrec in the Tarn I was disappointed to find Henri Toulouse .... was not born there and therefore the village makes no song and dance of his existence, but a pleasant visit it was none the less, it is quite pretty by the usual standards (of decrepitude) around these parts with some interesting architecture. It was coming up to Christmas and we vowed to return in the summer when there would be more life about the place.

With our visitors last week, who like to look around cathedrals, Albi seemed a good idea as a destination and so we detoured to take in Lautrec, there wasn't much more going on but they enjoyed the dander around the mediaeval streets and up to the windmill.

Something different spotted in Lautrec.

Onwards to Albi, on what turned out to be the one completely dry, indeed glorious (weather wise) day of their holiday. We arrived just in time to have lunch and then headed for the cathedral. I love this cathedral, because of it's stunning paintwork, most people rave about the incredulous dimensions that brickwork can achieve with the height of it's walls, but it's the paintwork for me. And I'm not talking about the usual scenes of doom and gloom, redemption and salvation, no it's the fascinating geometrics that adorn all the walls. Is this style commonplace and I just haven't come across it? Is it of the area? (not in Lautrec church anyway). I am captivated by the patterns - and patterns - and more patterns. Currently it is being spruced up so the colours are beginning to really sing. So by summer 2018 a return trip to a livelier Lautrec and on to see the completed paint job? maybe?

But what will never be repeated is what happened next.......

we then had a dander around the town and returned to the underground  car park to find the access door closed and a sign stating it would reopen at 9pm, 5 hours time! When you have already done the sights that's a long time to fill. The reason for this disruption was obviously something to do with the temporary staging and security fencing erected in the place above the car park, quite notible when we arrived and we assumed it was for some music event that night - when we would be long gone.  We circled the square trying 2 other points of access and slowly it became apparent that it wasn't music we were in for but a political rally for presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron. I asked a few security guards if there was any chance of  getting in ... and then getting out, but each passed us on to another point around the place. We returned to the initial doorway, it then became apparent that Husband who had been leader of our little band hadn't actually tried to open the door, just read the sign and obeyed orders, I rarely obey orders and with a good shove the door opened, viola, there's the car, in we get and drive towards the exit. Exit man says non, non, non there is no way out - I say oui, there is, the lumps of concrete the police were depositing at each access road had gaps left between them so emergency services could get into the place and us, I hoped, a path ouO. OK if we can get out of the place, he would raise the barrier and let us out of the parking - so I went to investigate. I walked up the car exit ramp to discover where the exit was actually located, something that had baffled us when we were circumnavigating the place. It emerged right within the inner security sanctum. I was the only non police/secuity person/designated Macron aide with pass around their neck, just me, ordinary person who mercifully didn't look like any terrorist profile, so wasn't immediatly wrestled to the ground, indeed completly ignored. Over to the gate security, would they move the wire fence panel for us 'to get back to Ireland' funnily enough NON oh well I'd tried, a late night in Albi it is then.

T shirts at the ready, we managed to get all the colours.

Well the time flew by, we enjoyed people watching, chatting to the Ajazira film crew who set up beside us, scrambling to the front of the mass to snatch our free 'En Marche' t-shirts and tricolour. And finally see the 'great man' himself - we thanked goodness it hadn't been a Marine LePen rally. Following in his predecessors' footsteps he is another 'wee tote' president, but boy can he work a crowd, we moved to the side of the stage where unfortunately being small he was obliterated by his signing for the deaf assistant from our view point, but I had seen him, in the flesh walk on at the begining - woo ho! 

Finally we escaped the carpark (we weren't the only ones caught out) and actually felt quite fortunate that we had made the faux pas as it really had resulted in a 'Grand Day Out'!

Soaking up the festive atmosphere on a beautiful evening - the blue bit is the back of the stage, the crowd to the right lined up against the security barrier I had been inside - just 2 more hours to go!