Tag Archives: Albi

5 Hidden Gems in Southwest France

Posted on 13/08/2016 by

This region contains so much to see and do that it’s easy to visit only the obvious places, those that get the most publicity: the plus beaux villages, the Viaduc de Millau, the better-known markets, the famous festivals. Dig a … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Anniversaires and Albi Revisited

Posted on 14/02/2014 by

Anniversaries were in the air this week. My blog is four years old today. When I started it, I barely knew what a blog was, let alone how to set one up. Thanks to WordPress and a lot of practice, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Personalities, Places | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Rainy Day in Albi

Posted on 31/07/2011 by

It’s not supposed to rain in southwest France in the summer. The odd thunderstorm is acceptable but when the weather is persistently dreary for 10 days you feel cheated. Our visitors from Sweden must have felt especially cheated when they … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Places | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Getting the blues: the pastel trade in southwest France

Posted on 22/05/2011 by

Albi and Toulouse experienced a golden age during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, founded on the trade in pastel dye. I had vaguely heard of pastel (woad) but knew little about it. Visiting and reading up on these places … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, History, Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Pastel Night in Albi

Posted on 15/05/2011 by

Dominique Strauss-Kahn (potential French presidential candidate) is currently taking up the news, but life goes on whatever he has or hasn’t done. So it’s without apologies that I continue to chronicle our life in southwest France, despite the political reverberations that … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, History, Personalities, Places | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments