I remember arriving at Albi on a local train. The conductor spoke in drawling French, deliberately enough so that I could more easily understand him with the help of a small dictionary. The walk into city center from the station was a hike, a good way to take in the basic layout with amazement at the history evidenced in its architecture and settlement patterns. Beautiful and alive.
Some of Albi's history has been violent -- the Albigensian Crusade, a power struggle pitting the Catholic status quo vs. Cathari "heretics," ended up with the proto-Protestant challengers crushed and many examples made via autos-da-fé, culminating in public burnings at the stake -- but that was eight hundred years ago.
Photo caption: Panorama of Albi, at [an] early time in the morning, featuring the old city and Sainte-Cécile cathedral in the middle, the bridge of 22nd of August 1944 on the left, and the Pont Vieux (old bridge) on the right. Photographer: Benh Lieu Song. Date: June 27, 2009 (Wikimedia Commons).
Today's Rune: Growth.
2 comments:
Very beautiful.
Strangely enough, one member of my writing group is now sharing memoirs of her time in France. Interesting serendipity.
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