Toulouse and Albi

We arrived at Toulouse, checked our bags into our hotel and went straight back to the station to go to Albi.  I was so excited to come here, having spoken about it to a couple of people who have lived or visited here.  Unfortunately and contrary to the internet information, the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum and the Palais de Berbie are closed on Tuesdays!  We also tried the Museum of  Laperouse, but it had just shut for lunch. We has a fascinated look through the Cathedral of St Cecilia - so amazing.  We also wandered around checking out the old bridges and town walls.  Enjoyed it all and headed back to Toulouse.  Toulouse is a big town, about the size of Brisbane, with very little to interest the tourist.  Rather than spend Wednesday and Thursday there we opted for an earlier train this morning, to Bordeaux.  Now this town is more like it, for tourists!  We arrived, checked in, had lunch and have walked I don't know how many kilometres. A beautiful fountain without the water running and the circus packing up to leave town. Down along the river Garonne, then through lots of streets to find an old interesting building that we could see from the river.  It turned out to be a monument to St Michael - patron saint of police. Disgusting to see human shit on a 700 year old shrine! Right next to it was the church of St Jacques de Compostelle.  Ring any bells Tina & John?  Yes!  There were the shells in the pavements leading us to it!  By the way, once we left the river to find St Michael's tower, we were in the thick of Hallal Butchers and fresh fruit & vegetables stalls and shops that sold middle eastern costumes and goods, with lots of swarthy men sitting & walking about.  This area is obviously not included in the town's plan to clean the building facades to make it all look nice!  Most of them were black and grimy.