Albi - the Alphabet Adventures!

We love spending time outside with our boys and enjoy taking them to discover new places around our little corner of France. We hoped that in moving here we would have more time together as a family. Andrew and I had a crazy summer working (to ensure our French adventure continues) but we managed to find time for a day trip when family was down to visit. The Alphabet Adventures is an idea I first came across here, and thought what a great way for finding new places to visit and activities to do! So here we go...

We are starting our adventures in Albi. Situated on the River Tarn visiting Albi for us was what I imagine going back to London will be like. There was traffic, there were people, there were shops, it was busy! It's amazing how quickly we have become accustomed to the slower pace of country life. Reuben didn't understand why we kept stopping the car...it's called a traffic light Reuben, remember those?!

On arrival we headed straight to the old town. A maze of cobbled streets and old medieval houses. We knew that we wanted to take the kids on a boat ride so Reuben with map in hand led us down to the river where we bought our tickets. We got slightly sidetracked buying coffee and had a wander into the indoor market hall where we resisted the counters of cheese, ham, fresh fruit and veg. The kids always find the fish counter fascinating. Look at the size of that fish mummy!

Boat tickets in hand we made our way back to the old town along the river for lunch. Jacob has always been a water baby. He loves watching it, gets in it if he can, and currently has an obsession with pirate ships. The promise of food however enticed him back on track and we found a restaurant near the cathedral. So far this summer we've avoided restaurants with kids as it can be a challenge to get them to sit through a three course meal, but they managed it surprisingly well. We were slightly rushed towards the end as we had to head back down to the river to catch our boat.

We've been pretty public transport deprived since moving to France as we travel everywhere by car. So when we get the chance we like to take the boys on trains, boats or buses, as for them it really is an adventure. We chose the shortest boat trip which took us on a little circle on the Tarn. The tour was in French so we mostly took in the view. The riverside houses were lovely and we felt small as the imposing cathedral followed us around from above.

After lunch Andrew and I managed to lose the children (with grandparents!) and we wandered around the shops until we could walk no more and stopped for a beer in the sunshine. My mum meanwhile took Reuben to the museum of miniatures where they found a collection of little houses and shops!

If you're in the area I recommend Albi as a place to visit. The old town really is pretty to walk around and there's plently to do in a day. I'm sure we'll be back at some point as I would like to visit the cathedral and perhaps take a longer boat trip down the Tarn.

Where have you been recently, or what activity have you done, beginning with the letter A?