During our trip in  France, in May 2015, we  visited  many places.  The very lovely town of Cordes-sur-Ciel.   The fortified town was built in 1222 by Raimon VII, the  Count of Toulouse,  who, though not a  Cathar , tolerated what other Catholics considered a heresy. Since the late    20th  century,   the village has become a popular tourist destination. Until 1993, the town’s name was Cordes, a word thought to come from the Indo-European  root  “corte” meaning “rocky heights.”    That year, it was renamed Cordes-sur-Ciel, to indicate its height above the clouds over low-lying areas of the valley.

Foie gras is a popular and well-known  delicacy  in  French cuisine . Its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of an ordinary duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into  mousse, parfait, or pâté and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states that “Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France. This is the sign store where we could have bought some. But we did not.

Another wonderful place we visited is Foix. The Romans built a fort on the rocky hill where the Château de Foix castle now overlooks the town. The town of Foix probably owes its origin to an oratory founded by  Charlemagne,  which afterwards became the Abbey of Saint Volusianus in 849. The current area was preceded by the County of Foix.

Finally I will show you a few photos from Albi located on the river Tarn. The episcopal city, situated in the center of the actual city, around the splendid   cathedral , was added to the  UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites  in 2010.

Here is the Pont Neuf and the river Tarn.

In Albi, you can visit  The Toulouse-Lautrec museum. The Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is an  art museum  dedicated mainly to the work of the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec  who was born near Albi.   We did not have enough time to visit . We  chose to have a cold  drink before we hit the road  back to Toulouse.

I  hope you are  enjoy visiting France with me. It is such a nice and rich country with beautiful historical sites .  Very soon, I will  post more photos taken during this trip .

Thanks for visiting my travel blog.