I was searching these forums for the word "Barcelona" :-)
I'm traveling there in September and I'm looking for advice -- I have a friend living in Barcelona who is great and will be showing me the city for as long as I want, but we're not close enough for me to spend my whole 1.5 weeks in Europe with her. I want to take a side trip to break it up and give my introvert-self some down time.
So far I like the idea of visiting Albi, France. It looks like a peaceful, pretty town, I love art and old buildings and would enjoy the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. I also like the idea of going to Nice for many reasons: it would be gorgeous, interesting, more great museums, I love French clothing stores, and side trips to other Cote d'Azur sites would be very exciting.
Any insights on Albi and Nice would be most welcome.