French Countryside

"Lara Bingle"

Another day, another drive through magnificent countryside to several gem-like villages.  We stopped for lunch in Aire sur l'Adour and then on to Grenade sur l'Adour where Virginia recognised the Plaze de Toros where she had seen cow fights when she was in Le Houga.

Sunday saw us moving on to the wonderful medieval town of Eauze with its fifteenth century inn and church.  By now we were in the heart of Gascony and the villages seemed more affluent, probably since it is also the heart of the Armangac region.

Les Gascons

15th Century Inn in Eauze

A narrow "rue"

In Condom (OK, you up in the cheap stalls can stop sniggering) we visited the ancient St Pierre cathedral in front of which one finds a wonderful bronze statue of the three musketeers - so why are there four of them?  Anyway, Condom was and is an important stopping point on the St James pilgrimage; the export of Armagnac made it wealthy. St Pierre Cathedral was built at the end of the 14th century and is one of the last in the region to be built in the gothic style.

The Cathedral in Condom

The Musketeers

From Condom we drove to Larressingle (Bruce insists on calling it "Lara Bingle") which is justifiably on the "plus Beaux Villages" list and is the most visited place in the Gers.  It is a fortified medieval village of great charm and beauty, simple but breathtaking with a chapel that brings tears to the eyes. 

Views of Larressingle

 More driving, more villages, including Sarrant which seems almost untouched for the last 600 years.

A Street and the Church in Sarrant