Gorgeous Gers

After a couple of days in the Gers department (southwest France) I am totally in love with the wonderful countryside and pretty villages.  The only disadvantage of being here in September is that the sunflowers are turning brown, ready for harvest - the fields are still beautiful but must be absolutely drop-dead gorgeous when the flowers are in full bloom.  Note:  Come back in mid-summer!

Sunflowers in Gers - near Lectoure

Thursday 4 September and Friday 5 September

Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny but it was good to be a bit lazy and take our time over breakfast in this lovely apartment.  Some literature left for visitors suggested several places of interest so we worked out a circuit to the north and west of Condom stopping off at four pretty villages.
It was just a short drive through the fields and over the hills to La Romieu which sits on a hilltop and besides boasting streets of beautiful pale stone houses it is the site of the very substantial and stunning Collegiate Church of St Pierre.

Beautiful Cloisters, St Pierre, La Romieu

 La Romieu is also on the route of the pilgrim trail to Sanitago de Compostela and therefore has many visitors. We were able to visit the 14th century church which has a beautiful cloister and two towers, one of which we climbed to take in the far reaching views from the top.

View from the tower, St Pierre, La Romieu - plum plantations in the distance (Agen prunes - yum!)

 In the town square there are sculptures and tin cut-outs of cats on many of the balconies which refer to the legend of Angeline whose cats rid the village of a plague of rats in the 1300s.

Cats rule in La Romieu

Roses seem to flourish in this village and look so lovely climbing up the walls of the houses.

Rose covered walls, La Romieu

As we drove west again on back roads taking in the glorious landscape of fields, villages and woods, the skies darkened and a few showers swept across.  Not forecast but unsurprising as the day had been hot and a little humid.
Stop number two on our circuit was the Plus Beaux village of Fources, one of the few round medieval bastides. As usual the car park was outside the village and we strolled into the centre where we were confronted with a large open area shaded by huge trees and a perfect circle of medieval houses with ground level arcades around the edge.  To cap off the prettiness, numerous stone troughs planted with a profusion of red begonias lined the street.

Fources

Even with a bit of drizzle Fources was a delightful spot.  We stopped off at a cafe for a drink and an "Assiette d'Armagnac"   - a flaky pastry apple tart flamed with armagnac, the brandy of the region, and of course it was very yummy.  A stroll around the town took us to see a small chateau (now a hotel) and a musty old church beside the Azoule River.  A wonderful, atmospheric Brocante shop also kept us occupied for some time but we managed to resist buying anything.

Fources - afternoon tea stop

A little further south we called in at another Plus Beaux village, Montreal, which is also a bastide, but with a more traditional square arcaded centre.  We visited the Tourist Office to view some of the mosaics discovered in a nearby 5th century Roman villa but did not linger long in this town which seemed to lack the charm of Fources.

Montreal-en-Gers

Our final destination for the day, which had by now turned sunny again, was yet another Plus Beaux village, Larressingle, just a few kilometres from Condom.  This village is tiny but a real stunner.  It is entirely located within high walls, and accessed by crossing a deep grassy moat.

Inside the walls of Larressingle

Inside the walls are a couple of streets of pretty houses, a large church and a smallish ruined chateau.  We sat at a cafe and watched some workmen re-tiling the roof of a well in the beautifully maintained town gardens.  Larressingle is a very peaceful place that seems totally removed from the modern world.
We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion today - the beautiful Gers countryside, the charming villages and the ancient monuments - and all within easy driving distance of our base in Condom.

Rue de Roquepine, Condom, and gates to our chateau home

Sunny morning in Condom

Friday, and another sunny, hot day - we reached 30 degrees today. In the morning after a leisurely breakfast we took a walk around the centre of Condom which is located on top of a hill overlooking the River Baise.  The main feature of the town is the huge cathedral which dominates the hilltop in front of which are the Four Musketeers in bronze.

Ann and Gerri meet the locals in Condom

Condom is the largest town in the area and has all the amenities local people could wish for.  The narrow streets which descend to the river are lined with very old terrace houses - Condom originated many centuries ago and its rather curious name comes from a word meaning "old garlic market" - nothing to do with birth control!

Main street of Condom and the cathedral

We acquired some goodies from the local boulangerie (quiche and pizza slice) and had lunch back at the apartment before setting off on another circuit - this time to the south of Condom.

Nice place for lunch - our courtyard in Condom

 After about an hour of lovely farmland scenery we arrived in a Plus Beaux village, Sarrant and  parked outside the gates (another walled village).  Sarrant is very small, basically one street which circles the inner perimeter of the walls, and very ancient.  Many of the half-timbered houses look on the verge of collapse!  Nevertheless it is certainly quaint and there is a charming bookshop/cafe which is very rustic.  Being the middle of the day I think all the residents were having siesta time - the only sign of life apart from a couple in the bookshop was a rather energetic malamout dog.

Ancient houses, Sarrant

Having exhausted the charms of Sarrant we set off again for Lavardens, Plus Beaux naturally, and location of a substantial hilltop chateau.

Approaching Lavardens

Once again, the village is pretty, the views from the hilltop are lovely and the streets were virtually deserted.  Only a tour bus which arrived for a visit to the chateau livened up the place.

Chateau at Lavardens

 After a fairly quick walk around the village for me and a bit of a snooze in the car for Gerri we drove back to Condom, where Gerri headed downstairs for a nice dip in the pool and I walked down the hill to check out the riverside area of the town.

The pool at our chateau appartment - very inviting on a hot day!

 The river is rather disappointing - a rather murky pale green with a few canal boats tied up at the port.  There is a very large old mill on one bank and a bit of a park on the other.

River Baise and old mill at Condom

  I was surprised by a loud splash as I walked alongside the river and even more surprised to see that I had disturbed what I thought must be an otter which had been sunbaking on some concrete steps.  Hmmm - that didn't really make sense.  Was it a giant water rat?  I returned to the apartment and googled - my otter turned out to be a ragondin (or nutria) - yes indeed a water rat type of animal which is apparently a bit of a nuisance.  Not the most lovely creature I have seen!

River Baise, Condom

Tonight it is a little cooler and we have been relaxing and finishing up our frig food as we are moving on tomorrow.  The Gers department is really delightful - a tranquil rural area of great beauty and remarkably little traffic on its country roads.

Gorgeous Gers countryside