Tony served another wonderful breakfast at La Theroniere this morning. We chatted for a bit, then got on the road by 10 a.m. We drove south to Montcuq, where we walked through their Sunday market. We bought four cannelles, our new favorite pastry. A castle tower hovers over Montcuq, the only piece of the castle left after the rest was destroyed in 1229. The countryside south of Montcuq is farmed with seasonal crops.
On to Auvillar, a pretty brick town with a triangular market square. There is a round market hall in the center of the triangle. A small local Sunday market was underway and it was obvious that most people knew each other.
Our next stop was in Lectoure, where we visited the cathedral, while so many people were out and about. From there we drove through more rolling countryside punctuated with trees of gold and centuries old farmhouses. Just beautiful!
On to Condom, with a beautiful cathedral and adjacent cloisters. The cathedral was quite ornate. The city is built of a cream colored stone with many wrought iron balconies.
The next little town of Larresingle is fortified and seemed quite a tourist attraction, so we passed on. We stopped in Montreal, a bastide town with an arcaded town square. And we drove on, struck by all the farming and grape growing, with still more chateaux, beautifully built farm houses, and more churches and cathedrals than one can count. We arrived in Lombez to spend the night at Le Parc de la Partrarque, a city house with large garden in back on the Rue de Notre Dame, just down the street from the large cathedral. It's a solid well built home with so many nice features and beautiful furniture. We've been lucky with our accommodations!
On to Condom, with a beautiful cathedral and adjacent cloisters. The cathedral was quite ornate. The city is built of a cream colored stone with many wrought iron balconies.
