Auch

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On our last day in Gers the sun shone and the temperature went about 80. The countryside looks different (aka better) than it does in the rain. We headed off to Auch, the capital of Gers, with a population of 22,000. After checking in with the Tourism office we headed down (literally from the High Town to the Low Town) to the weekly market where I had hoped to pick up some gifts. Unlike the other markets we had visited, this market had a lot of clothes. Mostly the stuff was inexpensive because it was cheap. I found a couple of cute bracelets for my sisters, but that was an anomaly. We had planed on going to a “typical” restaurant for lunch, but I couldn’t face another heavy meal, so we went to a café on the main square for salads. Since pretty much everything except restaurants closes from 12 – 2, we had a very leisurely lunch. Taking 1-1/2 hours for lunch is not something I usually do. During the week I eat at my desk. As you can see from the photos most food in France no matter where you are is beautifully composed. After lunch we spent time in the cathedral. It was built in the 16^thcentury and was imposing (as it was supposed to be) and unexpectedly beautiful. It never ceases to amaze me how the Catholic Church took so much money from the general population to build these extensive monuments to itself. In the center behind the pulpit was a separate room with 1,500 different, individually carved sculptures. Each sculpture is unique and especially since I’m not Christian, the scorecard that identified each sculpture was extremely helpful. Without it I would never have been able to identify statues representing virtues like “Charity”, “Strength” and “Hope”. For me these values are abstract and its hard to understand how one person’s accessories differentiate their virtue from another. Also, I didn’t get the mixing the Old Testament prophets with “Sybil’s” so I had looked this up.

Sibyls were women who prophesied, while in a state of frenzy, under the supposed inspiration of a deity. In the Jewish sense of persons who felt themselves spiritually impelled to speak to the people in the name of God, prophets were unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans, among whom prophecy was limited to the deliverances of the sibyls.

Now it makes sense since Christians in the Middle Ages traced their roots to the Romans and incorporated Roman ideas and traditions into Catholicism.

After church, Jack spotted a store specializing in local products that means foie gras, comfit, Armagnac and wine. We bought a tin of confit and the proprietor treated us to a tasting of an orange flavored Armagnac served with a white wine similar to a Kir and just delicious. It is the kind of treat that I wished we could bring back, but it would have been too hard.

We arrived back to find hot water and heat! You don’t appreciate a good shower until you haven’t had one for a couple of days.

Jan’s sister, Razia, had invited us for wine and “nibbles”, so we plugged her address into our trusty Garmen and headed out. We made it to the town and then her husband, Tim, came and escorted us to their house. Razia and Tim were friendly and very nice. What I noticed right off the bat is that children growing up in the French countryside and significantly more polite than children in the US. Their 8 year-old son and his friend greeted us formally with a kiss on each cheek. Razia and Tim told us that sometimes when they are at large functions, all the kissing seems interminable, but for people not used to it, it is really nice. It forms a more personal connection than simply shaking hands. The showed us before and after pictures of the barn where they live. I’ve done renovations, but I never bought a house with trees growing through the roof. If I had ever suggested a property like that Jack would have justifiably considered me nuts. Tim had experience in construction, but I was shocked that anyone would tackle a job that big rather than tearing the building down and starting fresh. Great smoked salmon and ripple chips along with a local rose that was too drinkable. We chatted for a couple of hours and headed back to pack. We gave them the bulk of the faux- cassoulet I had made the night before, so when we got back Jack had some of that and I had cheese. I have a new appreciation for cheese after this trip.

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