Auch, Fleurance and Moissac

After a fruitful hour or so in the laundrette in l'Isle-Jourdain, we ventured west to Auch, which sits prettily above the River Gers. It flourished in the middle ages under the Counts of Armagnac but has now receded into comfortable obscurity. However, there remains a delightful legacy of half timbered houses in the old town.

At the top of the 234 stepped Escalier Monumental we found an interesting installation. There is a pavement of cast iron panels with raised lettering quoting a Biblical reference to The Flood in Latin as a monument to the catastrophic 1977 floods here.

The 19^th century grain and wine covered market in Auch is now known as the Maison de Gascogne which hosts cultural events as well as a semi-permanent local artisan and agricultural produce market. Of more interest to me was the wonderful wooden roof structure covering this 1000m2 space.

We then headed north paralleling the River Gers to the bastide of Fleurance where I explored the majestic combined town hall and historic covered market. Ingrid rested.

Then on to Moissac on the River Tarn. More abbeys and covered markets. We struck up conversation with a retired couple from Perth who were living on their newly acquired barge. They were insistent that we stay for some afternoon tea, which we did, for far too long. This then required a rather spirited drive across the department of Lot in order to arrive at our night’s accommodation in time.

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