We got a slow start to our Tuesday, after a late night at Lundi Nuits with our friends, Lesley and Andy. We had wine and cheese on Rue Nationale until 10, then came to our house and sat on our 4th floor balcony watching the stars until midnight.
Today, we took a drive in the morning, west of Lectoure, about 40 km. Our first stop was in Larresingle, a Plus Beaux Village, one of the smallest fortified villages in France. The medieval defensive structure was built in the 13th century - castle, fortifications, ancient houses, ramparts, towers, and an old drawbridge over a moat. Today, it is pristine, but the castle lost it’s roof!
First mentioned in 1266, Chateau Beaumont was built over several centuries. With 40 rooms, a circular and arcaded stone exterior wall with a moat, extensive gardens, and stunning views, it is a beautiful property, owned by the family of a well known French media personality since 1973. We walked about the gardens, then made a stop in the village of Beaumont.
We visited Eglise Notre Dame de Vopillon, founded in 1140 and used by several orders of nuns, it was burned in 1569 during the Wars of Religion. For centuries, it was used to store hay, and then was restored in the 19th century, when several wall murals, dating to the 13th century were found. Beautiful!
We stopped at the Pont de Artigues, started in 1432, built and rebuilt over centuries, it is on the Chemin de Saint Jacques to Compostelle, and was named as a UNESCO site in 1998.
We drove on country one lane roads, through rolling hills, covered in crops, mostly vineyards and sunflowers. Due to higher than normal temperatures, and considerably less rain than normal, most sunflowers have their heads bowed rather than up toward the sun.
We visited Eglise Sainte Marie Madeleine de Routges, thought to be the oldest church in the area. It had simple stone walls, and was located in the midst of a vineyard - a beautiful setting.
Our final stop was in Montreal du Gers, another Plus Beaux village, and a bastide founded in 1255. The village square is surrounded by arcaded shops. We had lunch at a restaurant under the arcade. We visited Eglise Sainte-Marie, Notre Dame de Montreal, built in the 13th century, with beautiful stained glass windows and painted stone walls with gold stencil.
