Auch for Lunch and Toulouse for Dinner

We packed up and left Rue Diane by 10 on Thursday morning.  I’ve had a sore toe, and got an appointment with a doctor in Vic-Fezansac at 11.  After the appointment, we drove to Auch for lunch at Le 9 Bistro.  We had another delicious lunch, then walked through the square to the cathedral, where we visited the choir chapel, with 1500 medieval wood carvings, 113 choir stalls, and a mosaic floor.

We drove to Toulouse to stay overnight at a hotel near the airport, as Audrey has an early flight and we have an early train from Toulouse to Narbonne.  We dropped the car at the hotel and took an Uber downtown Toulouse, where we had dinner in Capitole Square, and walked through Old Toulouse for a couple of hours.  The streets, cafes, and parks were full of locals having dinner, walking, and spending time with friends.  It was a beautiful evening.

Art on Tuesday, Michelin Restaurant and Music on Wednesday

On Tuesday, our friend Deirdre came for lunch.  She brought a pavlova with fruit for dessert.  It was delicious!  Later in the afternoon, we went to an art exhibition in Plieux, and then to Jay and Kay’s for apéros after.  

Audrey and I took a long walk Wednesday morning and came upon fields of sunflowers.  What a treat!

We went for lunch at L’Auberge du Prieure in Moirax, a 1 star Michelin restaurant.  We had a delicious multi course lunch.  We also visited Eglise Notre-Dame de Moirax and the priory, founded in 1049.

We also stopped at Eglise Saint-Martin in Layrac, built in the 11th century and consecrated by Pope Urban II.  It has a beautiful section of Roman mosaic floor behind the pulpit.  It is considered a masterpiece of Romanesque art.

On Wednesday evening, we attended a TerrOpera concert, in Chateau Lagarde-Fimarcon. It was terrific!

Block Party and Lundi Nuit

Sunday was a full day for us.  We prepared the house and food, then hosted a Rue Diane block party in the evening, after attending the National Capitole Orchestra Concert in Lectoure’s cathedral.  The concert was excellent!  Thirteen neighbors came to the block party, bringing appetizers to share.  It was a feast of various dishes.  Everyone enjoyed getting to know new neighbors and neighbors they didn’t know well.  One neighbor brought a gift of a painting of the cathedral that he had done.  We hung it in the hallway to our bedroom.

We had friends, Pirrko and Nelson for coffee on the terrace on Monday morning.  Audrey and I went to the Thermes to soak in the afternoon.  Caroline and Glyn joined us for wine and cheese on the terrace, cold soup in our breakfast room, and mango dessert on our 4th floor balcony, before we went up the hill to Rue Nationale for Lundi Nuit - always fun and festive!  The street was full of joyful people enjoying a beautiful evening.  We saw lots of friends and neighbors, eating dancing, shopping at artisan kiosks.  We had fun!

Saturday in the Gers

We had a full morning on Saturday.  After a long walk with Audrey, we drove to Larresingle - considered one of the most beautiful and smallest fortified villages in France.  The church was built in the 12th century, the chateau in the 13th, and there are various crenelated towers, a moat, and medieval houses to walk about.  

We stopped at Chateau Beaumont, a privately owned chateau, with extensive grounds, for a short walk about.

We were disappointed that the door to Eglise Notre-Dame de Vopillon was locked.  It is a favorite painted church, built in the 1100’s.  The setting is quite nice.

We stopped at Eglise Saint-Austregesile, a Cluny church built in the late 11th century.

We had lunch at Les Caprices de Lagraulet, one of our favorite restaurants in the Gers.  Laurence, the chef/owner is always joyful.  I made our reservation a month ago, and she honored it, even though she didn’t take more reservations for lunch, as she was expecting a full restaurant in the evening.  We had the restaurant terrace to ourselves, and every bit of lunch was delicious!

We took a siesta in the afternoon, and went to our third Musique en Chemin concert in La Romieu, in three days.  The concert was titled Folklore and Dance, and featured a pianist, violinist, and cello, playing in the cloisters.  They were amazing!  The trio played music written by Baroque composers, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Piazzolla, with great feeling and joy.  They were fun to listen to!  No photos were allowed during the performance.  We went into La Romieu’s square for dinner with our friend Annie after the concert.  A DJ played music and there was dancing until rain started to fall.  A fun evening!