It had been over a decade since Ellen had last seen Jean-Luc and his wife, Cèline at their wedding, so after Arles, we headed to Toulouse en route to a little town in the Gers region called Auch. It was a wonderful reunion and we spent a very happy weekend catching up on our lives and remembering how much energy young children have!
On the way to Auch, (this being France where one can hardly drive 100 km without finding another beautiful village or city to visit) we stopped in Carcassonne. The last time was our honeymoon and once again, it did not disappoint!
That evening we had chosen to break our journey to Auch in the vibrant city of Toulouse. What we hadn’t factored in was the location of our hotel, a lovely old-school establishment right in the center of the busiest central square and finding parking was an adventure! We did get settled and had a simple meal and the next day explored the beautiful old cathedral.
Toulouse, like so many cities in this part of France is on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella so there was a lot of iconography and statuary of pilgrims and saints. The cathedral was amazing.
We weren’t meeting Jean-Luc until dinner time, so we just drove through the lovely countryside (of the four musketeers and the home of Armagnac) and found the stunning castle and village of Lavardens.
The castle was remarkable but this being France, there was also a beautiful exhibit of French artists who work in glass. We also discovered in the “bookstore” the local delicacies of four grad and Floc – a mix of wine and Armagnac. (We tried the red and white!)
When we arrived at Jean-Luc’s, his two boys – Lucas and Jules rushed out to say hi and give us hugs. Close behind was my godson. We both were a bit teary. It was wonderful to see him again!
We spent the morning exploring Auch with Jean-Luc and Jules as our guides. We explored the beautiful cathedral which again was on the pilgrimage route and then went to the Saturday market which was filled with delicious cheese and bread and all good things French! After a sit down lunch (many courses) Chris and I took off to visit a local Abbey with yet another art installation.
The Cistercian Abby of Flaran
Flaran Abbey was founded in 1151 at the confluence of the Auloue and Baïse rivers, between the towns of Condom (yes, called that!) and Auch. It was a beautiful set of buildings and once again – there was a fantastic art exhibit in several of the rooms.
Family life chez Vappereau
Chris and Ellen’s 2022 European Adventure 