Pronounced as if you were saying “posh” without the ‘p’.     osh

We had been told to expect delicious and expensive foie gras here as this area is famous for it. The train trip from Toulouse took us through lots of undulating farming country, perhaps that is where they grow the food to fatten the geese and ducks. We certainly saw lots of produce for sale that included foie gras during our stay.

As we walked from the train station (located in the newer part of the town) to our accommodation in the old part of the town (Centre Ville),  this was the site that took our breath away. And not only because we knew we still had to drag our two heavy bags each up that hill, but because it was pretty spectacular. We spent three nights here in an 18th Century (ex) convent. It was in a perfect location for exploring this town, which was very different to anywhere we had been to before in France.

The river (and it was quite green) that flows through the town (of about 22,000 people) is the Gers. And that magnificent building on the top of the hill is the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie.

It was started in the late 15th Century and has a magnificent organ (built in the 17th Century) and many beautiful stained glass windows (18 apparently). It is considered to be one of the last Gothic cathedrals to have been built in France.

Pilgrims visit this church each year as it is on the route to Santiago de Compostela.

After having been inside it now, I doubt if it is ever filled to its capacity. It was huge.

 

This is Mick trying to say the name of the town!!

The main square was large and surrounded by lots of interesting buildings, each with different architectural features. I always love seeing the half wooden houses as they make for such a contrast to most of the others, in this old town in particular.

We wined and dined in several locations in the old part of the city, which was filled with restaurants, bars and exclusive menswear shops (which struck us as am odd thing – to see so many menswear shops, but they gave the place a feeling of wealth and prosperity – despite there being little evidence of any customers).

One bar we really liked where the locals hung out was run by an elderly French man who seemed to be best friends with everyone (else) there.  The “no smoking” rule was relaxed to say the least here. Apparently, it was okay to stand in the doorway and enjoy your drink and your smoke. A shout here cost €5.50 – for a local beer and a small glass of Bordeaux. Excellent.

Our favourite place for dinner was a Spanish Restaurant where we enjoyed two meals comprising tapas and local red wine. And, it was not over priced. There was no foie gras on the menu at this place but Mick enjoyed the brains on both occasions. The first time we were there, there was only one other couple, so the waiter was not run off his feet. While he was waiting for us diners to indicate if we needed anything else, he enjoyed a relaxing time on his iPhone.

Check him out in the back of the photo on the right hand side.

We had lunch at this unusual (mostly comic) bookshop that also had one option for lunch each day. And a pichet (carafe) of wine as well. Of course!

Auch has a very famous ex-resident – Charles de Batz, Comte d’Artagnan. And there is a statue in his honour halfway up the Escalier Monumental  – which consists of 374 steps linking the lower part of the city to the upper part near the Cathedral.

Recognise him?

Not Mick!

But, Alexander Dumas based his fictional character of  d’Artagnan on this fellow.

We enjoyed Auch very much.

After we collected our hire car, which we got through a website I had never used before – Ouicar (where you hire a private car through a website similar to Uber; very cheap too at €16 / day and I hope there are no surprises with it) – we headed to our house sitting assignment near Montréal du Gers, where we will spend the next 10 days.

More about that in my next post.