Tuesday 24th October Comdom to Montreal de Gers
Wednesday 25th October Montreal de Gers to Eauze

I am covering Tuesday and Wednesday's blog in one entry today.
The 'real' pilots are out in force this morning and it is as if they are practicing their calligraphy skills with their paintbrush planes. In that early morning light when the sky is still quite dark but the jet paths are very evident we witness the criss crossing all over the sky of the many aircraft who are carrying out their transportation business. They have been given big wide paintbrushes which has been dipped in white and then they are let loose to make as straight a line as possible from A to B. I give them all a 10 out of 10 for precision, effort and delivery. I marvel at the amount of traffic that is tracking above us- it appears to be so much busier in the sky compared to the two tractors accompanying us on our morning exit.
The creativity comes later in the day when a couple of fighter planes who obviously abhor straight lines came out to play and gave us curved and swerving angles. When they passed, the roar of the engines is so loud that it takes a while to locate the small specks far in the distance and I was left with an uncomfortable feeling that I hoped all was alright with the world.

It is Armagnac territory the past couple of days- the vines smother the land in their neat rows rolling over and around the hills sending out their hearty message to all those coneuseurs of fine spirits. The days of cows seem to be a distant memory and I do miss those large brown eyes. The vine leaves winking at me don't provide the same feeling of warmth.
The morning starts with a briskness at the moment but not cold enough for gloves or hat. I love walking at this time as the steam is coming up off the land or the water if it is nearby and you feel the freshness on your face. Within an hour or so of the sun coming up I am removing my jacket and scarf and within another hour of that I have the sunscreen and hat on, and then another hour after that I am considering zipping off the pants in order to make shorts. We have indeed been lucky with the glorious weather - it's unbelievable

As part of the day's efforts the last 7 kms are along an old train track that was used by the farmers. It is a gift as it is flat, no stones, covered in leaves and in the shade. After awhile it actually became a little tedious as there was no variation, so some music was required to get me to our lunch stop. It was a beautiful stop next to a lake, sitting in the sun watching a lady' s dog jump into the water and chase the stick she was throwing for him. The dog was as keen as mustard to just keep jumping into the water so it must have not been too cold for him. Apart from the train track section the trail has been also asphalt road and tracks through vineyards and along farmers properties which has been kind to these two worn out souls.

Our destination for the past two nights was firstly Montreal de Gers and then Eauze. Both towns have been awarded Frances prettiest towns- but we are getting to be more selective. In Montreal de Gers we could have fired a gun down the street when we arrived and there were signs on a lot of the businesses stating that they were closed for the school holidays. The most activity was the next morning when the little food shop opened at 8 am. The little white van roared up exactly at 8 and out jumped the Monsieur who started dragging big yellow crates across the cobbled path into the food shop. The town is pleasant but Eauze probably wins out as it has a lot more activity in the street and certainly in the square which has the church, an historic house that is half timbered and cantilevered overlooking us as we enjoy our end of the day refreshments and watch the people strolling, investigating the menu du jour and the activities of a group of 9 women who have been travelling the Le Puy route every year at this time for just 5 days. They come from the same church near a town in Bordeaux and seemed to be happy just sitting in the sun in Eauze even though they were trying to push on for another 10 kms that day.

Both towns can skite that they have the original large stone wash houses which is rectangular in shape, covered by a roof and all around the pool of water is a wall that slants downwards so the ladies could lean over and scrub their clothes on the stone slant and then lean into the water to rinse it out. Today the water looks like it has had too many socks and I decide to use the shower instead.

Our dinner last night was in the one and only restaurant that was opened and served with a particularly grumpy old soul who should have been working in a car wreckers I think - more his style. I had a bisque and then pavé of boeuf (like a chunk of rump rather than a steak) cooked saignat (my new word for today -)

Duck and goose foie gras is famous in this area and we are get to sample it for our dinner in Eauze. It is decorated with pumpkins galore in preparation for Halloween but even so it has a nice atmosphere- particularly the offer of a mohito- almagnac and then the dessert which is crepe Suvette with Armagnac.
Our gite for tonight ( in Eauze) is run by a particularly lovely lady called Laurence who gives us a laundry bag with the offer she will wash a set of clothes. She said that when she was on a cycling holiday a lady had done the same for her and she understands what a treat it is and wants to repay the generosity to others. I love this idea of passing on kindness and then the receiver will in turn do the same so that the kindness spreads.

At the end of the day the issue of payment needs to be considered and each place has their own system- from paying the next morning, paying as soon as you arrive or at the end of the evening. Laurence has a nice idea where she invites you to the kitchen at 6.45 for an aperitif of the local drop ' floc' with so,e nibbles, she stamps the credencial, payment is made and then sits to have a conversation about who we are or explain things about the area. It is very civilised and makes the whole stay feel very welcoming.

Post Script
I found out today the reason behind the name of Condom. The name derives from the Galois word for marketplace which is comdatòmagus. The town was built around the Baïse River and the Gèle streams