Back in the hotel

Back in the hotel restaurant, feeling reassured our hire car wouldn’t be used to display cabbages, the server tempted us to a Pousse Rapière cocktail – my first introduction to Armagnac, the famous liqueur of Gascony. One part Armagnac à l’Orange to 6 parts sparkling wine: it’s heaven in a glass and so moreish I feel bad telling you about it. The food at the restaurant is superb (chef Thierry Lair is superb), if I lived in this town, you wouldn’t be able to keep me out of here! the most French, authentic and delicious market you can ever imagine. Stall after stall of local produce, odd shaped vegetables, fresh baked bread, artisanal beers, cheeses and… Pastis Gascon, an apple tart which makes your taste buds sing. Don’t take my word for it, there’s a recipe on page 118. Seriously, seriously sensational. Early next morning after a good night's sleep we wandered a few minutes out of the town to discover lakes right on the doorstep that were teeming with birds. As the sun broke through the early morning mist and a symphony of bird song filled the air, it felt like the land that time forgot. The old pilgrim route from Bordeaux to Jerusalem and the river Save wander through this 13th century bastide. There’s a classic church which has a 15th century clocktower and the remains of two arcaded markets. The market at L’Isle Jordain is like

Maison Claude Augé Claude Augé (1854 - 1924), was the director of Larousse encyclopaedias and educational books and he had a holiday home in the town. Preserved just as it was in his day, this beautiful building has wonderful stained glass windows and is filled with Larousse memorabilia - books, encyclopaedias, post cards and photos. Musée Campanaire From the first floor terraced windows of Maison Claude Augé, you look onto the Musée Campanaire, a unique museum dedicated to all things bell. There are huge bells from churches, Indonesian temple bells, Japanese, Roman, and Russian bells. But you don’t just look here, you play. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a trained bell ringer, and frankly I’m not sure they get that many in judging from what I heard when I was there. The staff are happy for you to practise with special bell hammers and even a bell pulley system like an organ of the type you find in churches and cathedrals. It’s certainly different but utterly fascinating. Our next stop was Auch…