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Accommodation details

First floor

Off the entrance hall is a

• Newly outfitted gourmet kitchen. This sunny gourmet kitchen is the hub of the house, boasting new high-end appliances: dishwasher, oven and cooker with 3 gas burners and one electric (for when only that ultra-slow simmer will do), fridge/freezer, microwave, and hand mixer. You will find glassware, china and cutlery, cookware and gadgets, excellent cookbooks, and a selection of herbs.  Cooks and non-cooks alike will enjoy this lovely space. This sunny eat-in kitchen seats 4-6.
• Laundry room and
• Shower room with shower enclosure and basin
• Separate toilet with basin
• Sitting room or office
• A spiral staircase with lovely period detail ascends the 3 floors of the house, crowned by an original skylight that illuminates all
• The heart of the house is the spacious comfortable living room/dining room outfitted with antiques, 2 comfortable leather sofas and 2 leather chairs, and ceiling beams overhead. Light streams in through large windows affording lovely views of the garden.  French doors open onto a covered terrace and garden.  The garden-view dining area seats 8.
• Telephone:  For incoming and local calls.
• Entertainment: French TV (7 channels) and radio with new stereo speakers (to which you can also hook up your own music such as via ipod.
• Gas central heating

Second floor

There are four large bedrooms with comfortable new beds and plenty of space for a cot in any room.  Three of the four bedrooms have traditional built-in wardrobes with shelves, hanging space, and plenty of hangers!

• Double bedroom, the extra-large master bedroom (14m²) has French doors – step outside and greet the day or sit with a newspaper and café au lait
• 2 twin bedrooms, both can be configured as extra large (180cm) doubles.
• Single bedroom
• Newly fitted full bathroom with toilet, bath with shower, shower enclosure, bidet and basin
• Library

Third floor

• There is a room that can be outfitted as a fifth bedroom and a
• Light, airy loft space – great for including in games of hide and seek, or for storing your antique finds

Outside

• Garden/terrace:  A large tiled terrace gives access to a mature sheltered garden of approximately 100m² .  Garden terrace dining seats 4-6.
• Outdoor table and chairs beckon you to relax or dine al fresco.  Should you wish to avoid the sun, press a button and an awning automatically extends out over the terrace.
• Beyond the garden is a large open field providing beauty and privacy. 

More on Condom - your home base!

Condom is capital of the Ténarèze and commercial centre of the Armagnac region. The heart of this historic city is the gothic cathedral of St Pierre with its 16th century cloisters surrounded by 18th century merchants' houses and palaces. Surrounding the cathedral are restaurants, shops, boutiques and delicatessens with fine regional produce.

The Festival International de Bandas runs May 12-14 – 35 bands, 2000 musicians, 10 concert groups, 48 hours of music and ambience.

The Musée des Preservatifs (a centre for the contemplation of contraception) offers good humored ‘safe sex’ displays. Or learn about wine making at the Musée d’Armagnac. The Office de Tourisme (whose website is a good source for special cultural events recommends walks and more. Across from the Office de Tourisme is an excellent shop with reasonably priced regional specialties (from Agen Prunes to hundred-year-old bottles of Armagnac).

With its lovely streets and alleys gently winding toward the river, Condom is wonderful experienced on foot. Stop for an ice cream or beverage at any of many delightful bars. Browse for antiques. Watch a game of boules. Hire a boat, or hop on a lunch cruise through the locks. Enjoy the bustling market on Wednesdays and Saturdays – when clowns on stilts roam the streets. And try bread or croissants from a different boulangerie each day of the week – just a short walk from your door!

Nearby towns to explore

• Abbaye de Flaran, (7 minutes):  This perfect example of Cistercian architecture (12th century) is now an arts centre hosting concerts, art exhibitions, including a permanent exhibition of the pilgrim routes to St. James de Compestella. You can also reach it by boat from Condom

• Agen The department capital of Lot et Garonne, Agen has excellent shopping, restaurants and sights like the canal bridge (the Gravier), the river promenade with its fine houses, and the Bishop's Palace (now the Préfecture and Agen Fine Arts Museum). Agen Rugby Club is one of France 's best. Nearby is Walibi theme park. Visit the Musée des Beaux Arts. The Office de Tourisme’s excellent website offers ideas for places to go and sporting opportunities

• Auch  This former Gallo-Roman city, capital of Gascony and the Gers, takes pride in its architectural heritage. The Sainte-Marie Cathedral (15th century) at the heart of old town has marvelous stained glass and incredible sculpted choirstalls. Auch is the home of d'Artagnan of Three Musketeers fame. Children are fascinated by his large statue on the monumental staircase joining old town and river. Notice the picturesque 'Pousterles': steep, narrow lanes built in the Middle Ages to fetch water.  A pedestrian main shopping street has boutiques, gourmet and delicatessen shops, cafes and tea houses. Across the river is a second shopping area with perfumeries and an excellent book shop. Throughout the year artisans and specialty food producers market wares in the Maison de Gascogne, the 19th century market square. The Office de Tourisme recommends walks around Auch.  Visit the musée des Jacobins.

• Castera Verduzan  The Spa Castera Verduzan - A small village (population 846) with a huge array of leisure facilities - thermal baths, treatment centre, parks and gardens, a swimming lake, horse-racing, restaurants and a casino. Treat yourself (for about 10 euros) to a proper spa with mineral water, pool with aqua jets, sauna, hamman and chairs in which to laze outside to recover. Or have a massage (about 20 euros)

• Château de Busca-Maniban was built by Thomas de Maniban in 1649 – one of the finest 17th Century Gascon châteaux with majestic staircase, guard and armoury room, chapel, Italian room and gardens. It boasts the oldest distillery in Armagnac

• Château de Cassaigne  This Armagnac chateau, the 13th century residence of the Bishops of Condom, displays a fascinating 16th century kitchen, an 18th century chai with Armagnac ageing in oak barrels, and a pleasant garden wall

• Château de Lavardens hosts prestigious yearly exhibitions (e.g., Dali in 2005) –  the format makes it possible to walk right up to major works.  A wonderful fortified chateau and very good restaurant

• Château Monluc is the birthplace of Pousse Rapière, the Armagnac and orange cocktail that is added to sparkling wine as an aperitif. Visit the cellars and tour the 10th century castle in St Puy

• Eauze (20 mins). The road to Eauze reveals vineyards and signposts to domains, where you can taste and buy local wines. On Thursdays Eauze hosts one of the best markets – vegetables, plants and flowers, cheeses, spices, tablecloths and quilts, musical instruments, and more. Founded by the Romans, Eauze was their capital of Gascony. The fantastic Treasure of Eauze (a Hoard of Roman Coins) resides in Musée du Tresor d’Eause. Eauze is the centre of Bas Armagnac – reputedly the finest of these eaux de vie. Eauze was a stop on the ‘Rue St Jacques’ – the Cathedral of St Luperc still dominates the town

• Fleurance  An ancient Bastide town with a unique main square at the centre of which lies La Halle, an imposing vaulted marketplace supported by stone pillars representing the strength of civil power over the church. Statue fountains in the corners represent the four seasons. Gothic-styled Saint Laurent church (13th century) is almost cathedral sized with a fine organ and Renaissance-style stained glass

• Gondrin  (10 minutes) a local village with a wonderful water park

• Jegun  The bastide (12th century) consists of four parallel streets enclosed by a wall (now destroyed) with four gates. The carnival and masked ball (late March/early April) and wine fair (August) are its premier events

• Lectoure (15 minutes) This art and culture center sits astride a hilltop on the Gers countryside. It is easy to see why this Gallo-Roman city became the military stronghold of the Counts of Armagnac. In the Middle Ages they built the 2.7 km of ramparts and fortifications, the impressive cathedral, religious buildings and mansions, which constitute a rich architectural legacy. One of the oldest museums in France, in the cellars of the Bishop’s Palace, has a unique collection of ritualistic paraphernalia depicting ancient bull sacrifices. The thermal springs have given rise to an impressive new health and spa centre. Lectoure is proud of its gastronomy. The Hôtel de Bastard is said to have one of the finest kitchens in the Gers. The region’s melons are considered best, and each year at la Fête du Melon, 2,500 people are fed in the streets. Visit Bleu de Lectoure to learn the history of the blue dye, woad, and its subtle effects on fabrics. There are guided tours of a functioning dye works and a boutique selling woad-dyed items

• Mirande  The cathedral of this 13th century ‘bastide’ sits where the pilgrims’ route passes through a fine gateway adjacent to the bell tower. Mirande’s museum, one of the most important in Gascony, features 17th, 18th, and 19th century paintings and decorative faience. Mirande hosts the annual country and western festival in July

• Nérac  In the neighbouring department of Lot et Garonne, Nérac too was a Gallo Roman city, flourishing in the 16th century when Marguerite of Angeloume, Jean d’Albret and then his son Henri of Navarre, the future King Henri IV who was to unite France after the Holy Wars, set up court here. The château overlooking the River Baïse became an intellectual centre visited by writers, poets, and musicians, as well as a political capital with diplomats and knights. See both the château and the Church of Saint Nicolas. Visit the excellent Saturday market. Stroll through the Parc de Garenne and the Jardins de Roy. Enjoy lunch at one of a number of restaurants with sunny terraces by the river at the old port
• Three Plus Beaux Villages:

• Fources This unique bastide with circular marketplace was erected by the brother of Saint-Louis, King of France. Pretty colombages (half-timbered) houses, mediaeval castle, clock tower, little museum, antique shops and a café and restaurant. Treat yourself to a special lunch at the château. A little gem with a flower festival in April.

• Larressingle is a moated, tiny walled village (known as the mini-Carcassonne of the Gers) with medieval siege engines with working displays in summer

• Montréal, built atop an ancient hill fort, is one of Gascony 's earliest bastides, with well-preserved sites, a lovely 13th century church, arcaded square, and picturesque lanes. Just outside town, Séviac is the most luxurious Gallo-Roman villa (4th century) in South West France with impressive ruins, old mosaics, and Iris blooming in late spring

• La Romieu  St. Pierre is a 14th century collegiale church with cloister and moat, and the Arboretum of La Coursiana is one of the best gardens around. A special price buys admission to both.  The town has an interesting story about cats, and if one searches, stone representations may be found in all sorts of places. La Romieu is a Unesco World Heritage site

• Valance sur Baise (8 minutes)  Condom’s small Bastide neighbor, Valence was founded by the Comte d’Armagnac and l’Abbé de Flaran in 1274 to accommodate pilgrims. Much of the defensible wall (the Remparts) still exists. Walk the Remparts and enjoy the lovely ‘prickly pears’ cascading over the walls and excellent views of the Pyrénées. From the Place des Pyrénées descend to the port via the Botanical Pathway zig zaging down the hill.  Wednesday is market day in the arcaded square. Two restaurants provide great value four course lunches with wine. During the summer, a restaurant is open by the port for meals by the river. More gourmet dining is available at the ‘Ferme de Flaran’ at the foot of town and heading back toward Condom.  Valance holds an annual three day fête in June with a fair, market stalls, music and dancing until morning. A heat of the Tour de France takes place one afternoon making some 40 circuits of the town. Another afternoon is devoted to horse racing. During the year one may find a circus has arrived. There may be a concert down by the river or in the church. Valance supports its own band which enlivens many events. It also has a flourishing basketball team and stadium.

• Le Vert en l’air  An amazing day out for the whole family – all ages and skills can walk through the tree tops. A restaurant is on site

• Vic Fezensac  The festivals of this seemingly sleepy market town are legendary:  Pentecost bullfights and ‘courses landaises’ with bandas music and dancing, Latin American music festival, Vic’s summer night markets, and more. It’s a town of Armagnacs, wines and flocs, fine Gascon fare and a warm welcome.

Day tripping destinations

To the North and East:

• Bordeaux and The Bordeaux vineyards (eg. St Emilion) (about 90 minutes) – stock your wine cellar. Enjoy shopping at the place des Grands Hommes, excellent restaurants and wine bars. Bordeaux is stunning, with a Parisian air.

• Montauban has wonderful shops with an Arab feel

• Albi: This Ancient centre of Cathar heresy boasts Ste Cecile Cathedral, the world’s largest brick building, the cloisters of St Salvy, Berbie palace and gardens, the old bridge and mills by the Tarn, and the Lapérouse and Toulouse-Lautrec museums.

To the South and West:

• Toulouse: Home to Airbus, Space city, and the European aeronautics industry, Toulouse is known as the pink city for the way its buildings light up at dusk. See the Eglise de Jacobins, the Cathedral, and Pont Neuf. Browse the daily market in the huge café-lined Place du Capitol.

• The Pyrenees, Spain, and the Atlantic coast are a couple hours beckoning a day-trip to St Jean de Luz and Biarritz (classic seaside town with elegant 19th century hotels, big beach with small coves, surfing, shopping & coastal walks)

• Carcasonne: This magnificent walled city was restored in the 19th century and is perhaps the finest example of a fortified medieval town (about 21/2 hours)

• Pau: Popularised by 19th century British aristocracy who built villas, parks and gardens, today it offers shops, restaurants, the Musée de Beaux Arts, and beautiful views of the Pyrenees

Activities and lifestyle

Food is a highlight of Gascon life – and even the best restaurants are inexpensive by UK and American standards.  Duck and other poultry are major culinary influences – magret and confit de canard and fois gras being regional favorites.

Lunch starts at noon, finishes about 2pm. Dinner commences about 7pm. Many restaurants and shops close Mondays – time to rest after the popular Sunday lunch!

Gascons are justly proud of their wines and Armagnac – deeming it the only spirit worth consuming. Floc, a local aperitif, is a mixture of grape juice and Armagnac. For a special treat try Pousse Rapiere produced at the Chateau St. Puy – add it to the sparkling wine they also produce. Consume. Then sit down.

There is something for everyone in Gascony, and Condom is the perfect base.

Each town has its own personality, from the garlic growing and festival at St. Clar, the Jazz at Marciac, Country Music at Mirande, and bull fights at Vic Fezensac. Each town holds a summer fête – the essentials: food and drink.

Flowers are everywhere. If a garden is not available, flowering pots stand outside houses. Markets brim with fresh local produce. Savour it. Sit at a bar. Enjoy a quiet coffee in the sun or an Armagnac at dusk. And watch the world go by.

Or venture forth and explore:

• Armagnac tastings and chateaux tours (year round) from Condom to Eauze, and wine domains (festival in August at Madiran). Tour the Armagnac houses – 21 within a short distance, most available for ‘degustation’. The nearby chateau at Cassaigne welcomes visitors and offers a free tour

• Boating and Canoeing: In Condom, hop on a lunch boat, or hire your own (hourly or daily), to explore the River Baise (a tributary of the Garonne that enters the sea at Bordeaux). Navigating through the locks is an adventure. Or rent a canoe in nearby Beaucaire for Baise River exploits.
• Boules (and boules watching): They play by the River Baise in Condom. A game of boules will be happening most everywhere you go

• Bullfights and Course Landaise (non violent bovine spectacles) are held throughout the summer.  Several towns – Vic Fezensac being the nearest – have bull rings. There is an annual bull fair at Pentecost extending for a week.  For bravehearts, there is Corridas and Novilladas
• Car/Bike racing: Nogaro (40 mins) has Formula 3 racing and light aero club
• The main St Jacques de Compostella pilgrim route through the Gers:  Perfect for hikers and bikers, nature lovers, and those toting brushes or cameras
• Dining: Enjoy a wonderful range of local restaurants – all good value

• Festivals and outdoor music concerts: There are many excellent music festivals held annually in the Gers, including the jazz festival at Marciac that runs 15 days in August, Country Music festival in Mirande in July, Tempo Latino festival in Vic Fezensac, outdoor classical music concerts, Agricultural, Dax, and many more. At almost every outdoor event of substance, inevitably live music is featured. Churches and cathedrals, notably the nearby Abbeye de Flaran, feature concerts throughout the year
• Fêtes and Vide Greniers:  From April on, towns begin their Vide Greniers (car boot sales without cars) and annual fêtes. Almost every weekend has one to offer. The fêtes normally offer food and local produce for sale, music, and events throughout the day. Montreal’s has a medieval theme, and they are happy to provide everyone with costume. Most culminate in a dance late on. No charge. Most may be reached after a short drive and provide opportunities to view the towns and enjoy the spectacle and refreshment

• Flying / microlighting: There is a tiny airfield at the pretty, nearby village of Herret with small aircraft and microlights, and you can have a lesson. Larger airfield and more lessons at Auch
• Golf – All the following have restaurants offering reasonably priced golfers' menus. Fee concessions on some courses
  • Golf de Guinlet in the market town of Eauze is a beautiful, wooded 18-hole championship course, said to be the best in the area.
  • Golf d'Albret at Barbaste (18 holes) is over the border in Lot-et-Garonne. Whilst there, check out the fortified mill, the Moulin-des-Tours
  • Golf de Fleurance offers 9 challenging holes
  • Golf d'Auch - Embats near Auch (18 holes) interesting because it is somewhat hilly. It offers a splendid lunch for 14 euros with spectacular views to the Pyrénées. One does not have to play or be a member to eat
  • Golf de Pallanne (18 holes) (towards Marciac) winds round an 18th century chateau with the Pyrenees as backdrop
  • Golf de Gascogne (18 holes) at the cheerful bastide of Masseube
  • Golf de Las Martines at L'Isle Jourdain (9 holes)
  • Golf de Mont de Marsan (18 holes) just over the border into Landes.  And getting to them is a treat - golf heaven!

• Horseracing: Trotting-style with a two-wheeled light frame ‘caleche’ is popular. Valence sur Baise has a racecourse - part of the national heats.
• Horse-riding: Several centers are within easy reach: Escalans, Poudenas and Les Ecuries d'Armagnac at Valence sur Baise offer guided hacks (in English) out into the hill.

• Mountain biking: There are various routes, with bike hire at Mézin and other places.  Karting, quad bikes, light aircraft are all available at Caudecoste
• Night markets are held regularly in July and August for shopping, eating and drinking, and people watching
• Spectator Sport: Rugby is the game of the Gascons; Auch and Agen host matches. Basketball is a close second. At a more recreational level, is a complex game of skittles (Palets) and Quilles – metal discs spun to knock over posts – played weekly in most towns. Skittles emit a musical note as they fall – a pleasant sound on a warm evening. Then there is Boules
• Swimming, Sunbathing, Watersports:
  
  • Castera Verduzan has an excellent freshwater lake with beach, pataugeoire, pédalos, x4, surf-bikes, and snacks. Modest entry fee.
  
  • Gondrin has a huge outdoor pool, with bumpy slides and corkscrew slides, and a large playground.. A café serves snacks and drinks. Modest entry fee.
  
  • Montréal du Gers offers a base de loisirs (leisure park) with a natural lake, water slides, and a sandy beach. It is free to enter. Ice creams and drinks. Often someone sells melons outside
  
  • Barbotan les Thermes has an 80 hectare lake for most water sports and a thermal spa
  • More bases de loisirs are at Lislebonne and Lectoure. All are good for a game of boules, badminton, beach volleyball etc
  • Condom has an outdoor public swimming pool, with a full set of diving boards and a grassy area for sunbathing
• Tennis: Courts are available at Condom, Eauze and Gondrin

• Theme Park - “Parc Walabi”: (in Roquefort near Agen) a Six Flags theme park – not huge, but perfect for a day out.  Tickets are good value.

• Thermal spas at Castera Verduzan and Barbotan les Thermes
• Walking: Like in Condom, the Offices de Tourisme in most towns recommend walking routes. The Abbaye at Flaran provides a detailed large wall map of the routes of St. Jaques de Compostella

Condom history

Humans have inhabited the area since prehistoric times, the flinty soil providing an endless source of tools (now on proud display in the homes of most farmers). When the Romans arrived in the 2nd century BC they named the region Gascony after the Vascones, the Celtic tribes living here. Though Napoleon ended official Gascony when he renamed the region to Gers (to undermine loyalties), visitors will find the Gersoise proud to be Gascon.

Starting with the Hundred Years War, the area to the west of Condom was dangerous. The first bastide town was built at Montreal du Gers in 1255. The concept changed the face of the area, as many settlements copied the fortifications. Traces of these days are found in every town in Gascony.

In 1152, Condom became English when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet, but for several hundred years the region lay in strife, neither French nor English. In 1229, with the Cathars on the rise, Condom agreed to destroy its town walls and use the stones to pave the streets. Traces of the walls can be seen in a park near the cathedral precincts.

Condom did not finally revert to the French until 1454. War had taken its toll. At the end of the 15th century just as Cathedral restorations began, the plague hit. More lives were lost in bloody Catholic - Calvinist struggles (nearby Nerac was a centre of Calvinism). By the 17th century, the town was a scene of devastation. Then the plague returned.

A bizarre reversal of fortune occurred in 1675 when Louis XIV exiled his parliament to Condom while he stayed in Bordeaux. Officials had to clean up. Though home to parliament for less than a year, prosperity returned to the Condomois.

In the 17th century, the landscape changed with massive expansion of the vineyards – replacing beef cattle. In the last fifty years sunflowers have added more color to the fields. Now Condom is on the fringe of the appellation controllee for 'prunes of Agen'. The River Baise was important to the town's fortunes: shipping produce, textiles, and Armagnac up the Garonne to Bordeaux. River trade ended in the early 20th century with the arrival of the railway.

The size of Condom’s cathedral tells its significance to the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, the great medieval pilgrimage route from Le Puy in central France to Santiago de Compostella in north-east Spain.

Today, Condom is one of the few towns that have grown in size (from 6,650 in 1801 to 7,250 by 1999), pleasant climate and way of life attracting immigrants from Northern France and Europe.

Rates

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