Gers - Blog Posts
Up the Monumental Stairs at Auch
Some 75 km West of Toulouse, the city of Auch is far away enough for red brick to be far less prevalent in buildings. It developed along the Gers river, with the higher-ups living... well, higher up.
The Monumental Stairs were built in the 1850s when, following a rebellion against Napoleon III's coup installing the Second French Empire, the prefect decided to give the townsfolk something to do (per the city council, "créer des chantiers afin de donner de l'ouvrage à ceux qui en manquent"), rather than just repress. The results were a water and gas distribution network, and the Monumental Stairs, creating a comfortable link between the upper town and the riverside 35 metres below. Later, a statue of d'Artagnan, a musketeer made famous by Alexandre Dumas novels, was added.
Behind d'Artagnan here, rises the Tour d'Armagnac, a 14th-century prison. Unfortunately, it is privately owned and cannot be visited, unlike the neighbouring cathedral, built between 1489 and 1680.
While the back of the cathedral, visible in the top photo, is clearly gothic, which fits the start of construction, the front facade is in a later, classical style. This would fit the timeline, as cathedral building usually started with the crypt and the altar, working outwards, and finishing with the massive entrance and towers. Walking away, further West, we encounter one more figure of the town: Intendant Mégret d'Étigny, who administrated the Auch-Pau area under King Louis XV, and is credited with infrastructure improvements in the region at the time.
Gimont
During my only winter down South, way back when I'd do road trips (solo of course), I set out from Toulouse for a day to visit Auch, with a break in the countryside each way, partly to admire the snow on the Pyrenees. This first picture was taken on the outbound leg, and I forget where it was.
On the return leg, I stopped at Gimont, possibly drawn in by the distinctive church. There is also a Cahuzac Chapel next to the town, which gets a laugh because it has the same name as a former budget minister who was convicted for tax evasion. The shameless git even tried to run for Parliament again once his ineligibility sentence was served. Same name, but no relation, I should stress.
Like a lot of places in this corner of France, there are a lot of brick buildings in Gimont, and some peculiar traditional structures, like the Halle covered market. Inexplicably, a road runs through it.
The town also boasted a world-class motocross track, which hosted rounds of the 250cc World Championship in 1985 and 1990. But in 2019, so not long after my visit, the land owner wanted their turf back, and the Gimont Moto Club has since been looking for another location to open a new circuit. Here's how it rode: