Villeneuve-de-Marsan (Landes)
There is a certain monotony to windswept Landes, covered with endless acres of pines and frequent swamps. This makes the phenomenon of the village of Villeneuve-de-Marsan and its gastronomic marvel going under the banal name of the HÔTEL DES VOYAGEURS all the more pleasant to come upon. The village is about ten miles east of Mont-de-Marsan and is magnificently worth the detour. The reason for it all, as usual, rests in the genius and initiative of a fine chef, in this case the gifted Monsieur Darroze. He is a man of true accomplishment, and his cooking belongs in the topmost category. What he docs to the foie gras, the mutton, and the wild game of Gascony is beyond the floweriest adjectives. His wine cellar is particularly strong in clarets, as might be expected, and there are a score or so of comfortable rooms for his well-fed guests.
Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées)
The Pyrénées make the most grandiose contribution to the beauty of Gascony. The ancient boundaries of this province brought it to the border of Spain in two places, with the Béarn jutting in between them. In spite of this Béarnaise intrusion, Gascony can claim the most dramatic spot in the Pyrénées, the colossal Circus of Gavarnie. As a headquarters for your Pyrenean travels, there is no better place than the picturesque old town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre, a center par excellence for summer travel. It is an animated place, with good hotels, a charming site in an amphitheater of hills, and wonderful air and mineral springs which do all sorts of good for ailing mankind. The Romans found these baths beneficial, as did Madame de Maintenon, who sought frequent repose here from the ardors of being the mistress of her king.
The hotels are all the comfortable, often luxurious, resort type, but some of them pay particular attention to food as well as comfort. Two of these should enchant the owners of all but the most princely palates. One is the HÔTEL VICTORIA ET ANGLETERRE, situated on the tree-lined allées Coustous in the heart of the town. Here the cuisine is commanded by a chef of rare talent and good taste, Monsieur Capdevielle. His trout, his confits, his steaks, his poulet cocotte, are all proof of the highest culinary standards.
Facing the park and the thermal establishment is the HÔTEL R&ÉGINA, a handsome and impressive hostelry which has been in the same family for decades. Your host, Monsieur Albertini, knows a great deal about cooking, particularly the preparation of shellfish, frogs' legs, and Gascon dishes.
Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne)
This ancient town on the banks of the Tarn glows with a dusty pink, for most of its buildings are built of old brick. Place Nationale, a seventeenth-century market place surrounded by double arcades in brick, is one of the most remarkable in France. Its ancient bridge, built in 1303, is also of brick Two great artists were born in Montauban. One was Antoine Bourdelle, the fiery sculptor; the other was Jean Auguste Ingres, the immaculate pencil draftsman and portraitist whose paintings and possessions now fill the old Bishop's Palace on the riverbank. Hut there is a third artist of note in this old town. He is the chef in the HÔTEL DU MIDI, for generations Montauban's traditional epicurean Stronghold. His mastery of Gascon dishes is well known across the countryside, and it is difficult to find a table there on a Sunday. His poulet saute and foie gras à la monsal bassaise appear to be the headliners on that festive day. Monsieur Vanacker's wine cellar boasts a particularly agreeable Fronton rote, which tasted heavenly at a hot summer noontime.
Calssade (Tarn-et-Garonne)
All of the gastronomic guidebooks said complimentary things about the HÔTEL LARROQUE in this little sun-soaked town, so we tried it out for lunch. Monsieur Larroquc proved to be a wry genial and attentive host, bustling first around his shaded café. terrace and later watching over his luncheon guests with charming solicitude. Every plate that came from the kitchen had to pass his close serutiny. It was difficult to choose among so many Gascon delicacies—poulet à la crème, cassoulet, confts d'oie, and ortolans—but we settled for écrevisses and a lender gigot de Gascogne, accompanied with a red wine from Cahors, and felt no regrets.
Cahors (Lot)
The département of Lot is one of the most dramatic and least fertile in France, but that doesn't seem to affect the high gastronomic plane of Cahors, its capital city. This is quite a fascinating place, built in a horseshoe bend made by the River Lot. This location results in three bridges, one of which is the superb Pont Valentré. This fortified bridge-dates from the fourteenth century and bristles with three husky and forbidding lowers in the best fairy-tale tradition. The twelfth-century cathedral is worth a visit too, especially for its Romanesque north portal. The town is gay and sunny and has one or two adequate hotels along its tree-shaded streets. About five miles north of Cahors is something more unusual, however—the ancient château of the Bishops of Cahors, which has been transformed into a hostelry. This is the CHATEAU DE MERCUES, which over-looks the river valley from its verdant girdle of trees. There-is a lovely shaded garden and a small forest for the promenaders, Your hostess, Madame Labusquière, supervised her cuisine with a very competent baud, and her regional specialties of the Quercy were good. The chateau is open to guests from early April to October. The prices are reasonable and include service.
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