Auch
St. Mary's Cathedral (La Cathedrale Sainte Marie D'Auch) - Step into the cathedral of Auch to see dazzling stained glass windows, masterpieces of the Renaissance. Eighteen windows by Arnaud de Moles tell the familiar Bible stories of Mary and Jesus. What's amazing is not only the spectacular colors, but the stained glass is painted on, and the figures are incredibly lifelike, portraits of real men and women from the 16th century.
Also, don't miss the carved wooden choir stalls in the center of the cathedral. 113 different seats, carved from oak over 50 years, each choir stall is decorated above and below with angels, religious figures, lords and ladies, even the armrests are decorated with griffins, cherubs, dogs, phoenixes, lions, snakes.
Statue of d'Artagnan - From the cathedral, walk down the monumental staircase (L'Escalier Monumental). Midway down, stop to look up to see the Tour d'Armagnac, this was once a prison. On the steps is a large bronze statue of d'Artagnan from The Three Museketeers. D'Artagnan was a real person, born in Gascony in the 17th century, named Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan.
From the statue, explore north or south through old medieval streets, some of the narrowest streets with steps were used by people to carry water from the river below to the town above.
Walk along the River Gers - It's a nice walk on the west side of the River Gers, from the Pont de Lagarrasic to the Jardin Ortholan, which has a small playground, benches, flowers and fountains. Little kids can play in the playground of the Jardin Ortholan, while parents relax on the benches, and everyone will enjoy a picnic lunch here.
