Shopping:
 
One of the nicest features of French rural life is the weekly market which takes place in most of the towns and villages.  From Le Marcade you can get to one every day of the week within a 30 minute drive.  The larger ones  in particular are worth visiting like the Saturday market in Auch on the banks of the river Gers.   The usual fruit, vegetable, cheese, fish and butchers stalls are all present along with clothes, jewellery, basket work, wine, Armagnac, Foie Gras, freshly cooked Paella in giant pans and crepes cooked to order at the road side – heavenly.

Full details of all the markets are included in the information pack at the house.

For major stores and boutique shopping the bigger towns of Auch, Condom, Tarbes, Pau and Toulouse are where you should go.  The latter 2 are both about 1hr 20 minutes away but are well worth a visit for a full day out.

For those interested in antiques and bric a brac there’s plenty to go at also. Apart from Antiquaires (antique dealers) there are many Brocantes (bric a brac dealers) in the area as well as frequent ‘ Vide Greniers’ ( literally empty the attic) or what we know more commonly as car boot sales.  These are widely advertised in every village a couple of weeks in advance and you just need to keep an eye out for them as you drive through.