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ACTUALITÉS DU MOIS
OFFres SPÉCIALes Simply Gascony
This is where we publish new information and details of special offers for guests renting our properties. Click on any of the headings below to take you to the relevant section lower down this page or on other pages.
We are delighted to be able this year to work with the excellent departmental Tourism organisation that represents
‘GERS-EN-GASCOGNE’
Use this link to connect with their website and the
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10 good reasons…
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…to love the Gers en Gascogne!
We are following on from our two blogs in October and November last year about Gascon food and cooking in general. Here is more information about our two featured cooks, who are now busy cooking for visitors to Gascony, including guests staying in Simply Gascony properties.
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LAURA WASHBURN – https://ateliercuisinefources.com/
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DOUNIA SILEM - https://www.doo-eat.fr/
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Both Laura and Dounia have previously cooked very successfully for Simply Gascony holiday house parties and are now booked to do so in 2024 – could this be an idea for your holiday in 2024?
RÉSUMÉ - ceci est notre bref résumé de l'ensemble de ce site-web. Vous pouvez consulter ou télécharger ce document illustré qui explique notre fonctionnement.
SUMMARY – this is our short summary of this whole website. You can view or download this illustrated document which explains how we operate.
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NEW PROPERTIES 2024 – we have two new properties for 2024 – with more to come!
WINE OF THE MONTH – a Gascon wine recommended by our Working Partner “De la Terre au Verre”
Every month or so, we present a different Gascon wine recommended by our Working Partner, Romain, of “De la Terre au Verre” in Lectoure:
Romain says:
“I would like to introduce you to Claire Dufau (below!). A passionate young winemaker, Claire has taken part of the family estate to create wines to her taste. Based in the southwest of Gers, as the foot of the Pyrenees, Claire produces wines that reflect their terroir. She is, in fact, the only independent female winemaker in her appellation. Don't hesitate to visit her at her family estate : Domaine de Maouries.”
D’ARTAGNAN. E-Velo, one of our Working Partners, is based in Lupiac, the birthplace of D’Artagnan, and was also very involved in the celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the death of D’Artagnan on 25th June 1673. The programme of these activities in 2024 can be found at: https://www.autourdedartagnan.fr/.
There is also the excellent and very well-researched Musee d’Artagnan in Lupiac which is well worth going out of your way to visit - https://www.lupiac.fr/lupiac#dartagnan-musee.
SLOW TOURISM IN GASCONY
“Slow tourism is an approach to tourism that is presented as an alternative to mass tourism. It forms part of the wider sustainable tourism movement. It can be seen as the tourism industry equivalent of the ‘slow food’ movement, which emphasizes the enjoyment of local food and traditional recipes over fast food and mass consumption.
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With this in mind, slow travel places an emphasis on discovering the culture, history, and characteristics of the local area, rather than creating an itinerary and attempting to cram in as many different travel experiences as possible. In addition to emphasizing meaningful and authentic engagement with a travel destination, slow tourism also promotes concern about the local environment and sustainability in general.”
(Source: https://www.revfine.com/slow-tourism/#what-is-slow-tourism).
Here are some of our suggestions:
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One of the best ways to experience a country area like Gascony, is through buying, preparing, and tasting its food and wines – especially if you start with the local markets and the small, independent wine makers.
https://www.simply-gascony.co.uk/food-and-wine-gascony and to the
October Blog – “Gascon Food”
November Blog – “A Tale of Two Cooks”
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Visit your local village or town and see if you can find evidence of the culture, activities and wars of past generations that have shaped the buildings in Gascony that you see today. For example, the pilgrims that for the last 1000 years have been walking through Gascony, across the Pyrenees and on to Santiago de Compostela in Spain; the fortifications built during The 100 Years War; the development of the ‘Bastides’ (new towns) during the medieval period from c.1100 to c.1400; the Wars of Religion in the C16th; the French Revolution in the late C18th and the Napoleonic Wars of the early C19th.
https://www.simply-gascony.co.uk/historic-gascony
https://www.simply-gascony.co.uk/gascony-life-blog/categories/gascony-history-architecture
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A very good ‘slow’ way to explore the countryside, the markets, wineries and villages is by electric bike. Our Working Partner e-Velo Gers was set up on the brilliant and environmentally sound principle that the business would have a number of bike-hire bases spread across Le Gers, accessible to anyone without the need to travel great distances to pick up a rental bike. it doesn’t make environmental sense (and it is very expensive) to transport electric bikes long distances in a diesel van so that people can bike short distances while on holiday. Why not give it a try? Every SG guest who already tried this had a wonderful experience!
https://www.simply-gascony.co.uk/post/a-biking-holiday-in-gascony-all-the-benefits-and-how-we-can-help