Local Markets
Condom: market Wednesday all day (9km)
Mezin: market Sunday (10km)
Nerac: market Saturday (15km)
Lavardac: market Wednesday (20km)
Lectoure: market Friday (32km)
Astaffort: market Monday (36km)
Agen: market Wednesday & Sunday & Saturday (37km)
Eauze: market Thursday all day (37km)
Layrac: market Friday (38km)
Bon-Encontre: market Sunday (45km)
Surrounding areas
NERAC - 8 miles
MEZIN - 7.4 miles
CONDOM - 5 mile
MONCRABEAU - 2.5 mile
Other attractions are:
FORCES
MONTREAL-DU-GERS
LECTURE
LARRESSINGLE
"Heugarède" - Moncrabeau, 47600
Our neighbours Jean-René and Florence Wenk, who are producers of fruits and vegetables. They sell from their farm plus have vending machines available 7 days a week 24 hours a day. They produce kiwis, cherries, apples, apricots, raspberries and many more. Jean-René and Florence, offer their selection of fruit juices, made with passion and especially in a natural way and without added sugar
Moncrabeau
Situated 2.5 miles from Finders Keepers France. There are no shops however it has a weekly fish and meat stall, a bread and pastry vending machine, and a café. Overlooking the Baïse River this is a true French little village that deserves a visit. Visit the the view point in the tiny public garden which offers a wonderful panorama of the River valley, or follow the “Liar’s Path” (“Circuit Menteurs”) that takes you to different make-believe “historic” sites. The humour is quite subtle and in few cases it requires a good knowledge of French and/or French history in order to understand the meaning.
Enjoy the 'International Festival of Lies' event that occurs on the first Sunday of August. Participants from all over the world come to Moncrabeau and compete in a 'truth twisting' or 'pure invention' contest. Each lie is rewarded by the academy members with a quantity of salt, depending on the plausibility of the lie! At the end of the competition the participant with the most salt is declared “King of Liars” for the duration of 1 year. The festival is held only in French and the local Gascon language.
When visiting Moncrabeau it was hard to distinguish what is true from what was intended as a fabrication! An example was the town’s tiny museum dedicated to the history of the local fashion and to Michel Goma, an haute-couture stylist born in Moncrabeau.
Condom
Located 5 miles from Finders Keepers France. Condom is a quiet rural market town with a cathedral and a few monuments of interest making the town interesting to visit. Before you start exploring, visit Condom Tourist Office on Place Saint-Pierre to ask for the map that shows a suggested route to follow (1 1/2 hours) and the principal places of interest in the town.
The principal highlight in Condom is the Cathedral of Saint-Pierre and its associated cloisters. The cathedral was built at the end of the 14th century, and then substantially rebuilt in the early 16th century, mostly in the gothic style. You can also see the Tour Anger d'Adiran, a 13th century tower where the Abbot Anger d'Adiran once lived. As well as the cathedral there is a small medieval old town to visit with some pleasant streets to explore. Condom is a quiet, relaxing town where you won't feel the pressure to rush around but you will be pleased you stopped for a visit. One of the oldest medieval streets in Condom is the short Rue Charron from the west of Place Saint-Pierre to Place du Lion d'Or.
Don't forget to try the local brew while in Condom - Armagnac is produced here and there are several places where you can try a sample. There is also a small museum dedicated to explaining the art of Armagnac production just north of the cathedral façade.
Nerac
Nerac is located 8 miles from Finders Keepers France. Ensure you visit the Chateau Henry IV. The castle now houses a museum tracing the history of the region, and in particular of the Albret region - the museum holds archaeological finds and an exhibition about the history of the Albret family.
Explore the medieval buildings around the old town which lies on both sides of the Baise River. A good place to start is at the cluster of buildings just north of the old bridge. From here you can then explore the section of the town between the two bridges. Near the Vieux Pont (Old Bridge) take a look at the wonderful half-timbered buildings of the old tanneries.
In the main part of town you can see the town hall, which was once the town's prison. If you follow the guided walk around Nerac you will also see the building which was the original town hall and is one of the oldest buildings in Nerac although it was largely destroyed by a fire in 1611. Another notable monument is the Church of Saint-Nicholas.
You should also take a walk up to the viewpoint (belvedere) as the views over the river and the town below are beautiful. If you have time you can also take a walk along the river and through the Parc Royal de la Garenne. Once a royal hunting ground this is now a very pleasant park and there are a number of notable fountains in the park. On the other side of the river is a 16th century pavilion which was once used by ladies to undress for bathing in the river. After exploring the old town and park it is also possible to take a boat trip along the river to get even better views of this lovely stretch of the Baise River.
Mezin
Mezin is located 7.4 miles from Finders Keepers France. A visit to Mezin will focus around the lovely paved central square that is dominated by the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Opposite the church there is a row of attractively galleried arcades and at the top end of the square are more arcades and a pleasant bar from which to soak up the peaceful atmosphere. Mezin is also home to the 'Musee du Liege et du Bouchon'. In its heyday Mezin produced 4-5 million corks each week, and the museum is dedicated to the cork making industry and its historical importance to Mezin.
One interesting way to explore the region, known as the Pays d'Albret, is on the small tourist train between Nérac and Mezin although this only operates from late spring to early autumn.