There’s this stuff called Floc. The Floc de Gascogne is a regional apéritif from the Côtes de Gascogne and Armagnac regions of south west France. It is a vin de liqueur fortified with armagnac, the local brandy. Today was a big Floc tasting day in Condom. We were told that the best time to tast is around 10am, when the palate is clean and fresh. So we did as were told. The tastings were at a number of venues and were often associated with samples of other local products. The first tasting turned out to be a competition between 8 Floc makers, so the tasting glasses were lined up and we had to vote on which one we thought was the best. We were the first “tasters” this morning so had the undivided attention of the “presenter”, or did she of us?
We eventually moved on, to cocktails beside the cathedral. We had 3 choices, also all based on Floc.
Down the main street then, to another tasting with local meats. One little problem that the shop owners thought that the Floc festival was tomorrow, so wasn’t ready. She quickly arranged tastings and sampling for us and presumably she realised her mistake and was ready for the next visitors.
By the time we left there, it was time to book for lunch at nearby restaurant. Just time to try couple of floc / icecream combinations before going back for lunch. Condom is on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, originating in the 9th century. The pilgrims follow the trail marked with scallop shells and usually have a shell on their back pack. The pilgrims usually are on foot, but we saw an unusual modern way to travel.
Back home for a bit of time out before going back to Condom for a great organ and soprano concert in the beautiful cathedral. The cathedral was built in the early 16th century. More Floc cocktail tastings and the announcement of the winners of the competition we first tasted for. 3 of the 4 of us picked the winner.
There was a producer’s market and music behind the cathedral, so we went there for a while. Click to see a short video clip of the action. Back home for dinner. Still clear sky, 23 degrees and very quiet.
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