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Not far from La Savonnière and in the Les Baronnies, is the Cistercian Abbaye de L'Escaladieu which is open to the public and hosts music, films & art exhibitions. One can take hot-air balloon trips from here. The hot-air balloons can provide breath taking views of the Baronnies.
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Armagnac is considered to be a digestive and is traditionally sipped after a dinner meal. Just North and a bit west of PAU, The region of Armagnac is a little more than 70 KM away from La Savonnière. This delightful spirit predates cognac by 150 years. There are plenty of places to visit and to sample Armagnac such as:
 Domaine BoingnèresChâteaude Ravignan
Château de Briat
Château de Neguebouc
The most famous citizen of this region was Charles de Batz; known to the world as D'Artagnan, one of the Musketeers
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Hot Springs: About a 20 minute drive. Bagneres-de-Bigorre is one of the oldest spa towns in France and is known for its medicinal / healing waters. Featured in the 3 minute movie on our previous web page, Aquensis, is a beautiful spa with all sorts of amenities including a solarium, hammam, beauty salon and a state-of-the-art thermal swimming pool.
In Bagneres-de-Bigorre you will find many traditional outdoor cafes, restaurants, shops, a covered market and its own Casino. Bagneres is the gateway to the mountains of the High Pyrénées (Hautes-Pyrénées) with easy access to the Col de Tourmalet, the mountain pass which is now a famous part of the Tour de France bike race. Tourmalet is also the name of a cheese made from sheep milk produced in these mountains. If you are in to golfing, Bagneres-de-Bigorre has a great 18 hole golf course.
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BARÈGES is about 59 KM from La Savonnière.. It is the oldest ski area in France and now that it is linked up with La Mongie, it is the largest ski area in the French Pyrénées.
BAREGES is situated at an altitude of 4040 ft. It is celebrated for its warm sulfurous springs (71 to 111 F.), which first became generally known in 1675. The waters are used for drinking and baths.
Napoleon III built a hospital in Barèges so his wounded soldiers could benefit from the thermal spring water
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The spa town of Capvern-les-Bains is a 10 - 15 minute drive through a picturesque countryside. There are cafes, chocalatiers, bulanderies and even a pizzeria. There is an outdoor swimming pool and a small cinema. Every Tuesday there is an outdoor market and the local mountain choral group can be heard there from time-to-time, singing songs unique to this Hautes-Pyrénées.
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A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Carcassonne is an old, restored bastide town with tons of history.
Public domain artwork of the Cathars being expelled from Carcassonne in 1209.
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This site, a short drive from La Savonnière, has been occupied since protohistory and was transformed into a castle after the Middle Ages. The castle was built by Gaston Fébus (also Phoebus) around 1380. Following the merging of Bigorre into the Kingdom of France in 1607, it fell into disuse and was dismantled piece by piece, its stones being used for other buildings.
Today, the castle is being restored. It is listed as a monument historic by the French Ministry of Culture. (Excerpt taken from Wikipedia)
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A well known cave not far from La Savonnière. It was discovered in 1948 and it has beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.
The "Maison des Baronnies" Tourist Office
Open from 06/15 to 09/31
 Agricultural productslocal arts and crafts exhibitions
Bar and games area
Phone: 05.62.39.05.14
Fun Stuff: Take a Magic Carpet Ride through the Les Baronnies from La Savonnière to Aste, where the Grottes de Medous are located.
Instructions: When Google Earth is loaded, click on Play Tour under the menu item "Tools." (You may have to click on "Tools/Play Tour" twice.) Note: You will need to have Google Earth installed on your machine.
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Within an easy 5 minute walk from our front door, Gouffre de Esparros is one of the best known caves in the area. It was discovered in 1938. With beautiful crystal formations, it has attracted visitors from the world over. See what our Guests had to say about the Gouffre.
Joint tickets for Gouffre de Esparros and Gouffre de Labastide can be purchased.
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A sister cave to the Gouffre de Esparros, this cave is within a short drive from our home in Esparros. Labastide is composed of 3 different caves. One of which, The Cave of the Loss, goes subterranean and reappears at its next door neighbor, Esparros.
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In ancient times, a Roman settlement was founded on a road linking Toulouse and Bordeaux. This was the settlement that became known as Lourdes several centuries later.
Lourdes is approximately a half hour drive from La Savonnière. Visited by over 5 million tourists a year, Lourdes is a well known pilgrimage spot for Christians who want to visit the site of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the young girl Bernadette Soubirous in the 19th century. There are many other things to see in Lourdes including the Chateau de Lourdes which is set high up on a rocky promontory guarding the surrounding valleys and passes of the central Pyrénées.
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Madiran is the main wine region in this locale of France. Tons of vineyards to visit, wines recommended in Hachette (The definitive book on French wines), good restaurants and terrific views. We have lots of documentation and suggestions for our guests in our guides at La Savonnière. Madiran has a reputation of being a rough wine when young. After a few years in a cellar, it turns into a sensual and tannic wine. With that said, many AOC Madiran vineyards have developed very smooth variations of this wine, winning many medals.
There are 7 major wines in SW France:
Red wine: Bergerac, Buzet, Cahors, Gaillac, Madiran
Dry white wine: Bergerac - Jurançon
Sweet white wine: Gaillac - Jurançon - Monbazillac
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The Observatory can be visited at the top of Pic du Midi
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Pic du Midi is one of the highest points in the French Pyrénées and is 10 kilometers from La Savonnière. At the Col de Tourmalet you can take a cable car to the top of Pic du Midi where there is an observatory, museum, cafe, and of course, outstanding 360 degree views of the surrounding Pyrénées.
(See also: Bagnères-de-Bigorre above.)
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Definitely worth a visit while staying at La Savonnière. It is famous for the Boulevard des Pyrénées, a walk of three-quarters of a kilometer from the Château de Pau to the Parc du Beaumont and the royal Beaumont Park with magnificent views of the mountains in the Pyrénées mountain range. Along the elevated path the iron handrails have plaques explaining which mountain is directly in front of you and how high it is. Plenty of shops and good restaurants.
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The mountain chain is Southwest France that extends from the Atlantic to the Med. The Pyrénées are a product of collision of the Iberia with Europe, while the Alps were formed at roughly the same time by the collision of the Italy with Europe. Since the Pyrénées are a young mountain chain, numerous thermal springs can be found here and this has been exploited in many of the "Baths" towns for the water's healing and medicinal value.
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The town is listed as one of the prettiest in France. Unlike Lourdes where most of the Roman history has been buried under successive developments, St. Bertrand de Comminges has been successfully excavated. Originally founded by Pompeii in 72 BC to defend the Val d'Aran passage to the Iberian Peninsula, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges became a thriving town of over 30,000 people. Ransacked by the Vandals it remained unoccupied for over 500 years. The Cathedral, built from the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement, contains three distinct styles of architecture, Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance, each reflecting the periods when the additions / improvements were made. This church has a very ornate, hand carved inner sanctuary. It is also co-located with the Olivetian Order's founding location. It is now a main tourist attraction in the area and has a museum with statues and artifacts from the Roman settlement. The remains of several baths and the central market square are wonderfully preserved.
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Cute walking town with many shops, restaurants and views of the surrounding mountains. Local ski resort or in the Summer, a center for businesses catering to walking, mountain biking & other outdoor pursuits.
Location of the Saturday open air market.
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Downhill skiing, X-country skiing, snow shoeing, toboggan runs, sledding and more: A great skiing area not far from La Savonnière featuring very nice beginner and intermediate slopes (Yes, it has more difficult slopes too.) Locals claim that this is their favorite of all the ski resorts.
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Local Info
Bagneres-de-Bigorre
