Peaceful retreat into the countryside (Agen)

Member Name: diamond_sparkles

Product:	Agen
Date:	18/07/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice food, and scenery

Disadvantages: I encountered a couple of unfriendly locals

I went to Agen a couple of years ago to visit a distant cousin who was getting married soon. She lives high up in a hill and I must say that being over there sort of reminded me of being at Wales. Agen is the capital of the Lot-Et-Garonne department of France, and while being quite small, it is quite a picturesque and nice town. Lush greenery, streams and rivers. But after staying two weeks over there, things started getting a little dull for my taste. Don't get me wrong, it is a great and peaceful town, but I prefer places which are somewhat more energetic and lively.


Since I am such a shopaholic, the first thing I decided to investigate was the shops. I was a bit put off when I saw that the main shopping area was quite far from my cousin's hill-house. I had to go all the way to a place called Place Wilson in order to get some great clothes, makeup and accessories boutiques. The square is really great however- great Romanesque and Antique architecture. I was particularly impressed by the Municipal theatre. The fantastic details carved into this building were simply outstanding! From what I have been told, this theatre is quite old is has recently been restored because it is one of the main tourist attractions of Agen.


I was quite satisfied with the food during my stay over there- though this might have something to do with the fact that since I was staying at my cousin's place, I had some delicious home-made meals. But from what my cousin told me, most French people make their own meals which they store in the freezer for further use. Some great French delicacies I sampled were: Ratatouille (the homemade version is the best), fresh loaves of crispy French bread, French crepes with orange zest, a sort of cream jelly called "Entremets", and lots and lots of fresh cherry or berry pies. In fact, Agen is reputed for its fruit fields- including cherries, berries and prunes. Apparently, Agen Dried Prunes are exported internationally. I hate prunes so I cannot vouch for the taste but it seems to have a lot of success world widely.


One drawback during my short stay over there was the lack of warmth and friendliness of the locals. While I noticed that they always seem to be polite and friendly together, they were not particularly welcoming to me. In my few conversations with some of the locals, they mostly criticized other countries and boasted of how things are perfect at their place, comparison to some other countries. I do not want to generalize all locals because I've only spoken to a few of them- but I can say that the impression these few people gave me was that people from Agen like to whine and complain about every single thing! I guess that maybe all the locals are not really like that, just the few unfriendly locals that I was unfortunate enough to encounter.


But apart from this particular incident, my stay was quite peaceful. It is not a town to go if you want some action-packed energetic holiday, but it is definitely the perfect place to go and relax whilst enjoying the fresh mountain air!


I hope I haven't offended anyone from Agen because like I said, I do not think that all the locals are as unfriendly and rude as the ones I encountered!


Thanks for reading!

Summary: A quick but quiet stay into the town of Agen