It is now 19:11 and I am in the same hotel/bar/restaurant. I did change rooms to something with a shower and a more convincing facsimile of a bed however. I still have no solution to my low euro problem. Maybe the hotel can put a cash advance on my bill.

The rain finally stopped after noon so I put down my route planning and walked the historic center of Auch. It is an ancient place first founded by Rome in 1 BC. From the early 800's onward it became an important pilgrim halt on the way to Compostela. Later it became famous for the great Gasconne hero, d'Artangan. He was the Captain of the Guard and one of the Musketeers. His statue stands below the Cathedral of St. Marie. I only explored for a couple hours. I want to rest my feet, and there is not anything here of overwelming importance. I did look for some Internet access but did not find anything.

Food update. the Hôtel du Paris serves a great vin de pays, local wine. I have a semi-sweet white to compliment the menú gastronomique. I think loosely translated that means lots of food for the big American pig. Seriously, it is one of their set menus with their best food. The fish soup was okay. The bread for dunking and the yellow paste and cheese was excellent. I am looking forward to discovering what the entree of the day is. The main course is skewers of duck heart. I am tempted to go with ice cream for dessert but will probably pick the house pastery. Still, there is 3/4 of a bottle of wine to go. I must be writing too much.

:later: The entree was fish and potatoes in a thick tomato and onion sauce. It was very good. And say what you will about some of the things I eat, but I have never had a bad experience eating heart. The duck heart was almost as good as alpaca heart and that is saying a lot.

Until tomorrow friends...