The barns captivate me: rural Haute Garonne

Barn relics of the Haute Garonne

Lattice-work details are another feature of the barns,

A conversation with the delightful Kim of Kimglace, the artisanal ice cream maker from St Martory, got me appreciating the barns along our afternoon drive to the Col Portet d'Aspet. 

She makes a heady Fleur de Lait ice cream and only does so in summer when the cows are out in the pastures, eating the grass, as the milk is then rich and flavourful. A true connoisseur.

Come winter, come the snowfalls, the animals are herded into the barns and hay fed. Mostly the barns are attached to the centuries old farmhouses, two storied, upper wooden structure for the hay and an enclosed lower tier for the animals. This old style mountain farming has changed no doubt and the barns are now more a feature of the landscape than a practical solution to the brutal winters of the Pyrenees. Barns are now collapsing or having makeovers and being integrated into the living space of homes.

Anyway, I had Fred stopping at the last minute to photograph these old barns.  Even though the temperatures are still in the 30's, the farmers are getting ready for the cold, the hay has been harvested and bailed, and in some cases moved into the barns already.