It was Linz’s birthday today, and we set out on one of our biggest day trips. All in all it took us 11 hours to do this round trip from our base in Villefranche, but well worth it. 
A couple of weeks ago we passed the lady with the mule – attached to the saddlebag is the scallop shell, the symbol of pilgrims who are going to Compostela in Spain. She may have been heading for Rocamadour as it is one of the most important stopping points along the Way of St James for the pilgrims, because it holds the statue of the Black Virgin. Rocamadour is in a remote location but absolutely spectacular. We braved the climb up to the ramparts of the castle, and out to the very edge overhanging the rock face – after a while, my vertigo and I managed to take some pics.
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Our main reason for going to Figeac was to see the Musée de l’Ecriture – dedicated to writing systems and alphabets of the world through time. Figeac is famous because Jean-Francois Champollion was born here, and he was responsible for decoding the Rosetta Stone and therefore unravelling the mysteries of hieroglyphics. The museum is in the restored home of Champollion, and is four floors of very interesting and exceptionally well presented material. We thoroughly enjoyed it and could have stayed another 2 hours to watch all the videos that were available, if we’d had time.
 D & L muscle in on the birthday celebrations |
part of the huge version of the Rosetta Stone in the courtyard |  A bit of a lie down after a cuppa? |  When walking beside the Célé River in Figeac with a friend, it is not advisable to wave your arms around and let your mail go |
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