Figeac

Figeac is special.

Bonus one is that we have a very pleasant hotel. Curiously, a Best Western, but easily the best so far (subject to Aumont-Aubrac's extra points for the manager who resolved Air France).

Bonus two is that we are here two nights.

Bonus three is that Figeac is a beautiful old town. It is as if the buildings have remained the same for at least 200 years. The old area, which is quite large and has lots of alleys and twisting, narrow streets. All the houses are stone, often with blue-shuttered windows, wooden framework visible from outside and old, tiled rooves.... and no (or almost no) obviously new buildings anywhere. There are two huge churches, both different but also spectacular.

The man who deciphered the Rosetta Stone was born here, and there is a massive replica of the Stone in a courtyard near his old house. The Knights Templar had a castle in the 13th-15th C. The oldest house was started in the 10th C, small mansions and places are around every corner, and there are rose bushes along the streets.

We spent the day walking around the tourist office trail, with 30 stops marked on the map, all for good reason, then the churches again, the river, the fair ground (1-5 May is Figeac Fair), a few different sorts of shops, the sports field, the non-old town ( still very old on the edges) and everything in between. There were dodgem cars, carousel and other side-shows in the main street all day, as well as in a park on the top of the hill, and in the evening a rag-tag brass band played what seemed to be the same tune over and over, but with unstoppable gusto. A good place to spend two nights!

21,519 steps, 16.2km, 24 flights.Baca selengkapnya