Between 2023 and 2026 I spent some time in three very contrasting towns in Southern France.

Firstly Figeac on the river Célé, a tributary of the Lot, a medieval town, and the birthplace of Champollion famous for deciphering the Rosetta Stone. The museum is dedicated to him and there is a copy of the Rosetta Stone in a nearby courtyard. With narrow streets winding up a steep hillside from the river Figeac retains the atmoshere of its medieval origins.

Secondly Capdenac on the river Lot, a nineteenth century town that grew up with the expansion of the railway.

Finally Mont de Marsan, the principal town in the Lande area south of Bordeaux, on the river Midoux.  With only traces of its medieval origins the town now has an air force base, agricultural feed and timber industries on the outskirts.