To start, this was a common sight on doors throughout the south of France. I regret not buying the one I saw at a market sale in Foix. I missed a set of ivory dominoes too. (The woman whose booth they were in kept telling me they were 'ivoire', and wouldn't budge from the already low price.) I worried about the weight in my luggage of the mail slot, and customs on the dominoes. I did buy, from another dealer, a small nib container, some nibs and some stylos.
In Foix, a town in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, we visited the Grottes de Niaux where we saw cave drawings (no photos allowed, but click on the link to get a view.) We also visited Le Chateau de Foix, which was mostly destroyed and rebuilt, and served time as a prison too. Included below are photos of the chateau, from the chateau and inside the chateau. Some are prison graffiti, carved into the walls. The need to communicate is universal and eternal. (To learn more, click on the link above.)
The Chateau as seen from the town.
Down the Tower stairs.
This hand lettered sign was in an ancient church, L'Eglise Saint Volusien in Foix. Sorry about the reflections. It was impossible to get a good shot of this.
I took photos of many menu boards, all hand-lettered. Here is one from Foix. The price was right, menu looked good...but the darn restaurant was closed.
Plaque from 12th Century Church.
Prison Door in the chateau.
Various examples of the Prison Graffiti.
A view of the Pyrenees from the chateau. Note the neat rows of the small vineyard below.
A remnant of some lettering in the chateau.
Just for fun, I thought I'd share this photo of a tee my friend Sue bought for her sister from a shop at Carcassonne, a walled medieval city. LOVE the grin and the 'rabbit ears'.
