Blogs from Collioure, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, Europe

ADIOS España... en effet, aujourd'hui nous repasserons la frontière afin de retourner en France et continuer notre périple qui est encore loin d'être fini... Le temps est toujours au beau fixe... Il faut alors profiter de la mer un maximum... Nous longerons donc la Méditerranée jusqu'à hauteur de Cassis... puis ce sera Adios la mer... malheureusement car il nous faudra rentrer dans les terres pour retrouver notre maison un jour... Nous passerons une première nuit à Saint-Marie-la-Mer, à ne pas confondre avec Les Saintes Maries.... Un camping bruyant pour cette nuit mais ce doit être dans tous les campings de France puisque Foot oblige... c'est la finale... Et la nuit continuera bruyante puisqu'un bon orage sévira, apportant beaucoup d'eau... A ce moment là on est heureux de ne pas se trouver sous une tente... car d'autres ... read more

Today I drove from Carcassonne to Collioure via back roads. I followed Rick Steves's advice about enjoying the rugged countryside and stopping at a ruined castle. It's true that there were some dramatic views (see photo). But I'm not sure the castle was worth the effort expended to see it. The castle I looked at is called Peyrepertuse and it was important six or seven hundred years ago. Abandoned, it fell into ruin and then was partially restored in the last century (see photo). Unfortunately the restoration did not include a user-friendly path to climb (see photo). I guess I have to say I was glad to see Peyrepertuse but I think its chief feature is that it makes one appreciate how well-done Carcassonne is. I drove on from there to Collioure, France and just had ... read more

I tend to choose the most random places when I'm deciding on trips; hence I've seen more of Burkina Faso and El Salvador than Wales. Therefore, I was initially apprehensive about a trip to the South of France. It seemed too obvious a destination. “Doesn’t everyone go to the South of France?” Yes they do, and now I know why. Julia’s aunt Nicola’s house is in a lovely little village in the province of Aude, not far from Perpignan. We had been invited over to stay for a few days and thought we’d make a weeklong trip out of it. We got up every morning, went to the little village shop for croissants and a baguette, ate lots of fantastic sausage and cheese, discussed advancements in genetics (of which Claudio is a professor), browsed their vast ... read more