This was voted the favourite “day” excursion of our time with our Australian friends. There were a number of reasons for this, one of which was the fabulous lunch we enjoyed here.

Mick and I were here on New Years Eve 2016 and loved it, and we really wanted to bring Michael and Jeanie here to experience it as well.

Collioure Lighthouse is marked on the map and I’ve added an arrow indicating where the French and Spanish border is just so you can get a sense of where we were. It was just under 90 kilometres drive to get there. But, I did not have to drive.

You’ll remember the €1 buses – well we caught one from Caudiès to Perpignan, and because it was less than two hours, we hopped on the one to Collioure and paid nothing extra. €1 each to get two buses to the seaside – you can’t beat that. We all really enjoyed the buses because you get such a great view from being up a little higher.

The sun was out but the wind was blowing quite hard when we arrived. Lots of people were resting against this massive town wall which was soaking up the sunshine and adding extra warmth by reflecting some of the heat.

We headed straight for a cafe / bar Mick and I had used on our first visit (Jeanie and Michael got a head start as you can see them spotted in the background of this photo).

Coffees, hot chocolates and croissants were the order of the day to get us warmed up before we explored the weekly markets, which are obviously held on Wednesdays. They were in the square right beside the cafe.

Opposite the markets was a cave (bottle shop / wine sales) and of course we wandered in to try some of the local aperitif called Banyuls. A very handsome young Frenchman with good English encouraged us to try several different wines and we walked out with a few bottles under our arms, but not the Banyuls; that must be an acquired taste or perhaps is better after 11.00am. He was a pretty shrewd salesman as we paid more for those wines than any others during that week, plus we had to lug them all the way home on the buses.

But wine was not all that was tasted.

Our friends tried some of the locally tinned sardines – they were selling all sorts in different coloured tins which looked almost like little artworks. Jeanie decided that Sammy (the little cat we are currently caring for) would have loved it!

We wandered the small streets of old Collioure which were filled with restaurants and art shops, …….

….. before braving the winds to walk across to the lighthouse and a small church – the Church of Our Lady of the Angels – (Notre-Dame-des-Anges). What blew me away, beside the strong wind, was how calm the water was inside the harbour. Cleverly thought out and designed hundreds of years ago.

These two photos were taken one after the other and just prove how effective the harbour wall is.

While we were trying to stay upright against the buffeting winds we noticed three young women hop into the cold waters and have a swim in the Mediterranean. Hearty soles indeed.

I took photos here last time using these cute stands that are scattered along the shore. They are metal frames you can use to ‘frame’ your photos. A very cute idea.

Now to lunch – we could not get a seat inside a restaurant but we chose a very busy one with a table that appeared somewhat sheltered, and as it turned out it was an excellent choice. We all enjoyed our meals and watching how well the young waitresses managed lots of hungry and thirsty patrons while smiling the whole time.

 

By the time we returned to Caudiès and I drove us up the hill, guess what time it was??

Yes – time for a glass of wine!