Heading southward for the sun.... a lesson in optimism

Tuesday 2nd May: Languedoc - Roussillon

After consulting various weather forecasting services with conflicting ideas about weather for the next few days, we packed up and headed for a tiny seaside village in the south of France.

Ewan was determined to be optimistic about the chance of sunshine but as you can see, initially it was misplaced optimism! He kept informing us, as we journeyed on, about any tiny patch of blue sky. However the glimpses became less frequent the further south we went.

We had entered Cathars country so a trip to Carcassonne was essential. They are a fascinating fundamentalist Christian group who basically set up their own country in Carcassonne centuries ago in one of the most remarkably well-defended fortresses we had seen to date. It has been beautifully restored however we were surprised to see that it includes a HUGE amphitheatre!

So we donned our rain gear and, despite the continuous rain, we tramped around all of it and even strolled the rampart walls trying to appreciate what was left of the view through the rain and wind.

Surely that earns us a few points in the Most Persistent Tourist Awards?!

Notice the two walls to protect the castle within.

Walking the highest ramparts trying to see the view in the rain!

Liz at out front door

After we divested ourselves of wet jackets and Ewan skilfully drove for another hour in the rain we arrived at our destination  Collioure. It's a very lovely tiny seaside resort on the southern mediteranen coast. Not far from Spain.We had carefully chosen the apartment so that it wasn't on the top of the steep cliffs that surround the Bay. It was located in the centre of town on the flat: good for everyone's aching legs! Although uit was still a few sets of stairs of course! Oh the joys of travelling when you get old!
For future reference - AirBnB -Grand 2 pieces + mezzanine au coeur de la vielle ville - host is Jose
Of course it did involve two flights of spiral stairs as our very large apartment was on the top floor. And the second bedroom was a mezzanine with tiny stairs and low beams. Liz says she won't bang her head on those beams but we will see......!

The rain had cleared and we went for a stroll around town. As it is spring the tourist masses aren't here and so we promenaded along some of the many walks and enjoyed the views peacefully.

Then alas! Ewan spotted the equivalent of a citadel perched high on a hill above town and announced that we would have to climb it.

The citadel is not the fortress at sea level but
the one perched on top of the hill ( of course!!)

For those of you who may have read the blog I did for our trip to Turkey a few years ago, Ewan has an obsession with climbing 'citadels' as they are called in Turkey, or castles/fortresses as they are here. So Erin and I ( I can hear Erin moaning!) were forced to climb up to the top of every citadel at the top of the highest hill in every town, and in 30-40 degree heat ( not likely to happen here thankfully!). I looked at the glint in Ewan's eye and knew we were not going to escape this one.

Liz looking at a copy of a  Matisse painting
 which corresponds to the view behind her.

After a good night's sleep we firstly had to visit the market to buy provisions for the climb: pumpkin, mushroom and goat's cheese quiches were the choice.. Whilst we couldn't resist the soft nougat , we did manage to resist the amazing array of saucissons: French salami ( well sort of!). It comes in lots of sizes and uses all types of meat. It even comes in tiny mouthful sized pieces covered in black pepper: delicious!

After obtaining a map from the Tourist Office, donning our walking shoes and filling our backpacks with wet weather gear, we set off around the Bay. It's hard to take a bad photo of Collioure, as you can see. It's beauty had been recognised by many of the impressionist painters and there were lots of their artwork hanging at the appropriate location all around town..

We eventually set off up the hill as the path deteriorated from tarred pathway to rough concrete to rocks and dirt. Onward we trudged and finally we came to the top. Liz and I were happy to forgo the paying of  7 Euros for the joy of going even higher to the top of the ancient fortress itself. Ewan set off and came back with the glow of achievement making him smile.

Liz and I had discovered a back gate that was unlocked but we are far too truthful to cope with defrauding the fortress owners of money so we crept back out again!

The views of the towns clustered around the edges of the bays , and the hillsides covered in vines were well worth the climb.

Some of the many vineyards  on the neighbouring slopes

Proof that Ewan made it to the top. Liz and I waving whilst a group of young Spaniards ate lunch to hip hop music !?

After a bit of down time in the gorgeous apartment to rest our weary bodies we set off in search of fish for dinner as we were, after all, at the beach ( although the beach itself was a mixture of sand, pebbles and dirt so not very inviting).

Lots of choices for 'fruits de mer' ( fruits of the sea) and none of them with outside chairs in the sun which was now shining. So we settled on a cozy but inexpensive one and ordered the three course menu: anchovies (the local specialty), grilled fish - only Ewan had pork!- and dessert was creme catalan  or ....you guessed it...... creme brulee. Fabulous.

your far-too-well-fed correspondent

Dianne