Day 12
Even though clouds hung ominously in the sky over our little corner of the Tet valley, the weather along the coast was promising sunshine, warm temperatures and gentle winds. Easy decision- we were heading to the nearest beach.
We drove straight to the coast from Villfranche and settled in at Argeles Plage. The beach was pretty, thanks to the splendid views of mountains along the coast. The town itself, was not so charming, as it is a huge resort area and caters to families vacationing there, but it was still the 'low season' so neither town nor beach were overrun with people.
The water was still a bit chilly for my taste, so we spent a quiet afternoon reading and soaking up rays. Thankfully, the wind was gentle, so we didn't have to eat sand all day, but enough to keep us from overheating. My husband has a much lower tolerance for lazing about in the sun, and probably would have pulled the plug sooner, but he hung in there since he had dropped off some laundry to be done in town.
We picked up his fresh smelling, still warm from the dryer and oh so neatly folded laundry at 330pm, and then decided to take the scenic drive along the coast. I swear I hadn't seen my husband this excited since we were travelling on the TGV- about the laundry, not the drive ahead of us.
The first stop on our drive was Collioure. A small port town, Collioure is known for its colorful architecture and charm that has drawn many artists to it over the years, most notably the Fauves.
The harbour was as beautiful and charming as promised. I could see why so many artists have been attracted to this town. It just begs to be drawn, painted or photographed. We wandered around the old quarter of Collioure and Plage Boramar, discovering visual delights at every turn.
I was envious of the bathers frolicking in the bay (I was on a mission at this point to swim in the Mediterranean), and had to test the waters myself, to see if they were any warmer than at Argeles. Aha! They were! So my husband indulged me while I took a quick swim. Immersing myself in the buoyant ocean water, I savoured every second as the wonderful salty waters enveloped my body. And besides, how cool is it to take a dip in waters bounded by a castle (Chateau Royale) on one side and a church (Eglise Notre Dame des Anges) dating back to the 1600s, that once served as a lighthouse, on the other?
Once I dried off, we decided to give Collioure a rest for awhile and continue our drive along the coast. As the road dipped and peaked along the coast, we were treated to stunning views of the Mediterranean intertwined with vineyards and charming villages. We passed though Port Vendres, a major fishing port, which I had read was a lovely place to explore. My husband however, took one look at it, and aside from allowing me a brief photo op in the port, declared his total disinterest in spending any time there. From Port Vendres, we continued on through Banyuls-Sur-Mer and finally to Cap Rederis.
A high rocky cliff, Cap Rederis juts out into the sea and offers magnificent views along the coast, to the north towards Perpignan and as far south as Cabo de Creus in Spain. With the help of a big stone table map, set towards the edge of the cliff, we oriented ourselves to points north and south. The colors of the mountains and the sea were stunning in the clear afternoon light. A boat passed below, and from high atop the cliff, its image was barely a tiny speck trailing white foam through the deep blue Mediterranean water.
In the parking area, was a little wooden shack which reminded me of a lemonade stand, where a very gregarious man beckoned (it was closer to harassment, with a good dose of humor thrown in) us over to taste his wines. As we conversed solely in French, he had me laughing at his garrulous compliments on my ability to speak french and his insistence that one should drink wine at all hours of the day, especially when on holiday. He was very proud that all the wines he offered were from his very own vineyard. Though my palate didn't fall in love with any of the wines we tasted (Banyuls can be reminiscent of sherry), I fall in love with anyone who thinks I speak fabulous french. So we obliged him and purchased one of his whites.
We jumped back in the car to make the return drive to Collioure. From Cap Rederis, we had noticed several tiny coves with beaches dotting the coast. Since the theme of the day was beaches, we decided to stop wherever we spotted a good amount cars parked along the road, in hopes of discovering one of these hidden coves. We spotted a mass of cars just past Banyuls. We had romantic and idyllic notions of hiking down a rugged cliff side trail to the sea. Alas, the tiny beach we discovered was only 20 un-rugged meters from the road, behind a little bar/restaurant and not quite so idyllic as we had imagined. As long as we kept our focus out towards the ocean, we could continue to harbor our idealized notions. On the plus side, it was tranquil (save for the bad disco music emanating from the bar) and I was able to enjoy another dip in the ocean, before the sun dropped too low and the air temperature became too cool.
Back at Collioure, we enjoyed a simple dinner at Les Templiers, one of the many cafes overlooking the harbor. We both had salads, my husband a Chevre Chaud (warm goat cheese) and for me, a Salade Collioure- sort of a take-off on Salade Nicoise...laden with delicious anchovies from Collioure, instead of tuna. As the sun set, the town and the mountains were washed in beautiful dramatic pink and gold hues that matched the color of the earthy Langeudoc rose we drank with dinner. Afterwards, we took one more stroll the through streets, savouring every last moment of the day before heading 'home' to Villefranche.
As our little Renault climbed the road out of Collioure, we were treated to a dessert from nature-a gorgeous sherbet hued sunset blossoming and spreading throughout the sky, high above the towns along the coast, which were now a deep indigo with twinkling lights winking us a good night.
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