Now we understand why Gail and Maurice Trapp love this Collioure so much. What a beautiful, lovely place It is a haven for local artists who produce some good work often in quite bright colours.
They say that Collioure is one of the best places for artists due to the quality of the light and colour of the water. It is great at this time of year...not too busy and very relaxing. Great sights for photography, art shops and plenty of bars and restaurants.
Started by visiting the Museum of Modern Art which disappointed due to the lack of work on display. From there we started walking uphill to a windmill which is clearly evident from the town and then to the top of the hill above Collioure to a reworked Fortress (Saint Elme) used to defend the Spanish / France frontier in past eras.
Because it was such a fantastic day, weather wise, we decided to walk down to the next harbour, a fishing port called Port Vendres. Then it was back up the hill and a walk around the bays back to Collioure. Absolutely stunning views of the Mediterranean!
The surrounding areas are covered with terraced vineyards, which reminded us of Cinque Terre in Italy. Apparently, this area is the largest wine producing area of France, but not of the quality wines we know about such as Burgundy etc.
On arrival back into town we headed straight to a bar for a beer to quench our thirsts. This area has a strong rugby connection as it is close to Perpignan. The barman was very emotional when talking about the subject and they all love Dan Carter who played for their team. He just had to mention that Dan Carter had eaten at his restaurant!
Dinner was fantastic. From a tiny little restaurant just metres away from our apartment. We were going to make our own but the smells coming from this pace were so good we flagged the idea. We all had the chicken with African / Moroccan flavours. Jeff had cold beetroot, ginger and orange soup. Delicious.
Tomorrow we are off to Figueres and Cadeques for some culture. First stop is the museum for some of Salvador Dali's works. Then to another small and beautiful place called Cadeques.
We were in Cafe Sol and shown the photo of Dan with the patron. They sure love their rugby in Collioure!
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