Our holiday in the South of France.... part 1

We have just had a holiday down to the South of France in the Pyrénées Orientales, relaxing 2 weeks with glorious sunshine. For a change we thought we would be tourists and look at the South of France with a tourists eye.....We used to have a holiday there for 9 years until we moved slightly more North of France to where we are now in the Charente region.

We had a lovely day in Perpignan, a beautiful cosmopolitan city, had a look around the lovely designer shops and a very delicious lunch, under a parasol in the square. Lots of hustle and bustle, so we sat and watched the world go by. I have put in a link for you read about Perpignan, as there would sure be something that I would have missed. Certainly a city to visit if ever in the area..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpignan


Perpignan

Perpignan Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

Our delicious lunch in Perpignan

Collioure

Our day in Collioure was hot, with beautiful blue sky, such a pretty village and a very touristy one, parking is really a problem. Walking around the harbour we noticed the Commandos were doing their training in the sea, wow, did it look hard work, and in full combat gear with a ruck sack on their backs. Manoeuvring their canoe from being inside the water and in the heat of 38 deg, must have been a challenge in itself.  After that they were in scuba gear doing snorkelling and had to swim around obstacles without coming up, and the waves were lashing against them. This went on for a good few hours, but thats what turns them into Commandos..

Collioure has a beautiful "Catalan" influence about the place, the stunning Royal Castle, the lighthouse converted into the Church of Notre-dame-des Anges , the Mediterranean bay, the Artists, the medieval streets, the tree lined roads and the superb restaurants, are all what Collioure is about and you can understand its popularity.. Artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Rennie Mackintosh have all been inspired by the beauty of Collioure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collioure

Dinner in Collioure

               Commando's

Cucugnan


Cucugnan is a very pretty village in the Aude area, it has the renowned Chateau de Quéribus a stunning castle ruin at the top of the mountains. You can see for miles and into the valley of the lower Pyrenees Mountains...breathtaking views..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_de_Queribus

The village is tucked away in a valley with its stunning terracotta roof tops and a small windmill, with lovely restaurants.. certainly a place to visit.

 Lunch at the Auberge de Cucugnan