There was now a definite change in the weather. More sun, little if any rain. And we were near the coast, so that made the sun seem all the more appropriate. We were driving along the Mediterranean coast south of Narbonne. Off this road were exits to beachside towns which from a distance all looked much the same - always buildings painted in pastel pink or apricot, and lots of boats in marinas. We drove into Port Leucat to have a coffee. It’s a place that has Sanctuary Cove, Queensland, Australia feel about it. Lots and lots of boats, apartments, shops, eating places. Perhaps a retirement place for the well heeled by the look of it.
Cap Leucat
And then to Perpignan, the largest town in the area. A couple of hours here and we were beginning to think we were in Spain. In the 13-14th centuries this town was the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca, and this area of France has changed from being French to Spanish a number of times over the years. So street names etc are usually in two languages. (Making it a bit more challenging with maps and the GPS.)
The first notable building we came across was the Cathedrale of St Jean Baptiste. This was apparently built in the Catalan Gothic style, and has a very ornate interior, with even more decorated chapels to each side. The exterior seems to have all the bits a building could have - a dome, tower, flying buttresses, but overall on the outside has a solid plain look about it. Each time we visit one of these old churches there is that same question. Will the interior match the exterior? Sometimes the plainest looking buildings have the most decorated interiors. Or the other way around.
Perpignan
Lovely treed park
Cathedral St Jean Baptiste, Perpignan
Marble footpath outside the Mairie, Perpignan
In the Mairie courtyard
Perpignan
Tet River, Perpignan
Perpignan Castallet
Roger Maureso, Perpignan
Loved the use of colour on a lot of the buildings in this town. We have seen so many housing styles on our trip so far, and it is interesting each time we see a town with a different style. It really is one of the features that sets towns or regions apart. Then there were the restaurants. For the first time the food looked more Spanish than French - platters and tapas. And almost everyone having lunch was drinking wine. It was usually from a smallish glass, but this is the first time we have seen it to be so common. We really enjoyed Perpignan.
Our travel for the day was not over, as we needed a place to stop for the night. This turned out to be south west in a small village called Le Boulou. But there was still time for a side trip to Amelie-sur-Baines. This was a spa town set in the mountains, with a stream rushing through the centre. The Pyrennees mountains loomed so high here that everywhere seemed dwarfed. If I was to take the waters, I think this would be lovely place to come.
Amelie sur bains
Mairie, Amelie-sur-Baines
L'eglise St Quentin, d'Amelie-sur-Baines
Thermal Baths, Mairie, Amelie-sur-Baines
Tech gorge, Mairie, Amelie-sur-Baines
Spa hotels at Mairie, Amelie-sur-Baines
This featured blog entry was written by jannettek from the blog Time to travel.
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