Perpignan caused a brief hiccup as our sat-nav struggled to decide which road we were on. When we arrived at Collioure the mist was low and we could only just make out the shapes of a chateau and a windmill on the hills in the distance. The sky was grey and the air colourless, dreadful for photos but giving everything a strange calm. Despite the conditions the sea was clear turquoise blue and the entire bay was laid out before us
As the sun burned through the mist we started to see the warmth of the colours of the stone, and to feel the heat of the day. Having been in the snow of Les Angles only the day before, the Med felt like another world, warm and sensuous
It’s hard to take a ‘new’ picture in Collioure. It’s been painted by artists for centuries and photographed in every way possible, yet it remains a compelling scene. Baz took a lovely shot of the brightly coloured houses on the sloping roads back from the shore
Lunch wasn’t expensive and we were served with great charm and humour. The fish stew, the squid and the sea bass were all superb. After feeding a small shoal of fish in the bay we grabbed ice creams then coffee. We sat on the beach facing Collioure’s famous tower while C practised skimming stones. As we were leaving she and I hit a seam of precious sea gems (broken glass to other people) and stuffed them into my handbag with no real purpose in mind
We will go back. Perhaps not in summer, when traffic queues are rumoured to be three hours long and parking impossible. I hope we’ll overnight next time and enjoy a glass of wine with lunch and a leisurely dinner
The sun was still shining when we left, but we had to navigate Perpignan once again and it’s still all new to us
On the way home we stopped among the Maury vineyards 
Poshbird with Passion 
I was there! God, I had forgotten. Thanks for taking me back 25 years down memory lane!
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Doubt it has changed much either
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Amazing place, but the bit around Perpignan is a true nightmare. Trev very blase about it but I won’t drive it !
It’s true that once you get to Maury it feels like a whole other country
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We went via a council estate on the way home!
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It is a beautiful place but you have been justly warned about the summer months 😮
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There’s always the train, I suppose…
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Lovely photos. I have very happy memories of staying in Collioure. There was a ‘sardane’ festival on, which is a local dance where people stand in a circle and seem to do nothing but bob occasionally until a sudden change in the music and they all go crazeee. It helped that the music sounded like something by Nino Rota. But yes, I gather the place is ‘insupportable’ in summer…
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It has a wonderful light. Would love to see that dance!
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