Céret to Sarrians via Leucate! A Travel Day!

#Ceret#Leucate#Sarrians#ChezMarie

Finally we were on the road heading to our destination of Sarrians in the Vaucluse Dept. of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur Région in the south east of France. 

Only about 300 kilometers from Céret. 

We had not been on the motorway long and Monsieur thought it best that we stop as soon as we spot the first gas station as he thought the car needed an oil refill.

Off we went into the "aire" similar to our highway rest stops/ gas stations.

To our surprise a litre of oil here was €23.95 almost 24 euros ... 

converted to Canadian that's about 34 dollars. 

Monsieur quickly realized this was not the place to buy it and on we went. (Follow this story ... )

Now it was past lunch time so we looked for a village off the highway ... ending up in Leucate.

We parked the car and looked for a square with some restaurants ... the square was extremely quiet, no one was sitting outside ... 

               

Let's try this place ... "Chez Marie" Le Café - Resto

We were warmly greeted by the proprietors, Marie and Christophe.

Marie is the chef and Christophe is the "Maitre D" ... both are very good at what they do!

Monsieur chose the "plat du jour"  ... a tuna steak served with polenta and a melange of vegetables including "courgettes". Doesn't this look delicious?

I misbehaved today ordering a plate of fried calamari which was accompanied with French fries!

Also very delicious, maybe not too healthy ... I'll have to walk more steps to work this off !

               

Merci Marie et Christophe!

Chez Marie 

20 Place de la République 

11370 Leucate, France

Telephone :0607559564

During our conversation with Christophe we asked where we could buy oil for the car.

He sent us to the local Carrefour.

Perfect, we purchased not one but two litres of oil for the meager price of 6.41 euros that is the equivalent of about 9 Canadian dollars.

Now that's better!

And we are off ... a view of Leucate as we are leaving.

We arrived in Sarrians late in the afternoon and were welcomed by our hosts and this wonderful table full of goodies!

Now to discover what this area of France has to offer! 

Facing Down "Fontfrede"!

This morning we said "Au Revoir" or should I say " à Bientôt" to Céret because I have a feeling we will be coming back here. 

We've thoroughly enjoyed the town, the people and all that the area has to offer.

We had some time to spare so "Monsieur Honey" suggested we take the "HIGH" road to see Fontfrede or rather to see the views from high above Céret.

You know me I don't do "HIGH" and up, up and down very well!

We travelled the narrow windy and winding road that was marked leading us to "Fontfrede".

Yes I meant "windy" ... blowing leaves with the trees dance wildly in the light!

I didn't know how far we would have to go ... Monsieur Honey assured me it wasn't much farther, I believe he said that atleast five times ... It probably was more! 

This happened each time after I squeezed my eyes shut tight and screamed thru another hairpin turn! 

If you haven't figured it out yet I was sitting on the downhill / cliff side.

I hadn't done any prior reading or research on Fontfrede as in my wildest dreams I couldn't imagine that would be on our itinerary.

Our road trip included meeting up with a lone biker, a group of six bikers, a Cerét town white van and two other vehicles all of course on one of the crazy turns, and oh yes we were greeted by a group of cows standing the road. This all added to my anxiety ... if there's not nearly enough room for us, where are we suppose to go when you meet someone else face to face?

Bonjour! Comme ça va?

Here's a little info about Fontfrede Peak ... it is 1093M above sea level, it marks the pass of the same name where there is a monument in tribute to those who fled the Vichy region during the Second World War, here they crossed the Pyrennes seeking refuge in Spain.

I am not sure of the exact location of the monument as we did not go all the way up, we were close but changed direction at 800M ... and Monsieur assured me we were now going down the mountain,

oh no we weren't!

The views from up here were magnificent ...

This has to be my favourite "photo postcard" taken today ...

Here are some from our trip "downhill" sure Monsieur ... we were still high in the hills!

I survived albeit I still dislike heights! It was a white knuckle experience!

Now let's go to Provence!

Last Day in Céret!

It was our last full day in Cerét, one last stroll around the many streets of the town with hopes of having lunch under the dappled sunlight in the square "Place des Neuf Jets".

Coffee at Bar Le Pablo with the sunshine shining and the air warming. 

As we were leaving to head back to the apartment to do a bit of packing up in preparation for tomorrow's departure, Monsieur Honey stopped to say "Hello" to a couple at another table. 

After introductions we were asked to join them, from there we asked them to join us for lunch and we enjoyed a lovely last afternoon in Cerét. 

Our new Kiwi acquaintances, John and Karen split their time between their homes in New Zealand and Céret. 

In our opinion they have a primo address in Céret ... in Place des Neuf Jets (yes my favourite square).

After lunch we were invited to join them for coffee at their home high in the trees overlooking the square.

The views are amazing! 

                         

  

Finally the water is running in La Fontaine des Neuf Jets ...

Our new "friends" told us a bit of history about the fountain ... it was built in the 14th century.

As control of Céret changed between France and Spain the lion was rotated in the direction of the reigning country. 

                

Can't you see why I like this place?

One of the joys of travelling is meeting new people, eventhough it is possible we may never see them again and then maybe our paths will meet again!

It was a wonderful way to spend our last day in Céret'!

We wandered back to our apartment and attacked the packing ... and are ready for the next chapter of our adventures!

                             

Follow us as we travel to Provence, spending our remains time here before we return home!