Postcard from L'Escala ...

6th September 2016 

 "Monsieur Honey" again became "Señor Honey" today as we crossed the border from France to Spain. 

Our New Zealand friends had recommended / suggested a visit to the Spanish town of L'Escala and if possible lunch at "La Gruta" (the Grotto / the cave). 

 

Our only mission today was to enjoy a leisurely lunch on the coast in Spain ... no tourist attractions on the to do list. 

Let's just enjoy the ambiance of this lovely town! 

The scenery was very much similar to that of Tossa de Mar, beautiful blue skies and Mediterranean 

Waters! 

Won't go into the details of our travels here ...  but all I can say is I'm ready to trade in our "Molly the GPS" after today. 

I had made a reservation at La Gruta for 12:30pm ... we were quite concerned that we would not make it on time. Molly diverted us from the Auto route to a secondary road thru Le Perthus, absolutely bottle-necked (bouchon) ... the driving time was much longer than anticipated! 

We did arrive in time with a half hour to spare ... perfect for a stroll along the waterfront before lunch. 

                           

Some frosty delicious "vin rosé" or in Spain  "rosada" ...

The food and service was excellent and worthy of a "Michelin" star ...

On Trip Advisor rated as the no.1 out of 139 in L'Escala. 

My starter above ... Swiss chard "clafoutis", pine nuts, tomatoes confit & Iberian ham ...oh So good!

And Msr. Honey chose the grilled vegetables, buffalo mozzarella and anchovy fillet ...

yes, Mikey he had the sardines and loved it! 

 

Pollock loin with saffron aioli ... For me.

Leg of lamb skewers with chimichurri for Monsieur ...

Apricot crumble ... so yummy! 

 

Chocolate fondant  with light banana "crème" .'' Monsieur Honey is editing. 

Ps. I've posted the menu so you can see what we've had and I'm sure we will be creating these delectable (darn tasty bites) in the future...

 

Our day ended with aperos at Bar Pablo as the sun was setting ...

On the Road Again ... Céret to Saint-Cyprien Plage

#rain#saintcyprienplage#beaches#port#mediterranean#fishing

Wednesday 14th September 2016 

The rain arrived during the night and continued all morning in Céret as we were packing up for our departure and travel to our next destination. 

Before leaving Céret one last coffee at Bar Pablo and quick goodbye to our New Zealand friends, Karen & John. 

We didn't have to far to travel today ... we were heading to the seaside in Saint-Cyprien Plage.

As we were travelling down the highway ...

The mountains were shrouded in white, rolling mist! 

We arrived at about 12:30 or so and decided to locate the apartment first before going for some lunch.  

A bit of a challenge as Molly, our trusted GPS just didn't want to cooperate and recognize the address we had given her. 

Actually, I believe there are two streets with the same name ... one is "Avenue" de and one is "Boulevard"; we will figure that out today when we get a town map form the local tourist office.

Ah, lunch on the quai side ... 

What's in the pot? 

                                 

We enjoyed a delicious "menu du jour" at L'Hidalgo ... "moules marinière, curry au poulet, tarte chocolat fondât"!

Now time to meet Jean-Marie & Martine at their apartment for our check-in.  Some of you may remember Jean-Marie and Martine from last year's adventure. They were are most gracious hosts in Sarrians (Provence) and they had told us about their seaside apartment on the Mediterranean. 

What a wonderful welcome ...

A Day in Céret

Our time in Céret has been more about just living as we would if we were at home. 

We've not had any ambitious "must do's, must sees"!  Having said that we have ventured out to some new and familiar villages, towns, tasted new foods and wines plus met new people. 

There is always new things to discover in your neighbourhood and surroundings.  

We've fallen into a very comfortable routine with most mornings seeing us walking to the local supermarket, boulangerie and the local fruit /vegetable seller for our daily needs followed by a stop at the café for a leisurely coffee!  

So today tag along with us ... 

Later in the day, it's a wander around town down some new lane ways, streets to see what is hidden around that corner. 

 

              

  

                  

And then at the end of our wander a little refreshment / apero at Bar Pablo before heading back to the "Ciel Bleu" apartment for our supper.