Life is Good at the Beach ... “la vie est belle à la plage”.

Wednesday, 18th of September 2019

We awoke to clear blue skies which was a positive sign that we should head to the beach.

The information booklet provided in our rental suggested that the best beach nearest to us was about a half hour drive to Le Racou just south of Argeles-sur-Mer. 

It’s actually our landlords’ favourite one in France.

My feet dipped in the Mediterranean ...

Oh come on Monsieur, I know you want to jump in! 

It was a hot and sunny day!

Of course, we didn’t have an umbrella with us ... it wasn’t until we returned home that we saw the beach umbrella in the storage room! 

Some sunbathing, reading and relaxation on the beach ... a walk to checkout the area. 

Soon it was time for some lunch and refreshments ...

And of course what’s a day at the beach without ice cream?

Today for me it was guilt free after our starters of the freshest salads. 

Here’s a couple pics for my foodie friends ...

You know the saying “when in Rome” ... 

Monsieur Mark was following the same thinking “when in Catalonia do as the Catalans” he chose Creme Catalan for his dessert. 

Late afternoon and evening views ...

Some card playing and laughs rounded out our day! 

A Taste of Céret

Our first couple of days were spent in and around Maureillas-las-Illas.

Early morning view from the Juliet balcony in our third floor master bedroom. 

We headed to Céret for a wander, lunch and a grocery shop at a larger supermarket. 

The Modern Art Museum ...

The sails/kites flying in the wind on Rue Saint-Ferréol 

The Maire ...

A colourful street ... 

Some owls hanging around in one of the shops ...

Lunch in Place des Neuf Jets at Quattrocento ... with views of the fountain that dates back to 1313.

The obligatory photo in front of Picasso’s fountain ... Madame Susan et Monsieur Mark.

Night time views from the upper terrace off of the fourth floor master suite ... where we enjoyed evening aperos.

Ceret is a favour spot of Monsieur Honey and I. 

Annie Lennox’s Sweet Dreams in Catalonia!

#Catalonia #Frenchtravels#mediterranean#museeduliege#corkmuseum#collioure#perpignan#racouplage#ceret

#figueres#roses

Monday, 16th of September - Saturday, 28th of September 

This post is just an overview of our time spent in this area ... I’ll be writing and sharing photos in other posts about our specific activities and locations. 

We are now based in the “Deep South” of France in the small rural commune of Maureillas-las-Illas. We are about a 10-minute drive east of Céret and very near the Spanish border, with easy access to the Mediterranean coast and Spain.

The commune is an arrondissement of Céret. 

Our « home away from home «  is set against the backdrop of the Pyrénées with stunning views from three of the four floors of the house. Each view is different. 

After off loading our bags, we wandered into the square for a celebratory drink at El Tap which is right around the corner; you see it was a busy day of visiting Arles and then the 2 1/2 hour drive. 

The interior is rustic and decorated with plenty of cork art and « Catalonia » fabrics. 

Here's Madame Susan enjoying her « pression » beer.

When I look at our photos and my diary, I’d say we had a busy time with a bit of down time.

During our time here we visited and experienced many different towns, etc.

-  Céret a few times including a rainy Saturday “Market Day”

- Argeles-sur-Mer at Racou Plage for a beach day 

-  visited Musee du Liege (Cork Museum) in Maureillas-las-Illas 

-  a day in Perpignan

-  Madame Susan and Monsieur Mark did the cork forest walk with our landlady 

-  a day in Spain ... Figueres(Jordi Ceramica & lets not forget the Wine Palace) then on to Roses

-  a day in Collioure

 

-  a couple days here and there when we just stayed in the village of Maureillas-las-Illas.

I’ll be back soon with more ...