BANYULS-SUR-MER
Banyuls-sur-Mer in all its glory - night and day.
Taking the Auto Route from Narbonne, as soon as one crosses
over the edge of the Corbieres, and one reaches the broad
valley where Perpignan sits,- the air heats up, clear, bright,
colourful - the energies of Roussillon.
One of my favourite
ports of call is Banyuls-sur-mer, known for its deep deep reds, the Maillol home and museum,
and an underwater footpath. There are quite few places to
stay and its lovely to walk along the front as the sun goes
down or up!
ELNE
The cloister at the Cathedral in all its Catalonian Romanesque splendour in Elne.
Elne, has a surprise in store for you, if you have not visited before.
What seems to be not so interesting town turns out to be a gem with
a lovely cloister in the church - not to be missed at all!
At the turn
of the century, artists came here, including Matisse and Dali. There is a good
local art museum, as well as all encompassing views of the coastline,
close to the Cathedral
COLLIOURE
The church and pier in Collioure - a perfect place to dine, and wine, and dream!!
Collioure, has mesmerized many, and in July and August it
positively steams with tourists - but even then there are
places to discover away from the hurly burly.
Visit the
visual haunts of Matisse, Derain, Picasso, and Braque who
made the village their own.
Enjoy visiting the church -
Notre Dame des Anges, with its superb altar, which at one
time did double duty as a lighthouse.
Visit mid august for
the Fete de St Vincent - if you love fireworks - this is
the time to visit!