So Here's Our Vacation Blog...

Brief tonight.  After a week in paradise, we’re moving on to Cadaques (KA da kess) in the morning, which we’ve never visited except for Google maps.  Local people here have been telling us we’ll like it - it’s like Collioure but smaller and quieter - YES!  I walked out onto the pier taking some sunrise photos - very easy to take good photos when you’re provided one of God’s marvelous sunrises.

We spent our last day in town catching up on a few things we hadn’t gotten to yet.  Started in the old section of town, the one that brings cruise boats in, taking photos of the colorful narrow alleys with blooming hundred year old vines.  Here’s a sampling - stop in and see us sometime and we’ll show you the rest!

We stopped in the Church of Our Lady of Angels again, this time to take photos on the beautiful altars, of which there were many.  Very intricate carvings, and the main altar was most exquisite.

After a bit we walked over to the art museum, which is small but very nice.  The permanent exhibit has historical photos and accompanying paintings of Collioure from a hundred years ago, when the fishing boats used to be pulled up from the sea onto the beach where all the ladies now lay topless.  Quite a change.  Outside there are beautiful gardens, walls, archways, more photo ops.

After our now traditional lunch on the balcony (don’t ask, you already know) we went shopping, which was quite easy since the stores begin ten feet from our front door.  Met some nice people, including Marie Christine, who was creating some oil paintings with trowels (no brushes) and had some beautiful water colors of sailboats in the harbor we couldn’t do without.

After packing our bags, dragging them over to the car (than GOD Bernard provided us the use of his garage or we’d be hauling these things a half mile!) and eating a light dinner, we decided to say good bye at our favorite  local bar, Cafe Lola.  Laurent, the owner, recognized us when we walked in, and invited us to the bar for the World Cup Rugby finals tomorrow afternoon.  He seemed a bit sad when we explained we’d be gone.  I think this might be a nice home away from home.  Had a nice chat with Batiste, our bartender, who made Marge the perfect Catalan coffee, and sat next to Miriam, a very nice older woman - a native who’s lived and worked in Collioure her whole life.  She was speaking only French when we sat down, but in a very friendly manner, pretending not to be able to speak English.  As time went on and we got to know her, he English got better and better!  So not too many photos, but plenty of memories.  Until tomorrow...

So this morning started out like any other morning, waking up and wondering what time it was, but then after a quick look out the balcony and a short fifty feet foot walk down to the beach to see this sun rising over the Mediterranean, you remember how nice it is to not be working...

We drove about an hour northwest to taste some wine.  We had several wineries on our list, and the first one (Bila Haut) was not accepting visitors, so we went just a short distance away to a little town in the middle of nowhere named Latour de France.  This is the place where they make one of our favorite wines, Cotes du Roussillon Villages.  Not taking any chances on another closure, we pulled over when we saw some grapes that were yet to be harvested and tried them - very sweet and delicious!

We drove and drove through some of the largest vineyards we’ve seen, must have been a few hundred acres, and we knew they were all owned by the same company because of the way they were laid out in one giant contiguous area with only our narrow road through the middle.  We knew we were close when we happened upon a tractor bringing a load in from the fields.

Along the road we spotted our objective - Chateau du Jau. 

The business was founded in the 12th century, the home in the mid-1700s, and has been family owned for about 40 years.  These old buildings in France are always interesting, because centuries ago when somebody decided to put a building in a certain place, they used the terrain to their advantage.  This tower’s base is solid rock...

So we drove up a drive that was lined with sycamore trees that must have been a hundred years old, their canopy filtering the light, very scenic.  Went through a stone arch and found the open-air restaurant where we’d do our wine tasting.

Surrounded by stone walls that must have been built with the chateau hundreds of years ago, and with a 300 year old mulberry right in the middle providing shade, we were ready for our feast.  For a small fixed price, we were provided two appetizers, two main courses, and two desserts, along with seven different wines.  A ceramic crock was placed in the middle of the table so we could dump or spit out any wine we didn’t want to drink, just to make sure we stayed sober for the ride home.  That was tough to do, because the wines were terrific!  One of our dishes was even more terrific - a simple grilled pork sausage.  Now I’ve eaten a lot of pork sausages in my day, but I never had one like this.  I had to ask what was in it because the taste was so unique - certainly it was a blend of lamb and veal or some other meat to give it this unusual and delightful flavor, but our host said it was 100% pork, and secret seasonings...

After about three hours(!) we bid farewell to our hosts, Jacques and Juliette, and moved on toward the coast and another winery, LaFage.  Met a nice young lady named Emily, who came to France 20 years ago to better learn the language.  She loved it so much she stayed, and now helps people like us who can’t speak French navigate the various offerings.  We tasted a half dozen, picked our favorites, and noted them so when we return to the USA we’ll be able to buy them locally.

Finally made our way back home, wandered the narrow streets of Collioure a bit before we settled on a place for tapas - didn’t need much after that huge lunch.  Watched the French sailors practice their rowing across the harbor and thought about what we’d do tomorrow, our last day in this paradise, before we move on to the next one...

This morning we drove to Ceret.  Where?  Yes, Ceret.  Nobody ever heard about this place, but it’s absolutely serene.  A beautiful little town much like Collioure, but with no cars, no tour buses, just peaceful and quiet.  It was like we stepped back into the 1920s.

Picasso found this place in 1911, and through the years Miro, Chagall, Matisse, and others have lived here, developing new techniques and styles of painting.  The Musee d’Art Moderne was built in the 1950s, and the now famous artists supported it by donating works that cannot be viewed except to come to this museum - they don’t go on tour.  We wanted to see the Picassos, but in addition there was a huge exhibit of Andre Masson’s works, which we didn’t particularly enjoy.  Very dire, evil, upsetting, with devils and abnormal people doing who knows what, but it was very unsettling.  If you see  there’s a Masson exhibit and are tempted to go, be careful.  The permanent exhibit more than made up for it.  Picasso was asked to do a series of pottery dishes, and produced 28 of them in six days - absolutely amazing when you see the detail and realize he had to come up with all those images in such a short time.  They’re absolutely beautiful, and I was able to photograph every single one.

In addition, he did a set of eight terra cotta platters with a similar motif, also stunning.  I had to talk Marge out of hiding one under her sweater because she loved them so much.

Another ceramic piece I just loved was this pitcher, which had such a stunning graphic I just stared at it for 20 minutes!

The coup de grace was a very famous piece Picasso did in 1944, when he became a Communist and was trying to raise support for global peace (this is interesting, worth looking up).  He was asked to do a piece for a conference and came up with Sardane de la Paix, a very simple black and white image of people doing a traditional Catalan dance.  Absolutely beautiful in its simplicity and message.  Makes you smile just looking at it.  This is the original piece, and to my knowledge has never been shown outside the museum in Ceret, so if you want to see it, plan a visit to southern France!

Finally, there were a few pieces by Miro, who I have always admired.  This six foot tall sculpture had its own room, and for good reason.  Very thought provoking, and the shapes are jarring! 

We were fortunate to have been able to see these originals - very privileged indeed.  So we drove back to Collioure and decompressed,  went down to the beach for a swim, did a little shopping, had (you guessed it) a bottle of rose on the balcony, and out to dinner.  If that sounds boring, you haven’t had French cooking in France.  Something as simple as a garden salad is turned into a work of art by adding melted goat cheese on top of a baguette, cooking it somehow, and sprinkling cumin (yes, cumin, of all things) on top.  I think I just found my favorite salad.  Marge is not going to be happy preparing one of these for me every night! 

On the way home we walked along the harbor and hung around to watch a French military team doing drills in the water.  They’ve been out here for several days, swimming as a group across the harbor and back, but tonight was a little different.  Most were in black wetsuits, some in camouflaged wetsuits, and all carrying guns (AR-15 looking things, obviously semi-automatic or better).  They were loading up inflatable boats and heading out to the middle of the harbor where I think they were supposed to swim back in.  Hope they don’t meet any big fish along the way!

So we’re off to bed, and tomorrow is another winery tour day.  Cheers!

How many times can I say “another beautiful day!”?  Not enough, evidently.  We stopped along the promenade for an “American” breakfast: a cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice with ice cubes (?!) and a basket of croissants and baguettes.  No bran flakes here!  Drove down the coast, stopping to enjoy the scenery and take some photos, then through Port Vendres and a little farther to Les Clos de Paulilles  to taste some wine and have lunch.  This winery was started in the year 1800, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have had their wine at home, because our dear friend Elie carries it in his wine shop (shameless plug - http://www.eliewine.com)  The winery is sort of famous for their logo...

Which came from the main barn where they do all the work of mashing and fermenting the grapes.

They were recently absorbed by another winery and are going upscale, which in this case is a good thing, because it means their original wines stay the same or get better by going back to old-fashioned growing and harvesting methods, but in addition they now have a beautiful caveau de degustation (wine tasting room) and restaurant.

Romanne (pronounced Ggggrrro MAN - she helped us pronounce it correctly because she knew Americans can’t say the Ggggrrr sound.  On the other hand, she said the wine was fermented in ‘wook’, which I asked her to repeat four times before I realized she was saying OAK!) let us try various types and informed us of the property, wines, etc., very helpful - and photogenic!

Marge seemed to enjoy her tapas for lunch, probably because it as washed down with a nice rose (yet again...why is that?).

Then down the coast a bit farther and enjoyed the rugged coastline, where people hiked to every out of the way beach they could find and swim in the Mediterranean.  Yes, those dots in the water are swimmers.

In Banyuls, where we tried wines at Domaine Tambor.  An out of the way place, and we can’t get their wines in the USA, but we wanted to stop here because the winery was started in 1920, grows all their own grapes on site, and manages the production, so it’s a genuine all-in-one operation.  More importantly, it’s been family owned from day one, and is now run by a young woman (fifthe generation vintner) named Clementine Herre.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet her, but she’s doing a great job, because the wines are very nice.  Our host Guillame couldn’t speak a word of English, but was happy to pour for us.  After returning home we have to see if we can import some of this very nice wine.

Our last stop of the day was right here in Collioure, Domaine la Tour Vieille.  When we pulled up they looked closed, but an older gentleman came out and asked if he could assist us.  Turns out this was Vincent, who (against his father’s wishes) started the winery in 1982.  He was very (VERY!) hospitable! 

We wound up spending over an hour walking through the entire procedure, as they were in the middle of transferring mid-process juice from one fermenting tank to another.  Vincent dipped a wine glass in the partially fermented juice and let us taste it as he does to make sure evrything is going according to plan.  We approved.

No matter how many questions I asked about the way the equipment was constructed or how it operated, he was very kind in giving us a detailed description.  Vincent’s assistant, Francois, was busy swapping hoses and nozzles, scraping out the tanks, and following the boss’s orders as he learned the trade.  We watched them take samples and measure density, log it in a book, to make sure the yeast was fermenting properly.  More technical than I ever thought.

It’s all experience, by the way, Vincent never went to college for a wine-making degree, just learned from others and on-the job.  It paid off, because his wines are delicious!  Thanks, Kathy & Dave, for pointing us in his direction!  And thanks to Vincent, who was so happy we came by that he gave us a bottle as a gift to take with us!

So tonight we’re going to wander through town to find another fabulous restaurant, then make plans for tomorrow - Ceret and its Museum of Modern Art.  Make sure to come back for this one, because it will be special.

Relaxing morning, off to the boulangerie/patisserie for croissants, but I couldn’t pass up the pastries - sort of like danish, 9” x 5”, with a thin layer of delicate custard in the middle topped with peach halves and cherries - heaven!.  I went down to the shore to see what it was like, was surprised that it was not sandy at all, but 100% pebbles and stones!  Depending if you were 50 yards right or left, the stones were ½” - 1”, or 1” - 3”, but very hard to walk on.  Didn’t matter, because once you were in the warm Mediterranean sea, it was amazing!  I’m not a hard-core swimmer, and I never could figure out how all these French people were floating all over the harbor until I got out there.  This sea is really salty, and WOW! - could I ever float!  After my ‘athletic endeavors’  we decided to see the historic fort, the Royal Chateau de Collioure, which we missed our last time in Collioure, and I can honestly say I’ve never experienced such a photographic playground!  Every time I turned around there was something else amazing to photograph!  This fort was built in the 13th century over wall originally constructed in the 600s(!), then improved in the 1600s.  Whatever, it was massively impressive.  Shapes and colors and textures, so of course great fodder for my camera, but in addition, the massive size of this place and the thought that real people like you and me toiled mercilessly for hundreds of year building it is crazy!   Here are some of the photos from our excursion...

Had a delicious lunch on the balcony of sardines, olives, cheese, fruit, and of course a bottle of rose, watched all the people - considerably less than the weekend (darn tourists!) and then took a nap.  

Went for another walk, this time to the Domonicain winery, the oldest in Collioure.  Built in 1290, the building is in amazingly good shape.  We were able to get an inside look at the vats of Banyuls (sweet) wine,

and the ambre (port / dessert) wine in jugs, which takes three years to ferment!!!

Got lucky, and while we were tasting wine (hic!) a truck full of grapes pulled in and we got to see Laurent offload the grapes into the stainless steel screw that moved them through the process - very cool, informative, and fun!

Staggering home with our treasures in hand,  we decided to go out for a (gasp!) pizza!  Not just any pizza, mind you, but a French pizza.  They served it with a bottle of red-pepper infused olive oil so you could drizzle it on top, and am I ever glad they did - delicious!  Not quite as delicious as dessert, though, which was supposed to be simple - some sherbet with whipped cream, called Coupe Catalane.  Well, you know the French - nothing is simple.  The parfait glass did indeed have a scoop of sherbet in the bottom, but then it had about four inches of muscat (I had to ask what it was because I never drink dessert wines), topped with the fluffiest whipped cream, and a cylindrical coffee flavored cookie.  Holy Smoke!!!

Stumbled home and sat on the balcony, listening to the conflagration of tourists, buskers, surf, a couple rowing teams practicing and grunting in the harbor, very different than downtown Royal Oak.  An amazing day, an amazing night, especially when you share it with the one you love.

Tomorrow is our day to tour wineries along the Côte Vermeille, and maybe a couple extra sites - we’ll see how it turns out.  All for now, thanks for tuning in.  We love and miss all of you!