On our way to Barcelona, Spain, we had the wonderful opportunity to stop along the Mediterranean coast and enjoy a couple of days in charming Collioure, France.
Our friends Kim and Denis purchased a beautiful flat here last year and it is incredible! It’s located just steps from the beach – at night we could hear the waves crashing against the surf.
Even in November, the weather was sunny and lovely – there were people still swimming! We were not that brave, but the girls certainly had fun dipping in their toes and skipping rocks in the sunshine.
Right outside of our door was a beautiful church and tower – the Notre Dame Des Anges. Even for such a small town, the medieval church was beautiful and very ornate.
Like many towns and cities in Europe, there is always a market, so we were lucky to be there for market day! Since we are so close to Spain, there was a combination of French and Spanish vendors which really made it interesting. Only in France can you do wine tasting in the market – even one of the vendors gave us sweet wine to drink while we waited for our order – what a great country!
We also went to the Chateau Royal which is an old medieval castle that has changed hands between the French and Spanish throughout the centuries. Oh if only those walls could talk – the stories they could share! We all enjoyed wandering through the rock and sand tunnels with our flashlights pretending to be the owners of this huge fortress. What a great place for hide and seek!
After the Chateau, we wandered up to the moulin. After seeing The Moulin Rouge back in Montmartre, the girls wondered if we might be able to see a show at this Moulin?? Sorry ladies – not this time – keep climbing!
From the moulin we wandered up to Fort St-Elme, a military fort that rewarded us with some breathtaking views of the waterfront. We toured the fort and learned more about the history with a focus on the weapons, defence and battles of the time.
One of the specialties of the area is anchovies; there are two factories that produce some of the best anchovies in Europe. I’m not usually a fan, but we thought it would be neat to see. One of the shops shows a film for about 30 minutes en francais followed by a tasting. It was really neat to see the lady clean the fish and prep them for the different marinades. We all had a chance to try the fish and were surprised with how delicious they were! We ended up purchasing anchovies soaked in garlic and parsley and the girls served them as an appetizer for dinner that night…they sure have learned a lot about food presentation on this trip!
Overall, our time in Collioure was a great one. The town is a hidden gem along the Mediterranean and we just loved the beautiful cove and community. We would definitely come back here again!
Thanks again to Kim and Denis for sharing their home in paradise with us….we really enjoyed it!
If anyone is interested in coming here, I would highly recommend The Chateau de la Rocasse. Kim and Denis’ place is beautiful and the location is perfect for a holiday in the Mediterranean.
Comments
12 responses to “Charming Collioure!”
We are so happy you were able to visit our place in Collioure. It is wonderful to have someone from home experience everything we love about the area. You are welcome to visit again anytime!
Love, Kim & Denis
Thanks again for the opportunity – you can tell you’ve lived the RCI life – your place had EVERYTHING!
We hope to go back again one day…it really was a piece of paradise. We want to do an exchange with you too….hopefully a place in the Greek Islands:) What do you think?
Cheers,
Kat:)
Absolutely! Living the dream baby! 🙂
Looks like a beautiful spot Kat. I wonder how your friends ended up with an apartment here, I think they are from Pickering with a French background, no doubt. I love anchovies, so would have been intrigued to see how they are prepared. Off to Spain you go….Enjoy. Love Doreen
Hi Doreen,
They decided on the area after doing a lot of research and finding this perfect spot. Kim subscribes to an overseas real estate newsletter so they were able to track some of the properties and knew this was the place for them. Denis is from Quebec so is able to read the fine print on all of the contracts. They have a lot of information on how to purchase a property overseas. We will be asking for their advice when we decided to find our perfect spot too!
K:)
Beautiful. A spot that I would like to visit. Hi Zoe, Mikhaila and Oliver. I love reading your reports.
Take Care
Kim
Hi Kim,
So nice to hear from you! We hope the girl guide group is having a great year! The girls were very excited to hear that you saw their Remembrance Day video. Stay in touch and maybe we can Skype with the troupe one night?
Cheers,
Kat:)
So serene and Beautiful! Post card perfect! I really enjoyed the history of this area and the photos. Also, I learned something about anchovies! Love, Mom
HI Mom,
Yes -this place is post card perfect – absolutely gorgeous! And the anchovies were really good…would love to come back again and stay longer.
K:)
As I look at the wondrous history of those countries, I think,what will we in the ‘western’ world have to offer future travellers as artifacts and historical treasures?
HI Herta,
As Canadians, we feel very “young” in terms of what we can share. We don’t have the history that Europe has, but we do have our beautiful natural parks and waters. Perhaps we focus more in this area?
Cheers,
Kat:)
Hi, Katina, you must think that I was asleep for the past months and I certainly cannot think why I would miss your posting about Collioure. The other day I found a little note that I had written some years ago under “must see”, (now it’s called the bucket list) and I had written only one word Collioure, because at that time uncle Henry had sent video to me about this absolutely fairy tale town. Since I knew you went through the Pyrenees to Spain, I used your “search” and was able find your posting quickly. I am so happy that I could see this beautiful medieval town through your eyes. It was a special treat, thank you