Collioure is one of those picturesque French seaside towns, with a large dash of Catalan culture, whose picture would not look out of place on the top of a chocolate box. Boasting picturesque scenery, beautiful light, being a haven for artists and only 45 minutes bus ride from Perpignan, I felt this was an ideal opportunity to give the Fuji a workout, whilst also enjoying some of the local sights, sounds and delicacies.
So, when the day came for our Collioure day trip, the skies were dark, the clouds were angry and the rain was coming down sideways! However, we are British and "needs must when the devil drives". So with a Dunkerque spirit we puffed out our chests in a manner that would have made Churchill proud and pushed on to La Gare De Perpignan to meet our bus, (what a bargain, a return trip only 2 Euros!)......whilst getting soaked in the process!
Thankfully, after the pleasant 45 minute bus ride and with thanks to a moderate offshore breeze, by the time we arrived things were still a bit gloomy but were definitely improving.
The old town of Collioure is built around a small harbour and beach and for the visiting tourist it provides that interesting mix of fantastic scenery, culture, great food, as well of course as an opportunity to swim and take some rays, although not on the day of our visit!
Indeed, Collioure is credited as being the birthplace of "Fauvism", created when both Henri Matisse and André Derain arrived there in 1905. As a result, we made a beeline for the Modern Art Museum only to be once again disappointed as the principal collections were all in storage in favor of displaying works from current artists. With my hard earned cash remaining firmly in my pocket the beautiful surrounding gardens did provide a photo-opportunity.
As I headed back in to the town you get a great perspective across the bay with the Royal Castle of Collioure dominating the Seafront at the southern end of the Harbour and the Church of Notre Dame St Agnes with its distinctive bell tower which, during medieval time, was once a lighthouse.
I am particularly proud of the above image. Subsequent to the visit I was approached by the Dorotheum Auction House in Vienna and I agreed to allow them to publish this image in one of their catalogues. The image is very similar to a painting by Paul Signac, the French neo-impressionist, and was used as a comparison in their catalogue.
The old town itself is quite delightful. Full of color and vibrancy. It was good to visit out of season as I have been in the height of the summer when it is "standing room only"!
First stop a noisette in one of the sea-front cafes.
Whilst sitting on a small terrace and sipping on our coffee and before the arrival of the lunchtime crowd, it provided and ideal opportunity to take a shot of the Church of Notre Dame St. Agnes.
Then, with the old cobbled streets still relatively empty, the girls took the opportunity for some seaside retail therapy which left me free for some street photography. Despite clearly being a tourist town, it is good to see that normal day to day life still exists.
Next stop lunch. We found a lovely restaurant which was able to serve a mixture of tapas; Iberico pork, patatas bravas, grilled calamari in a spicy tomato sauce and of course, Bocharones, small anchovies in olive oil, for which Collioure is famed. All of this washed down with a bottle of the local Collioure Red and yours truly was very happy and rapidly switching the Fuji to autofocus mode!
With a need to walk off the calories and dare I say clear the head, we headed on to the end of the breakwater.From this exposed and bracing vantage point I managed to take a few pictures of the town and also of La Tante Sarah, who was in an extremely "relaxed" mood 😀🍷
On the way back through the town we came across one of those wonderful shops, selling the local nougat, where everything you touch had at least a thousand calories but tasted delicious!
Of course, Mrs C was "In like Flynn" and in true Middle Eastern fashion was soon haggling over both quantity and price, before sealing the deal.
As the afternoon drew to a close and the light finally began to improve, we came across a group of children practicing their artistic skills. Who knows, perhaps one of these may prove to be one of the new breed of Fauvists!
As we sat quietly on our bus en route to Perpignan, sampling our freshly purchased nougat and reflecting upon the sights and sounds of Collioure, you can be sure that we were already planning a return visit to this beautiful seaside town, which should be firmly placed on everyone's South of France bucket list!