Perpignan (Pear-pi-nyon)
On Saturday the 21st of June, we traveled into another country. We went to France! We traveled by car with our roommates. The scenery was "beau colic", as my husband said. Green mountains, little villages, aquaducts, and trees covered the landscape as we traveled by car. Sometimes, I would even see a castle on a mountain's summit.
Claudia told us that every 10km that France provides resting places with hotels, café, restaurants, and places to host your picnics called aires (with French pronunciation). They reminded me of the resting stations between States but better!
Crossing France's border, we drove through two pillars and the radio's language immediately switched to French. We arrived at an aire for lunch. We had our picnic with tortilla con patata, bananas, yogurt, and sparkling mineral water underneath cork trees. It was so peaceful resting underneath them and smelling the fragrance of the dead leaves and dry grass.
We walked the streets of Perpignan with enthusiasm. We saw the little shops, typical Europe. We enjoyed the ambiance of the French/Catalans (Yes, they were there, too.)
We passed by several art stores and one caught my eye. There was a man in his studio painting. What intrigued me was the metal sculptures that surrounded him. Several animals, a few doll like figurines, and a Don Quixote with a fishing rod either lined the store's walls or were displayed outside.
After walking for some time trying to find a certain restaurant, we stopped at a French coffee shop. It was small and had US license plates dot the walls sparsely. I only saw Hawaii, Alabama, and South Dakota. Comfortable chairs enticed us to sit. As the group debated amongst themselves in Spanish about what to have and how to order what they wanted in French, I watched the woman who ran the place. She was blonde with full lips smiling. The group was separated on either end of the walls and talking across the path. They kept pointing to the menu, which was on our side. The woman followed my gaze as I looked between the group. She laughed and I laughed about how they could not make up their minds. She was as lost in translation as I was. Her English was broken when she approached us for our order. Luckily, Miguel and Aldo were able to have a conversation with her in her tongue. They tried to explain that they wanted café con leche y hielo (iced coffee with milk), but they didn't know how to describe how they wanted the ice with her. There was this confusion and somehow we were able to order. We had, what I thought, was a mixture between an iced coffee and a frappe. We enjoyed it. A little bitter for my own sweet tooth. What was really fun at the shop was the music playing on the other side of the wall across the street. I could hear bagpipes, drums, (I thought) trombones, and trumpets. I never thought that the first time I would hear bagpipes would be in France. Go figure. It was so lively and I could hear clapping and cheering.
While sitting there, Claudia mentioned how she was bummed that we weren't able to go to the authentic French restaurant she wanted to take us to. It was closed. Barred and inaccessible to us. BUT she had another grand idea. Why not find a cheese store and try different cheeses. I thought, that's very French. Let me explain. When I think of France, I think of bread, smoke, upturned noses for anyone not speaking French, coffee, wine, and cheese. Claudia said that she could buy some for her sister that she is going to visit. There happened to be a store nearby, too.
This cheese store was small and packed with so many cheeses. When you walk into the store, your nose is bombarded by the smell of the milky, molded creations. There were cheeses made from cows and goats with several different molds, all beautifully wrapped within colorful wax. I've never seen some of the cheeses that were offered. I must admit that I wanted to sample all of them. I love cheese!
We selected five different cheeses to try on a platter. We sat outside and tried each one, not knowing any of them. One was soft, two were gooey, and the other two were hard. Let's label them. They shall be dubbed S for soft, G1, G2, H1, and H2.G1 and G2 were not my favorite. G1 was too bitter, at first. After I tried G2 (which was WAY too salty), I kinda liked G1. H1 was superb. Think parmigiano cheese but smoky and creamy. H2 was bitter but pleasant in that if-you-like-mold-you'll-like-this kind of way. My utmost favorite was S. It was goat cheese, melted in your mouth, and reminded me of a lighter taste of Miguel and I's favorite cheese - queso fresco. My order from the greatest to the least was S, H1, H2, G1, and G2. Claudia chose H1, S, H2, G1, and G2. It was great!
We made our way back to the car but discovered that the music we heard earlier was a festival! It was a traditional Catalan festival with giant wooden figures dancing, several older instrument bands, and other costumed people throwing confetti at children dancing with them. Sadly, I cannot upload the video here. I have to upgrade and I cannot afford it. If you're friends with my on Facebook, then you can see it!
We reached Banyuls beach after half an hour. There were so many vineyards along rolling hills, even on the cliff sides beside the sea. We tried to find parking in the shade, it was warm, but there was a line of cars behind us honking furiously. They were worse than a traffic jam in Los Angeles and that's awful to say! We found out that we were crashing a French beach wedding. Claudia commented that she always wanted to be invited to a French wedding. Too bad we weren't dressed appropriately.
This was the first time that Miguel and I stepped into the Mediterranean Sea. We clasped hands and stepped into the colder water. It might've been a small moment but it was a nice memory seeing the waves splash against our feet. I later swam in it. The Mediterranean is the saltiest water I have ever swam in. I've swam in the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific, and the Atlantic. Miguel said that the sea's water doesn't exit as much as it should and that's why it retains so much salinity. Interesting.
I swam all the way to a floating platform in the sea. Aldo and I rested there after such a hard swim. The water was choppy and rough. The wind was nice when you weren't in the water.
All of us enjoyed playing some games and talking, with the wedding happening in the background. Plus, we had fresh apricots as a snack. We stayed there until the lifeguards turned on their sirens announcing that they were leaving.
Unfortunately, I was not able to snap any photos of the beach with my phone. I think we have some on the camera, but they will be in development.
On the way back home, the sunset behind the Pyrenees mountains and we enjoyed occasional naps from such a long day!
France was great! This was a wonderful introduction to our third European country to visit. I'm looking forward to Paris more now than before! We are hoping to travel to Paris for Miguel's birthday in August. Can't wait!
On Saturday the 21st of June, we traveled into another country. We went to France! We traveled by car with our roommates. The scenery was "beau colic", as my husband said. Green mountains, little villages, aquaducts, and trees covered the landscape as we traveled by car. Sometimes, I would even see a castle on a mountain's summit.
Claudia told us that every 10km that France provides resting places with hotels, café, restaurants, and places to host your picnics called aires (with French pronunciation). They reminded me of the resting stations between States but better!
Crossing France's border, we drove through two pillars and the radio's language immediately switched to French. We arrived at an aire for lunch. We had our picnic with tortilla con patata, bananas, yogurt, and sparkling mineral water underneath cork trees. It was so peaceful resting underneath them and smelling the fragrance of the dead leaves and dry grass.
We walked the streets of Perpignan with enthusiasm. We saw the little shops, typical Europe. We enjoyed the ambiance of the French/Catalans (Yes, they were there, too.)
We passed by several art stores and one caught my eye. There was a man in his studio painting. What intrigued me was the metal sculptures that surrounded him. Several animals, a few doll like figurines, and a Don Quixote with a fishing rod either lined the store's walls or were displayed outside.
After walking for some time trying to find a certain restaurant, we stopped at a French coffee shop. It was small and had US license plates dot the walls sparsely. I only saw Hawaii, Alabama, and South Dakota. Comfortable chairs enticed us to sit. As the group debated amongst themselves in Spanish about what to have and how to order what they wanted in French, I watched the woman who ran the place. She was blonde with full lips smiling. The group was separated on either end of the walls and talking across the path. They kept pointing to the menu, which was on our side. The woman followed my gaze as I looked between the group. She laughed and I laughed about how they could not make up their minds. She was as lost in translation as I was. Her English was broken when she approached us for our order. Luckily, Miguel and Aldo were able to have a conversation with her in her tongue. They tried to explain that they wanted café con leche y hielo (iced coffee with milk), but they didn't know how to describe how they wanted the ice with her. There was this confusion and somehow we were able to order. We had, what I thought, was a mixture between an iced coffee and a frappe. We enjoyed it. A little bitter for my own sweet tooth. What was really fun at the shop was the music playing on the other side of the wall across the street. I could hear bagpipes, drums, (I thought) trombones, and trumpets. I never thought that the first time I would hear bagpipes would be in France. Go figure. It was so lively and I could hear clapping and cheering.
While sitting there, Claudia mentioned how she was bummed that we weren't able to go to the authentic French restaurant she wanted to take us to. It was closed. Barred and inaccessible to us. BUT she had another grand idea. Why not find a cheese store and try different cheeses. I thought, that's very French. Let me explain. When I think of France, I think of bread, smoke, upturned noses for anyone not speaking French, coffee, wine, and cheese. Claudia said that she could buy some for her sister that she is going to visit. There happened to be a store nearby, too.
This cheese store was small and packed with so many cheeses. When you walk into the store, your nose is bombarded by the smell of the milky, molded creations. There were cheeses made from cows and goats with several different molds, all beautifully wrapped within colorful wax. I've never seen some of the cheeses that were offered. I must admit that I wanted to sample all of them. I love cheese!
We selected five different cheeses to try on a platter. We sat outside and tried each one, not knowing any of them. One was soft, two were gooey, and the other two were hard. Let's label them. They shall be dubbed S for soft, G1, G2, H1, and H2.G1 and G2 were not my favorite. G1 was too bitter, at first. After I tried G2 (which was WAY too salty), I kinda liked G1. H1 was superb. Think parmigiano cheese but smoky and creamy. H2 was bitter but pleasant in that if-you-like-mold-you'll-like-this kind of way. My utmost favorite was S. It was goat cheese, melted in your mouth, and reminded me of a lighter taste of Miguel and I's favorite cheese - queso fresco. My order from the greatest to the least was S, H1, H2, G1, and G2. Claudia chose H1, S, H2, G1, and G2. It was great!
We made our way back to the car but discovered that the music we heard earlier was a festival! It was a traditional Catalan festival with giant wooden figures dancing, several older instrument bands, and other costumed people throwing confetti at children dancing with them. Sadly, I cannot upload the video here. I have to upgrade and I cannot afford it. If you're friends with my on Facebook, then you can see it!
We reached Banyuls beach after half an hour. There were so many vineyards along rolling hills, even on the cliff sides beside the sea. We tried to find parking in the shade, it was warm, but there was a line of cars behind us honking furiously. They were worse than a traffic jam in Los Angeles and that's awful to say! We found out that we were crashing a French beach wedding. Claudia commented that she always wanted to be invited to a French wedding. Too bad we weren't dressed appropriately.
This was the first time that Miguel and I stepped into the Mediterranean Sea. We clasped hands and stepped into the colder water. It might've been a small moment but it was a nice memory seeing the waves splash against our feet. I later swam in it. The Mediterranean is the saltiest water I have ever swam in. I've swam in the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific, and the Atlantic. Miguel said that the sea's water doesn't exit as much as it should and that's why it retains so much salinity. Interesting.
I swam all the way to a floating platform in the sea. Aldo and I rested there after such a hard swim. The water was choppy and rough. The wind was nice when you weren't in the water.
All of us enjoyed playing some games and talking, with the wedding happening in the background. Plus, we had fresh apricots as a snack. We stayed there until the lifeguards turned on their sirens announcing that they were leaving.
Unfortunately, I was not able to snap any photos of the beach with my phone. I think we have some on the camera, but they will be in development.
On the way back home, the sunset behind the Pyrenees mountains and we enjoyed occasional naps from such a long day!
France was great! This was a wonderful introduction to our third European country to visit. I'm looking forward to Paris more now than before! We are hoping to travel to Paris for Miguel's birthday in August. Can't wait!