Saint-Martin-du-Canigou

Our last destination together was in the Pyrénées. For as long as I can remember it has been a dream of mine to go see the Saint-Martin-du-Canigou abbey located in the Pyrénées Mountains. When I was a little girl my grandmother had a poster of this abbey and I would stand on the staircase looking at it, imaging what it would be like to walk through its cloisters, gardens, and arcaded terrace.

Not to be overtly sentimental but it was a dream come true and a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. We stayed in our own little getaway, high in a ‘mountain’ of sorts, complete with hot tub and BBQ.  

After settling in at our Gite, the next morning we drove to the base of the Canigou Mountain to make the hike up to the abbey and tour inside its walls. 

That afternoon we also went to the belle Villefranche. Once inside the city walls we were surrounded by stores selling artisanal handcrafted witch ornaments. We discovered the legend of the Villefranche’s witches who would spend the winters in the Grotto caves heated by hot springs. With arrival of spring the villagers would make offerings and celebrate with the witches. Thus the witch in Villefranche is a symbol of goodwill and happiness.

The next day we went to the small seaside town of Collioure to see the Mediterranean one last time. 

 

It was a wonderful end to a wonderful holiday. Gen and Andrew continued their travels before coming back to Arras for one last good-bye. 

Tu me manques beaucoup!!

Barcelona!

After our day trip to Bruges our next destination was Barcelona! Gen and Andrew arrived a day or two before us to make the most of their time. Arriving late at night Andre and I met them at the hotel where we were regaled with their previous day’s adventures snacking on their delicious finds from the Mercato.  Eager to explore the city we headed out the next morning stopping for breakfast at the aforementioned Mercato. Amongst the crowds, colours, noise and mounds of fresh food we found a little bar to sit and enjoy a delicious breakfast of croquetas de jamón, and my all time favorite Spanish coffee; the café bombón!

From the Mercato we walked down to the waterfront. Gen and Andrew were delighted to be presented with a favorite new city past time; aquarium visiting. Andre and I continued walking back into the winding old streets of the historic city. After discovering a bar serving the most delicious sangria we wobbled back to find Gen and Andrew.

 

We continued eating and drinking our way through Barcelona for the rest of the day and into the evening. We went from tapas in a restaurant to tapas on the terrace of our hotel back to tapas in a restaurant, and somewhere in between we saw Gaudi’s Casa Batlló.

Above left: Hammock on the hotel terrace
Above right: Gaudi's Casa Batlló


The next morning we decided we needed more Gaudi so we walked to the ever famous and forever under construction cathedral. Walking back we also passed by Gaudi’s other famous architectural achievement; La Pedrera.

After lunching again on some tapas we took an afternoon fiesta followed by cava on the hotel terrace before heading out for the ultimate evening of bar hopping in the old city center.

 It was a short visit, but we made the most of it! Our next destination was the Pyrenees…

The Adventure Continues...

After a few days rest in Arras our adventures with Gen and Andrew continued with a day trip to Bruges. We had a wonderful day walking around the historic city center, buying chocolate, and sampling the delicious Belgian beer at the Del Halve Maan brewery.