[Photos: Catalan kayaks, Banyuls-sur-Mer Vendage Festival]
Another day on the road today, and the weather has turned sunny again after three days of mixed skies. So good to have the book more or less out of the way.
Today brought a vendage festival at Banyuls sur Mer, celebrating the vintage, and it was also the market day in Collioure which is where we headed initially. It wasn’t as busy as our last visit. Two weeks later may have made a difference, also last time they had some sort of sale day with half-price stands outside many shops. There were a number of places closed up for holidays, and even some closed until summer 2010.
Bought a few things at the market, though our anis rings from last time were not there. Had a coffee, then watched a large group of jet-skiers heading out to sea on monster jet-skis. With today’s wind, the sea was pretty choppy, and they were leaving the water with every wave. Down to the beach, where a few hardy souls were starting to gather to enjoy the sun, though the wind was still quite strong. We went out to the point to look back at Collioure, then back through the town. We stopped at an artist’s shop, full of very attractive acrylics of Collioure, some in shades of grey, but most in reds and ranges. Slightly cubist, and Karen and I were very much taken by them and bought ourselves a smallish print http://galeriedumortier.skyrock.com/. Off to the car and away to Port-Vendres.
Once there, the two women held the rest of us up by shopping, but I suppose it is a natural instinct that can’t be controlled. Evolution has only come so far. We managed to find an anis ring and some of the Catalan deep-fried, sugar-coated, lemon-flavoured crunchy pastries that we had bought in Arles-sur-Tech, which we ate beside the water. It was a lovely spot.
Off to Banyuls for the vendage festival. The roads were clogged heading on, with every parking spot, and lots of spots that weren’t really parking spots, full up. The beach was a riot of people. Absolutely full up, with several thousand people sitting at long tables eating meals. We passed through town, found a space and parked the 207, before heading back to the beach. It was amazing. Chokka full of people, and a haze of smoke and heat from barbecues over everything. Obviously many family groups, with the tables covered in food and wine. The navy was there supporting the festival too. Having eaten we weren’t tempted to join in, but did manage a gelato, mine having scoops of Cointreau and blackcurrant.
For a change, the weather was still fine when we got back, so we were able to spend some useful time around the pool.
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