Day Trippin

Last weekend was spent in the southern region of France, Roussillon. We stayed in Collioure, a small town in a valley about a half an hour’s drive from Perpignan, the city we flew in to. It was charming and quaint, a perfect getaway from the city. The streets were small and winding, with shops and gelato stands every few meters (not feet, this is France!). Each building was a different color, red or pink or yellow. The Mediterranean was almost as blue as the sky, and the Pyrenees towered above us the entire weekend. We took a tourist train ride up the mountains, and the view was incredible. It was so surreal; you learn about the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees in class when you’re young, but do you ever think, someday I’ll go see them! Someday I’ll walk on the mountains and swim in the sea.
Yes, I swam in the Mediterranean. In October. It was as much fun as it was cold.
The city of Perpignan was a little bigger, a little busier than Collioure. We were able to see old city walls that at one time belonged to Spain. There’s a long history of territory battles between France and Spain, and a lot of it happened right in Perpignan. The ownership of the city went back and forth until the very late 1400s. We also saw the Cathedral of John the Baptist, that looked from the outside as if it was built during the Renaissance, but it dated back to the Middle Ages. It was very simple on the outside but extravagant on the inside.
The last day of the trip we traveled to Villefranche de Conflent, where we saw famous grottos, or caves, of Les Grottes des Grandes Calanettes. Imagine, one hundred years of a human life only adds up to a second in the life of the stalactites and stalagmites. The “galleries,” basically certain sections of the cave, were enormous. The largest gallery was called the Cathedral, and it looked like one that was made entirely by Earth itself. Some stalagmites rose out of the ground as tall as me! The man who discovered one of the galleries gave us a tour, and what a character. He was so passionate about his findings and the knowledge he was giving to us. His charismatic demeanor came through even though he spoke only French and Spanish, and Annemarie had to translate.
It was an active weekend, yet I felt entirely relaxed as I gazed out over the sea up past the mountains. The sea air was refreshing, and it was so interesting to see a new side of France. I can’t wait to see more!