A series of essays.....
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| OUR FIRST VIEW OF COLLIOURE LOOKING DOWN FROM THE D914 |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
In keeping with a promise I made to myself to honor any respite I may find within this crazy, messed-up time we live in, I
am happy to announce that this is one of those little breaks I cherish....for
sanity's sake, if nothing else.
The other day I was flipping through the hundreds of
photos I have so conveniently tucked-away in my i-Pad and was looking for
the perfect photo to send to a Facebook friend to help celebrate her birthday.
With all of the photos I have and righteously refuse to remove, this act can
take up quite a bit of my time. Well, of course, many photos require a second
or third perusal, and that takes up even more time!
Concentrating on our latest visit to the South of
France in September of 2016, it shocked me to think it was just over a year ago that we met up with
old friends there and were introduced to so many new ones. I marvel at the
thought that most tourists focus on a particular well known landmark or certain
landscapes to take home in pictures and memories. Dan and I seem to emphasize
the local people we meet and speak with. The joy we extract from that personal
experience via shared ideas and thoughts remains in our hearts
forever.
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| COLLIOURE BY THE SEA |
Mais oui. Bien sûr! We do take hundreds of pictures from
our various trips throughout the years and I can't imagine not having iCloud to
share to and store them in! Apple, you are my friend.
This all leads me to that moment when I reconvened my
love affair with Collioure, France, via photos from a year ago.
Dan and I were meeting our friend David in Collioure
which turned out to be a convenient place for all of us. We were traveling down
through the Pyrenees after having spent three amazing days in the village of
Pieusse on the Aude River and David was coming up from his permanent home in
Barcelona, Spain. Sadly, we had only around sixteen hours time to reconnect, as
well as explore this beautiful coastal resort town.
We took full advantage of our time by talking, eating,
drinking excellent wine, and laughing together until we had tears in our eyes.
So much fun! All too soon it was time to catch some sleep before having
breakfast and leave on our separate ways. Ironically, and most likely due to
our time constraints, my photos did not capture many of the locals because I was
so enamored with the beauty of this resort town nestling along the Mediterranean
Sea.
I invite you to scroll down and see exactly what I
mean...
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| DAVID IN FRONT OF OUR HOTEL |
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| DAVID AND ME |
We met David at a table along the Plage de Collioure where we drank wine and beer and watched the sun setting while we caught up with what was happening in our lives.
There was so much beauty to take in.....! Collioure is located only a few kilometers from the Spanish border. So close yet so far; we just did not have the opportunity to venture into Spain this time around.
The Chateau Royal de Collioure
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| THE LOCAL WINES ARE AMAZING! |
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| OOPS! |
Talking, drinking, indulging in spectacular views with good friends....
That's what life is all about!
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| PHARE DE COLLIOURE |
Walking around the periphery of the town at dusk was such a magical, colorful experience.
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| EGLISE NOTRE DAME DES ANGES |
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| THE PERFECT STEAK |
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| SWEETS FOR EVERYONE! |
The best hamburger
and fries (frites).
Dinner at a small, outdoor cafe right off of the beach.
Our hotel room was cozy, adequate and only a few steps from the beach in Collioure. La Bona Casa. Perfect!
After a delicious breakfast of croissants, eggs and bacon, and strong, black coffee....we decided to walk around the harbor.
Even though our morning was overcast, the beauty of Collioure could never be dampened by a few dark clouds. It was enjoyable to walk along with David and Dan and discover, together, all of the small staircases, narrow walkways, and color...so much vibrancy of color, shadows, and contrasts.
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| A VIEW FROM OUR ROOM |
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| HAD TO GET A SCOOTER IN SOMEWHERE! |
With all of this beauty surrounding us, we became a bit morose knowing that our sixteen hour visit was coming to an end. David was driving back down to Barcelona and we were driving all the way over to Nice along the coastline, as much as possible. That was an extremely long drive. We'd be spending the night in Nice and flying back to the States the next morning.
We were extremely thankful for even this limited amount of time with our dear friend. We promised David that we would return as soon as possible and meet him in Barcelona. What a grand reunion and tour that will be! We promise to make it happen....
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| AU REVOIR COLLIOURE.... UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN! ~BISOUS~ |
Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
Copyright © All Photos 2017 by Jacqueline E.
Hughes
All rights reserved
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