At the beach

From prehistoric Aquitaine, we headed to the coast to spend a few days relaxing on the beach.  We had arranged, last minute, to rent a flat in Gruissan. 

We went first to Gruissan Plage, the nearest ocean beach.  The sand there was amazingly fine and soft, but the wind was so powerful that it quickly blanketed our towels with fine sand.  We had a nice time, but it wasn’t quite the weather we had hoped for.

You can see the wind blowing in this picture. She looks to me like she’s exploring a desert somewhere.

We did later find a more sheltered beach near the marina.

The kids built sand castles and played in the water.

The waves weren’t very big, but that didn’t stop them from riding the surf.

We rented this little Fiat 500 for the trip.  It was a fun car to drive, but it was a bit small for us with our gear.  We had pared down to hand luggage to save money on the budget airline which charges for checked bags.  But we couldn’t quite fit everything in the back and people weren’t particularly happy to have a suitcase riding next to them.

We spent some time wandering around the Gruissan marina, finding some enjoyable meals and doing a little shopping.  Sage wasn’t feeling particularly well – it turned out she developed a throat infection – and was carried around a bit.

It’s a good thing she likes to cuddle.

We also spent a day in Collioure, a beautiful town close to the Spanish border. The Pyrennees tumble down into the ocean here and the town’s deep harbor is nestled in among the rocky points. The beach here is pebbly and fronted by some amazing castles and a stone lighthouse. We hung out for several hours at the beach, playing with the rocks and doing fancy dives off a floating platform in the ocean. Afterwards, we had tapas and wine before exploring Argeles, another sandy beach just north of Collioure.

I had left the camera charging back in Gruissan, so I missed the many photogenic opportunities this day, but here is a picture taken by another visitor to Collioure that gives a flavor of this unique town.

I’m not sure how they got started on the funny faces at the restaurant, but some of these are pretty scary!

Horrible faces not withstanding, we had a wonderful trip to France. I’d certainly enjoy returning again someday.