FRANCE: COLLIOURE, ELNE AND PERPIGNAN

In the spring of 2009 we spent a nice week at Carcassonne and the Pays Cathare. We also wanted to visit Collioure, a charming seaside village near the border with Catalonia. But the day we were going to go to Collioure was a very rainy day and we had to give up. So a few weeks later we went back to France to visit Collioure, Elne and Perpignan.

Therefore I will show you in this post some pictures of the following villages and towns:

• Collioure
• Elne
• Perpignan (Perpinyà)

Collioure

From the year 981, the Counts of Roussillon and the Kings of Majorca began to fortify Collioure, which became the summer residence of the Kings of Majorca between 1276 and 1344. The Royal Castle you can see in this picture was one of the main elements of this fortification

Collioure church of Our Lady of Angels has the foundations in constant contact with the Mediterranean Sea. The bell tower, built during the Middle Ages, was also the lighthouse of the harbour

The Royal Castle of Collioure is the masterpiece of the defense device. Chiefly conditioned by the Counts of Roussillon and the kings of Aragon between 1276 and 1344, it was the headquarters of the court of the Kings of Majorca

The bell tower of the church and the Royal Castle of Collioure from one of the piers of the village

Another street of Collioure where you can see the colorful façades and how narrow these streets are



From the entrance to the Royal Castle you can enjoy a nice view of the church and one of the beaches of Collioure. The stone walls give a very attractive medieval look to this village

The view of the Royal Castle from this promenade, with the malecon of Collioure and the bell tower of the church in the background, was one of the best views in this charming small village

Letters and dedications come mostly from their country of origin accompany the eternal journey of Antonio Machado from Collioure to heaven

Collioure is a small seaside village fully facing the Mediterranean Sea, protected on either side by two hills. It became a strategic point along the Catalan coast and therefore it has an extensive network of fortifcacions, as you can see in the upper right of the image

Elne

Cathedral of Elne

Bell tower of the cathedral of Elne, built in romanesque style

View of Elne from its old town

Street in the old town of Elne

Nice place of the old town of Elne

Perpinyà (Perpignan)

La Bassa in Perpinyà (Perpignan)

La Bassa in Perpinyà (Perpignan), this time walking to the old town

Le Quai Vauban in Perpignan

Le Castellet in Perpignan

Castle of the Kings of Majorca in Perpignan

City Hall of Perpignan

Sculpture in the hall of the city hall of Perpignan

Some months later, also in 2009, I spent some days in Paris. You can see some pictures of these days in Paris clicking on the links below:

- Paris

• 1st day in Paris (Les Champs Elysées)
• 2nd day in Paris (La Tour Eiffel and Montmartre)
• 3rd day in Paris (Le Grand Louvre and Île de la Cité)
• 4th day in Paris (Les Invalides and Musée d'Orsay)
• 5th day in Paris (Le Panthéon and Nôtre Dame)
• 6th day in Paris (Jardin du Luxembourg and La Villette)
• 7th day in Paris (Versailles)
• 8th day in Paris (La Défense)

In France I have visited too:


- Carcassonne
- Canal du Midi and Pays Cathare
- Gorges de la Fou and Coustouges
- Villefranche de Conflent