Off on the bus to Collioure!

 Hello!

 Just a note: Normally all photos on this blog are mine. However, as you might guess from the fact that I'm in some of them, the photos on this post are my mother's (I didn't bring my camera that day). I hope you like them as much as I do.

 On the second day of my mother's visit we decided to go to the train station (the Centre of the Universe, remember!) and catch a train or 1 Euro bus somewhere.

 We chose to take the 1 Euro bus to Collioure as my mother hadn't been and really wanted to see it. Waiting for it to arrive, my mother took some photos of the snowy Canigou.

 We climbed on board the bus and listened to the radio, which to my surprise and pleasure seemed to be playing mainly British 80s music such as Queen and Genesis. We also observed the worrying dark and stormy sky.

 On our arrival it was still overcast but looked slightly less stormy. We walked down to the sea.

 We had hoped to visit the lovely Majolique artisan pottery shops but both were shut. It was a real shame. We headed up away from the sea to explore quaint, narrow lanes between colourful houses. In a month or so they will be bursting with flowers.

Spot the uninterested cat:

 Back on the seafront we peered through the windows of the still-closed Majolique and admired the lovely cats and cow.

 We stopped in a little café where we ordered apricot juice - something you must try in the Pyrénées-Orientales! - and galettes complètes (pancake-type things with cheese, ham and an egg each). They were delicious - and huge! We certainly got our money's worth!

 There was also some kind of documentary about the UK on the TV which was slightly surreal!

 I had bought an ice-cream from that café back when I went to the Christmas Market and it had been amazing, so I just had to take the chance to enjoy another. 

I look quite pensive here...

A nice happy ice-cream picture after the pensiveness

 We encountered what was quite literally a tree-house on our way back to the bus stop.

 Once on the bus, we cruised back across hills, past the sea and through towns and villages to get off pretty near my apartment (we walked all the way to the station and the bus stopped there all along!). 

 It was a nice day and it's interesting to have seen Collioure in three very different seasons and moods: warm and lively in autumn, cold and festive in winter and now stormy and quiet in spring. One day I may see Collioure in summer - what will that be like? Hot and touristy, I imagine!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x