The Chateau de Foix Our friends Bob and Linda, who spend as much time in France as we do, invited us to join them in an area we hadn’t visited – near Perpignan and the Spanish border on the Mediterranean. They were planning to do a walking tour of Collioure to follow the path of one of their favorite artists, Andre Derain and his compatriot Henri Matisse. We’d heard of and knew some of the works of Matisse, but not Derain or of the Fauvist movement. We’d also heard of Collioure, not for the art or history, but for a very fine wine that a good friend had shared with us.
We were game to make the 5-hour drive in our electric Volkswagen ID.3. We’d done a 3000-kilometer trip to Switzerland and back in the fall in the ID.3 we’d rented then, so we were confident in its abilities as well as in the charging infrastructure in France. The drive was uneventful, and although we did stop to charge (we needed lunch), it turned out we could have made the 330-mile trip without charging.
Collioure Linda had booked the spectacular Hotel les Bulles de Mer on the beach in Saint-Cyprien, near Collioure. After a walk along the beach and harbor, we had a quick dinner at the hotel. The next morning we started our walking tour of Collioure. It’s a picturesque village on the Mediterranean, which looks like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean – a small bay guarded by fortresses at the entrance and on the hill overlooking the bay.
Matisse - Woman with a Hat We followed the path of Derain and Matisse to 15 spots from which they’d painted, viewed their reproductions, and read up on the history of many of the paintings. The two artists were founders of the Fauvist Movement, a step away from the realism of the Impressionists. Following what may have been the lead of Van Gogh, the Fauvists used wild brush strokes, strident color, and more abstraction. We learned a lot.
We had an excellent lunch at the impressive La Voile on the south side of the bay. Before leaving Collioure, we stopped at a small wine shop where we learned that this part of France is also the French part of Catalonia. None of us realized that Catalonia (both the Spanish province and Catalan language) extended into France. A little research showed that most of the residents of this French Department do speak Catalan and think of themselves as Catalan, much as the French Basques think of themselves as part of the Basque country (which also spans the border of France and Spain).
We had an excellent lunch at the impressive La Voile on the south side of the bay. Before leaving Collioure, we stopped at a small wine shop where we learned that this part of France is also the French part of Catalonia. None of us realized that Catalonia (both the Spanish province and Catalan language) extended into France. A little research showed that most of the residents of this French Department do speak Catalan and think of themselves as Catalan, much as the French Basques think of themselves as part of the Basque country (which also spans the border of France and Spain).
Vauban's Fort Liberia Our next stop was Villefranche de Conflet. I had expressed an interest in the fortresses built by Vauban in the 17th century and Linda had suggested Fort Liberia, overlooking the medieval village. Leaving the rolling hills of the coast, we entered a valley in the Pyrenees and followed the Tet river to the walled village. The fort looms over the village and was the site of few battles but interesting imprisonments, including women convicted of the Poisoning Conspiracy!
Villefranche de Conflet's Tet River The village itself is impressive. Unlike many walled cities in France, this one has not been as commercialized. The shops we visited were owned by local artisans. It’s a tiny village with a population of only about 200 people and the valley is bordered by towering mountains, some reaching over 10,000 feet with snow in June. Unfortunately, because the temperatures were in the mid-90s, we skipped the 734-step climb up the underground staircase (dug inside the mountain) to the fortress. Next time!
Underground river at Labouiche Leaving Bob and Linda, we continued our trip. Our next stop was Foix, another town with a medieval walled city and famous castle (pictured at the top of this post). The road through the Pyrenees was spectacular, but a bit harrowing for me as the winding two lanes climbed higher and higher above the narrow Tet valley. When we finally began the descent, the sky opened up to violent thunderstorms and hail. We entered a tunnel which, if I understood the signage correctly, actually went under the tiny country of Andorra.
Arriving in Foix, we stayed at the Hotel du Lac situated on the side of a lake formed by the Ariege and Arget rivers. We had an excellent dinner on the terrace overlooking the lake and while our ample room and terrace also looked over the lake, the room's bathroom was so small that you had to sit sideways on the toilet. The musty smell in the room turned out to be not so innocuous, so in spite of a great location, we won’t stay there again.
After breakfast at a small café in the village, we toured the walled part of the old city as we made our way up to the Chateau. Unfortunately, it was closed. We decided to take the short drive over to Labouiche, a cave with an underground river. And again, although there was no one there waiting, the guide informed us that their next several tours were completely booked. Strike two! He did talk to us about the cave and compared it favorably to Padirac, a cave and underground river in the Dordogne that we had visited. Oh well!
Since it was still early, we realized that we could make it home in time to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. We made reservations and decided to avoid the auto route and enjoy a pleasant drive through the foothills of the National Park of the Pyrenees. We did stop to tour the small citadel of Saint Lizier. It was a Wednesday, and all the restaurants were closed. Strike three!
All in all, I’d strongly recommend visiting Collioure and Villefranche de Conflet. I’d probably skip Foix. But, if you get off the highway, there are countless villages, bastides, ruined castles, and fortresses to visit at the foot of the Pyrenees.
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