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Sunday September 23, 2007

The day started off very overcast, with potential drizzle in the air. We were hopeful that Tony & Jackie would get a good look at the local environ, but the clouds were way too low and the air way too dense this morning. So, we headed off for the Cote Vermeille in uncertain conditions. By the time we hit Collioure, the skies were looking more promising. We got into town a little earlier than last Sunday, so were able to get some prime parking. This is a big deal in France! We headed to the market and very quickly made the vendors happy, especially the man selling cashmere sweaters. We wandered about for the remainder of the morning and then settled down for lunch at the waterfront restaurant, Copacabana. We’re getting really tired of the accordion player who parks himself with his useless drummer protégée at every restaurant we’ve eaten at. Every time we end up a little poorer.

Following Collioure, we headed for Port Vendres. This is a guaranteed wi-fi spot for me, so while Dawn toured with Tony & Jackie, I did e-mail and posted the blog. After that, we drove into upper town and walked up to the WW2 bunkers and defense structures that the Germans used to protect their submarine base here. This afforded us great views of not only the harbour of Port Vendres, but also Collioure. Concluding this sortie, we headed home where the skies had finally cleared and temperatures had risen so that we could have appetizers on the terrace. We had a great lamb dinner and then took a walk down into the village. The vintner we had been told about was still working late on this Sunday evening and invited us in to tour his facility. We discovered that he also sold local produce, like cucumbers, melons and tomatoes. After walking away with some of his wine, we promised to return tomorrow.