A trip to the Mediterranean Sea
Jul. 24th, 2006 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pphaneufLast weekend here was a long weekend, and the lady ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
azrhey proposed that we go to the sea. After exploring the options a little, it was decided that renting a car would be the most practical and cost-effective, which was also handy, since we rented it on the Thursday evening and moved our things from one studio apartment to the other with it (we would have had to hire cabs instead, and they are very expensive around here).
So Friday morningish (meaning around noon, really!), we headed out, after watching the July 14th parade on the television. We decided that we'd take "Nationales" instead of the (toll) highways, partly because it's cheaper, but also to take the scenic way there. It was indeed very nice, and not all that slow, with the speed limit even being cranked up to 110 kph in some "express" areas.
There was a few complications upon arriving in Carcassonne, where there was a big special event for the national celebrations, which most of the center of the city being closed (the road went through), so there was some detours, some getting slightly lost, but then we got back on track (of course, as we're still alive to tell the tale!). We wanted to stop by the walled city,
We stopped in Leucate for some refreshments and ice cream.
We arrived at Argelès-Plage, where two ofazrhey's cousins were vacationing. Dropped by to say hello, then headed over to a restaurant for dinner. It was almost 10pm at that time, and we gave a call to one of the two cheap resorts in the nearby city of Perpignan, where they told us that they did have one last room, but that we'd have to arrive before 11pm, so we hopped in the car. Upon coming out of the parking, it turned out that the direction of the highway was completely traffic jammed, so azrhey told me that, on the map, she saw a way through some back-roads the other way. So we headed the other way. In a country where the main roads are rather narrow, let me tell you that hitting the back-roads at night when you're in a hurry is, uh, exciting! We did arrive in time, thankfully, and I finally got the hang of roundabouts (as long as they're not too crazy, of course!).
The next day, we headed to Port-Vendres to meet some relations ofazrhey, who live somewhere in-land, but have a sailboat there, where they spend their weekends at. It was fabulous, with very interesting discussion, food aboard the sailboat (we stayed in the port, though) and we went to a small beach nearby. Our hosts had quite the interesting life, and their own take on it, we had a grand time. They lent us their camping-car (one of these small Volkswagen mini-vans converted into micro-RVs) to sleep in, as they slept in the boat anyway.
On the Sunday, we went further south on the road that goes along the coast, and I was finding out that due to the Pyrenees, the "coast" road is more of a "cliff" road, very narrow and hanging off the side of the mountains. It was just amazing fun to drive there, andazrhey said a few times that I looked really happy and like I was having a ton of fun, which I was! We weren't going very fast, 30 kph, 40 at most, but it seemed very fast, with a lot of hairpin turns at the edge of cliffs and such, hehe!
To my dismay, I learned there that hacking is forbidden.
We arrived at the border of Spain, in Cerbère, and decided, ah, why the heck not, let's go see España a little bit! This is Europe, after all, and there was nobody at the border guarding it. We pushed down to Llançà, in Catalonia, where we went to the beach. I don't know if they were tourists or locals (and don't really care), but the girls were rather nice there. :-)
We then joined the highway back to France, and headed back to Carcassonne, this time to visit it's fortified medieval city. Took many photos, including that of the Pirate of Carcassonne (uh?). It reminded me of Québec City, in a way, only much older (of course), dating to somewhere in the 5th century, or something like that?
We had a fine dinner there,azrhey saved a little girl, we headed back home, and didn't get too lost. ;-)
azrhey proposed that we go to the sea. After exploring the options a little, it was decided that renting a car would be the most practical and cost-effective, which was also handy, since we rented it on the Thursday evening and moved our things from one studio apartment to the other with it (we would have had to hire cabs instead, and they are very expensive around here).So Friday morningish (meaning around noon, really!), we headed out, after watching the July 14th parade on the television. We decided that we'd take "Nationales" instead of the (toll) highways, partly because it's cheaper, but also to take the scenic way there. It was indeed very nice, and not all that slow, with the speed limit even being cranked up to 110 kph in some "express" areas.
There was a few complications upon arriving in Carcassonne, where there was a big special event for the national celebrations, which most of the center of the city being closed (the road went through), so there was some detours, some getting slightly lost, but then we got back on track (of course, as we're still alive to tell the tale!). We wanted to stop by the walled city,
We stopped in Leucate for some refreshments and ice cream.
We arrived at Argelès-Plage, where two of
azrhey's cousins were vacationing. Dropped by to say hello, then headed over to a restaurant for dinner. It was almost 10pm at that time, and we gave a call to one of the two cheap resorts in the nearby city of Perpignan, where they told us that they did have one last room, but that we'd have to arrive before 11pm, so we hopped in the car. Upon coming out of the parking, it turned out that the direction of the highway was completely traffic jammed, so azrhey told me that, on the map, she saw a way through some back-roads the other way. So we headed the other way. In a country where the main roads are rather narrow, let me tell you that hitting the back-roads at night when you're in a hurry is, uh, exciting! We did arrive in time, thankfully, and I finally got the hang of roundabouts (as long as they're not too crazy, of course!).The next day, we headed to Port-Vendres to meet some relations of
azrhey, who live somewhere in-land, but have a sailboat there, where they spend their weekends at. It was fabulous, with very interesting discussion, food aboard the sailboat (we stayed in the port, though) and we went to a small beach nearby. Our hosts had quite the interesting life, and their own take on it, we had a grand time. They lent us their camping-car (one of these small Volkswagen mini-vans converted into micro-RVs) to sleep in, as they slept in the boat anyway.On the Sunday, we went further south on the road that goes along the coast, and I was finding out that due to the Pyrenees, the "coast" road is more of a "cliff" road, very narrow and hanging off the side of the mountains. It was just amazing fun to drive there, and
azrhey said a few times that I looked really happy and like I was having a ton of fun, which I was! We weren't going very fast, 30 kph, 40 at most, but it seemed very fast, with a lot of hairpin turns at the edge of cliffs and such, hehe!To my dismay, I learned there that hacking is forbidden.
We arrived at the border of Spain, in Cerbère, and decided, ah, why the heck not, let's go see España a little bit! This is Europe, after all, and there was nobody at the border guarding it. We pushed down to Llançà, in Catalonia, where we went to the beach. I don't know if they were tourists or locals (and don't really care), but the girls were rather nice there. :-)
We then joined the highway back to France, and headed back to Carcassonne, this time to visit it's fortified medieval city. Took many photos, including that of the Pirate of Carcassonne (uh?). It reminded me of Québec City, in a way, only much older (of course), dating to somewhere in the 5th century, or something like that?
We had a fine dinner there,
azrhey saved a little girl, we headed back home, and didn't get too lost. ;-)
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Date: 2006-07-24 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-25 08:59 am (UTC)