Port of St. Cyprien

The port had a different kind of ambience - more like a boardwalk atmosphere with rides and tons of shops and restaurants and neon lights. One night we took a small boat trip around the port. The girls had special threaded strips put into their hair by a local woman working on the street there. And this is also where Ana tried her first (and last) raw oyster.

Saint Cyprien Plage, France

Saint Cyprien is located near Perpignan in the very southern tip of France on the Mediterranean Sea, close to the Pyrenees mountains, which divide France from Spain and Andorra, another small country we learned about while we were there. The town was very touristic, frequented on a regular basis by French for their summer holidays.

We stayed in a condo-type beach house that we rented for the week from some friends of Guy's. It was a charming place - very comfortable and bright.

We did manage a few day trips to see some surrounding sights, but we wanted to have a chance to unwind and not be too busy running from place to place. We alternated between the beach and the pool, getting suntanned and playing in the water. The sun was very, very hot - I guess the US had the same awful weather during this time in July.

I loved these cute little European-style swim trunks I found for Joey, and he was so happy with the floaties Guy got for him which allowed him so much more freedom in the water. His nickname during the trip became "Little Shark." Ana and Niki were like little fish in the pool and in the sea.



I'm happy to look back at these photos and see all the big smiles; I know it wasn't my imagination that the kids seemed very happy on this trip. It's not to say they didn't argue and fight, but I think they soaked up some very positive feelings along with the European sun.






I especially loved the nightlife there - the center of the town usually had some sort of entertainment set up outside at night, which was appropriate for adults and children alike. One night we watched the local people join hands in big circles for their traditional dance. They danced for hours, into the night with a live band. Mostly elderly people, they all seemed so happy and full of energy.



And July 14th happened to be France's National Day, so we went into town for a spectacular fireworks display, then back to the center at the beach for a big pop music and dancing bash in the streets for people of all ages.

Collioure, France

The charming village of Collioure was maybe my favorite place of our entire trip. It was so beautiful and serene; it's easy to see why so many artists were inspired there. Just south of Saint Cyprien (15 miles from the border of Spain), it was a quick drive through a couple of quaint towns to get there.

We went in the evening, and the sun was creating a golden glow on everything as it set behind the historic stone Château Royal. The energy was strong and clear; the gorgeous colors would inspire anyone to pick up a paintbrush and try to recreate it, for fear it was a one-time show generated by special conditions which would never again be repeated by nature.

(This was one of the few places where Niki let me take her photo on this trip.)

I had to be torn away from the landscape so we could find a place for dinner. France seems to have pretty strict serving hours, and even though it was only sunset, it was about 10:00 p.m. already. We chose a place right on the water called St. Elme. During our meal, we watched a local procession of people, led by a small band, carrying candles and French flags and parading around towards the chateau.

After dinner, we had ice-cream treats and walked along the sand. Niki and Guy were too tempted by the shore of small rocks, and they started to skip stones on the water. Joey tried too, but most of his attempts consisted of him throwing lots of stones at once to make lots of splashes. Niki and I got up to 3 skips each, while Guy, the expert, made it to 8 or so.

Someday I would really love to return to Colliure for a longer stay - several days - to explore the shops and local art and just soak up the great energy of this wonderful place.