Collioure was on our list from the beginning. We'd visited both briefly in 2004 and remembered them romantically. Fifteen years later, they were living up to our myths. In had been Robin and Donna Cody who turned us on to the coast from Seté to Spain and it was appropriate they joined us for four days. We waited for them to arrive before taking the bus or walking to Collioure. But first, Linny and I met them at the station and walked them back. We decided to get a few groceries at the store and cook at home. And first for Robin was to grab his swim suit and head for the swimming spot on the south jetty of the harbor's mouth.
We managed a short walk and planned a longer jaunt for the next day. That was another swimming excursion but north to Oli Beach, which we had almost completely to ourselves. The water was pleasant, the salinity made us buoyant, so we happily bobbed around the small bay's clear water amid the beauty and the glorious sunshine.
But there was a bit of excitement. I was chatting with Robyn but facing outward nearby, watching the mouth of this serene shallow bay. Suddenly, coming fast toward me from about 20 years out there was explosion of tiny fish jumping and racing toward me. I'd never seen anything like it; then directly behind it I saw a large surge just below the surface--a fast moving hunter was coming on like a torpedo in an old war film. I started kicking my feet and the who scene crashed and disappeared. Unfortunately, we didn't get to identify the predator.
We finally emerged from the water and spent half an hour searching the beach for good skipping stones and sending the stuttering into the bay.. We wound up the day over another dinner at home and plotted our next adventure.
That was the early bus to Collioure the next morning. There were two ways to travel there--the 1-euro local bus, which is quite quick and comfortable or the local train. Collioure is one stop away on the train and two on the bus. Either is quick, but the bus stops right by the big attractions--the fort, the park, the beach, the shopping, the musee.
While Robin swam again, the other three of us explored the village. Donna adventured into the area away from the tourist zone, while Linny and I prowled that area's colorful back alleys and cul d'sacs. The maintained old village is the romantic attraction in the shadows of the fort and chateau that recall the Aragon kingdom. Linny stopped to sketch and I did a bit of that, but mostly took photos.
