The Ruby Coast- Day 2

My second day in Collioure started with a huge breakfast and then a stroll into town. That sounds like it was a long walk, when it was really less than two minutes. It doesn't take long to traverse Collioure. I walked with Megan towards the water when we ran into our friends and collectively decided to explore the castle in town. 

Maritime details!

So together we all went to the Château Royal de Collioure. It's a massive castle in the center of town dating back to the 12th century. It literally dominates most of the pictures I have of my weekend, as you can see it from most points of town. Below is from the outside of the castle. The Spanish influence is clear with the Roussillon and Catalan flags. We didn't see a single French flag the whole time we were there.

The Catalan and Regional Flags atop the Château

 It was a really fun castle to go through since almost everything was open to walk through and climb on top of. We felt like kids running around and describing the epic battles that we imagined took place there.

View from one of the higher towers in the Château

 After about two hours of exploring, we started our hike towards the Fort St. Elme. It's on top of one of the surrounding hills, but we knew we could make it there and back in time for a group boat ride.

The Windmill- halfway mark of our hike

The trail up 

Fort St. Elme

We found the trail that first goes to a windmill and then winds up through vineyards and rocky terrain, and eventually brings you to the hilltop that allows sweeping views of the Mediterranean, the Pyrenees, and the villages sprinkled throughout the coastline. And at the top, we had another picnic meal while enjoying the views and planing our future summer homes in the South of France.

View from the top- terraced vineyards cover the mountains 

This is where I swam in the Mediterranean for the first time in my life. My friends complained that it was cold, but I found it quite pleasant. We needed a cool swim anyway after that hike.

My swimming spot

 And in between our personal adventures and a boat ride along the coast, Megan and I stopped for pastries. This is a scoubi (like the cartoon character) and it was oozing with chocolate. I love France.

Scoubi Doo.

 Our program took us all out on the water to see the town and surrounding ports from the water. I think they thought it would be a pleasant joy ride, but it proved to be a terribly rough time to go out on the water. I was at the front of the boat, on the outside, and at one point we hit a particularly large wave. Everyone around me got sprinkled in the face and were screaming and laughing. And then they turned around and looked at me, and I was soaked. Just completely drenched, and this was in the first 10 minutes. Thankfully it was windy enough on the water that I dried up nice and fast and could attempt to take pictures without getting my camera wet.

Colorful coastline

On the boat 

The Pyrenees

We went all the way down to Port-Vendres and watched the fishermen. The sun was shining, but it ducked behind a cloud to let we take a few pictures of the mountains. We spent probably an hour on the boat before docking back in Collioure. Dinner was sangria and pizza à la Collioure (anchovy and local seafood) since every place closed around 8 and we hadn't thought to go out earlier. It was still very tasty and the beginning of a fun night of jokes and more wine on yet another beach.