One of our favorite rustic family restaurant in Vives, Perpignan.
While staying at my sister's summer home in Vives, our favorite rustic family restaurant was just down the road. They don't have a website so this is when mine becomes useful to you.
They serve tender magret de canard, juicy steaks perfectly prepared to your liking, fresh anchovies on salads or freshly baked baguettes served with roasted bell peppers, grilled mouth-watering jumbo shrimps to name a few. It is situated beside a calming lake where kids can run around and play with the beavers. There is a small bistro beside it which they also own and they serve hamburgers and crispy pomme frites.
A visit to this small village in Perpignan is as colorful as the paintings of Henry Matisse and Raoul Dufy. We decided to have dinner at the Hotel Templier. The restaurant offers the best sardines and fresh anchovies in the south of France. So my sisters and I gave it a try along with other delectable catalan cuisine.
"In France there is no sky as blue as the one in Collioure...I just have to close the shutters of my room and I have all the colors of the Mediterranean before me." --- HENRI MATISSE
While on a vacation in the south of France, Collouire was very much part of our visit. It is a beautiful Catalan harbor facing the Mediterranean sea. A picturesque town where impressionists painters like Picasso, Matisse, Derain, Dufy, Chagall, Marquet, have found inspiration. Henry Matisse lived here for many years and donated many of his paintings in a hotel where he stayed. There are numerous galleries scattered around this small harbor and visits are always a visual delight.
Collouire is Catalan country situated in the Languedoc-Roussilon region by the Pyrenees mountains. The French finally won against the Spaniards and Collouire is now a part of France. It is a very old town with many fortresses and Dominican and Benedictine churches.Vineyards are a common sight in Rousillon and fruits like peaches, plums and nectarines are harvested in the summer.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Fatima
Outside the churches and fortresses and after our visits inside the fabulous museums, strolling along the narrow streets and walkways is what we call retail therapy. We especially enjoyed their local fruits and vegetables, paintings, a "must-have" Catalan espadrilles and hand-made products. Never a boring moment. For dinner, you can choose from an array of restaurants. Food is savory and delectable but that's a whole new blog.
artists from all over the globe find inspiration in this charming town
their local fresh anchovies
Shopping in Collouire is therapy. Boutiques line up the narrow walkways and restaurants are spread around. There is not a boring moment.
they are famous for their hand-made Catalan espadrilles. A must-have.
A festival was first celebrated in the year 1701, on the day when the relics of St. Vincent, the patron saint of Collioure, were returned to the village.The much-awaited celebrations start on the 14th of August and ends on the 18th. The fabulous fireworks display is on the 16th, a celebration of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother. http://www.collioure.com/gb/index-gb.htm
Every year on Aug 16, Collouire celebrates the assumption of our Blessed Mother with a display of spectacular fireworks. I videotaped the extraordinary spectacle to share to my friends. C'est magnifique.
"In France there is no sky as blue as the one in Collioure...I just have to close the shutters of my room and I have all the colors of the Mediterranean before me." --- HENRI MATISSE
