Collioure and Céret

This road trip grew out of the need for some auto repair. Knowing that the Volvo dealer would want to keep our aging car for more than one day, we decided to go footloose in France with the other car “for a day or two”. The border is only 45 minutes to the north of the dealership in Girona.

The only plans we made were for the first night in Céret (deciding to let the rest of the trip unfold organically, depending on when the Volvo repairs are finished.) So we packed the Dolphin (Paul’s convertible) and headed off with our favorite four-legged traveler!

Our first stop was Collioure, a seaside town we’d visited previously on a trip to France with the boys 7 years ago. We had vowed to return at some point to spend more time in the numerous art galleries scattered throughout the town. It was as lovely as before, but of course warmer and a lot more crowded mid-July!

We didn’t discover any new art but had fun wandering the picturesque streets for a couple hours. After a picnic lunch in the shade we headed inland to Céret. The region around Céret is a major fruit producer, and is famed for its cherries. It’s also a stop on the Tour de France (yellow bicycles hang in second floor windows all over the town!)

Though the location was perfect, we were disappointed with the guest house we stayed in (complete and utter Trip Advisor fail!) however the owner was generous with driving route advice in the morning (and breakfast was delicious).

A call from the Volvo dealer confirmed the suspected issues and after a bit of negotiation we arrived at a repair plan (completely new air conditioning system, timing belt and windshield wiper fluid deposit, the latter which has leaked for all six years that we’ve owned this trusted workhorse!) Of course, they wouldn’t receive the parts until Monday (read “road trip extended”!)

Okay, okay, truth? This was really just an excuse for an adventure!Read more