Vic-la-Gardiole, Gruissan and Leucate-Plage (21.03.-26.03.19)

The small town of Vic-la-Gardiole on the southern coast of France is not even shown on our map of Europe, so at first we didn't even know where we were. We had discovered a nice and inexpensive campsite there and that was the only reason we stumbled upon the place. We enjoyed our stay there in the glorious sunshine. Only the many buzzing mosquitoes, which were not deterred by insect repellent, bothered us a bit.

The nearest larger town is Frontignan, which we wanted to explore directly by bike. After struggling against the wind for 10km, we were relieved to take a short break at the beach. There we found shells that were so big that they almost covered the entire palm of our hand. Delighted by this, we managed to cycle the last 5km to Frontignan. There we found a pretty harbor and many anglers. After spending some time there, we rode back to our campsite.

The next day, while out running, Rob discovered a beautiful spot by the water, which we immediately marked as our next destination. Unfortunately, fishing there was not successful, but the sunrise and sunset were beautiful.

Next, we went to Gruissan, where we visited an old castle ruin. After climbing up the narrow and partially destroyed staircase, we had a great view over the entire town. The salt flats of Gruissan also impressed us with their pinkish colored water.

We only stayed briefly at our next destination, Leucate-Plage. As the name suggests, the town is located on the beach, where we enjoyed a lovely walk.

While shopping there, we were approached by an elderly man who had walked there and wouldn't be able to make it back because of his heavy groceries. So, we gave him a ride, and in return, he insisted on giving us chocolate croissants, candies, and baguettes. This kindness impressed us.

Next, we visited the Forteresse de Salses, our next castle. This fortress has many refined architectural features. For example, the floors were partially sloped so that rainwater could flow into the internal water system for various uses. Additionally, the water was used for bathing and passed along one of the ovens used for baking bread to heat it up. The fortress originally belonged to Spain but was conquered by the French in 1642.

Our next destination is the small country of Andorra, located in the middle of the Pyrenees. We are very excited to see what awaits us there.