Episode 112- Compact and bijou, a little pied–à–terre, part 1

I don’t post much about the seaside apartment, as the village house tends to be all-consuming, but to save you wading back through this INTERMINABLE diary of mine, here are a few facts and a few photos.

 

Our apartment is situated on Boulevard de la Méditerranée, Argelès-sur-Mer (66700)-above- in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of the Languedoc Roussillon at the very southernmost point in France  and  a few kilometers  from the Spanish border as it cuts across the peaks of the Pyrénées.

 

That’s the curiously symmetrical Mount Canigou rising behind.

Until 1659, when the Treaty of the Pyrenees ceded French Catalonia back to France, this was Spanish territory and the feel and climate of the area, right up as far as the Aude border,  is strongly Catalonian, with place signs in both languages and one of our favourite restaurants has the full menu in Catalan. Left- the 7 km beach and promenade- above- our view across the red roofs and pines toward the sea gives a little taste  of Argeles-Plage, purpose built in the mid 20thc as a tourist destination and critical to the local economy. Although only about an hour and a half’s scenic drive south from the village house , it has a completely different feel, with it’s own seaside charm.

Below right- Our apartment is centre of photo ( and, of course, the only one with a turquoise balcony wall!)