One of the great things about living in Barcelona is that it is so close to France! In early September Roy and I rented a car and drove to the Dordogne department of France to catch up with some friends from Minnesota.  Roy will be writing a separate post about some of the interesting things we saw on the way there.

 

We met Theresa and Forrest, who were traveling in France with their brother and sister-in-law, in Sarlat la Canéda, a beautifully preserved medieval town in southwestern France.  It is in a hilly area with numerous limestone cliffs, castles, and caves, some with prehistoric paintings.

 

Our first morning in town there was a huge street market going on just a few steps from our lodgings and we all found something wonderful for a picnic lunch.

After our picnic a short drive away, we visited an old château that was built into a rock face called the Maison Forte de Reignac. Inside is a cave that has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The front of the house was built on in the 14th century. There was a nice museum inside the house with some Cro-Magnon relics.

The next morning it was time for us to say our goodbyes and start back to Barcelona before our next visitors arrived. It had been over a year since we had last seen Theresa and Forrest and  we were so glad that we were able to meet them.

Our next trip to France was nine days later with two other Minnesota friends, Frank and Peggy.

We all took a train up the coast to the little town of Collioure, just 15 miles over the border into France. This picture postcard town of three thousand has been a draw to artists for many years because of the quality of the light.

 

We followed the path of Fauvism, a walking tour dotted with 19 reproductions of paintings by Henri Matisse and Andre Derain during their stay in the summer of 1905. There is an active military fort in Collioure  housing a special forces unit that can often be seen practicing sea rescues in the bay. We timed it just right to see them in action. If you look closely at the above picture, you can see them on the beach and in the water. 

The next morning after checking out the local street market we got on the return train. We had a 1.5 hour layover in Portbou, Spain. This was just enough time for a quick visit to the beach and to find some picnic fixings for the train back. We had another week or so to show Frank and Peggy some of our favorite places in Barcelona. It was a great month spending so much time with old friends.