The Spanish border over the Pyrenees, in Catalonia northwest of Barcelona, we visited a town called Puigcerda. It is a region with a very well defined natural boundry, being formed by a great valley surrounded by mountains of the Pyrenees and Prepyrenees. The town , Puigcerda is the capital of this area. Puigcerda is the ancient town with the eastern limit on the French border. The town was founded in 1094, where the castle of Mont Cerda is located. The wealth of this town is based on the service industry, tourism and industries related to construction, which is the capital of the region under the Spanish administration.
The town was a two hour drive from Pezenas in Languedoc where we were staying. It was high in the Pyrenees, and was significantly colder from where we were in France. The temperatures fell to 28degrees from 58. It was a beautiful drive, and the snow fell lightly as we travelled.
The car handled very well on the snowy steep roads through the Pyrenees.Sant Marti's Bridge,Guils de Cerdanya-Puigcerda. Best example of a Gothic bridge existing in the region, rebuilt in 1326. It has two semicircular spans of unequal size. Situated between the towns of Guils de Cerdanya and Puigcerda, it crosses the river Aravo.
We stayed at a beautiful property with a beautiful view to the mountains.
PERPIGNAN
Former capital of the kingdom of Majorca and second city of Catalonia welcomes a new TGV (high speed train) and will only be 45 minutes from Barcelona, making it the center of a new Catalan cultural and business hub.
Southern as it is, Perpignan will always retain the relaxed pace it is famous for. This is one of the sunniest places in France, however in the summer it is extremely hot and humid. In November it was 60degrees, sunny, and perfect.
Cathedrale-St-Jean. The cathedral dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and has an interesting 17th century altarpiece. The sculpted Moor's head under the superb late 15th century organ case once had an articulated jaw that could be manipulated by the organist to stick out its tongue or vomit sweets for the children.
The baptismal font bears a Latin inscription "The wave of the sacred fountain smothers the hiss of the guilty snake".
Le Castillet
Built in 1368 by the King of Aragon to reinforce the palace's defenses from the north. Under the French it became a prison, and today stands as a last vestige of the city walls. I climbed to the top of the bell tower to get a better view of the city.
Dali was a frequent visitor to Perpignan between 1950 and 1972. He immortalized on canvas the Perpignan train station. He claimed that it was the centre of the universe. "Suddenly before me everything appeared with the clarity of lightning" - some say it was a chemically induced epiphany.
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