Bastille Day 20019

The Mayor, Monsieur Romero, has delivered his welcome and celebratory speech. The first round of parades have begun with aged ex servicemen moving along the quay to the strains the brass band. Tonight stalls will be erected as the town swells for its annual fireworks celebration, attracting visitors and residents from all along the Cote Vermeille to Perpignan. Some things remain the same in Port Vendres, but in the garden we have had lots of change. There have been some tree losses, mainly due to age:  one fig, the cherry, the plum), blight (fern), mysterious (grapevine and yellow plums). In their place we have planted 1 more fig, two more olives, a hazelnut and a clementine. We had to decapitate the Mulberry, are gorgeous shade-giver, because its massive roots had upended our path. It is indomitable and continues to flourish, albeit on a smaller scale. One long terraced bed has been prepared for citrus trees in autumn- perhaps orange and pink grapefruit. My aim is to plant mainly trees on the land over the next few years. The spare land has been cleared of prickly pears, a painful process. I spent a week picking spines out of Dan's infected hands.  Our roses, pears and oleanders have never looked so good and the newly planted jade hedge really works. Also new to the Garden Apartment is our renovated  Casot, a 25 sq m studio with ensuite.- Photos and journal to come as work progresses...

May 2015 - our Dutch visitors

For the first time since we came to Port Vendres in 2002 I did not spend my May halfterm holiday at the Garden Apartment. Instead, a returning rentor, Silja, and her family who sent us this email :
"We had a wonderful week in your apartment. It's a very special place and we all loved it a lot. The garden was beautiful with all the roses. We only missed the mint bush, the leaves of which we cooked tea the last time. But we admired the lemon tree with all the fruits.",

It's interesting how the garden changes: when Silja came in 2012 my lemon tree was struggling against pests and wind and an ambitious Mulberry tree; 3 years on its finally taken full root and its scented flowers herald a crop of lemons that stay on stem and ripen. However I cannot remember the mint. Horticultural lore has it that mint has to be watched or it spreads like wildfire. I must have a poor relationship with mint because I cannot get it to stay in London or France; if only it would over run a bit.

So in lieu of getting to Port Vendres in May, I'm treating myself to a rare long weekend there at the end of June. I haven't been in June for some time because of my teaching schedule, but I know its a special time of the year: everything is in bloom, the heat has not sucked the moisture out of the garden yet, nor warmed the sea, the summer visitors have started but just a trickle, everything has a vitality that only late spring can bring. Can't wait.

February in London - longing for the sun...

It's been sometime since I posted to our Garden Apartment blog, and in that time I've travelled to Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Milwaukee USA, Mexico City, Iceland, Istanbul and one month in Nepal. I'm well aware that travel is a luxury and I know we are blessed to be able to come to this heavenly spot in the South of France, where the mountains meet the sea on a regular basis.

We bought the Garden Apartment in 2002 and after 13 years  here, it feels very much like our 'home'. Our daughters spent every summer here and have become competent French speakers and great snorkelers too. Mostly when I think of the Garden Apartment I think of rest. I have the majority of my novels there - several hundred of them scattered on the shelves in the 3 bedrooms. London has little downtime for reading, but in Port Vendres, I can prop myself up in the garden, in the hammock, on the beach, and read to my hearts content. Its guaranteed sunshine for 4 months of the year, the freshest of seafood, and to paraphrase Matisse "Une jour sans bateau comme une nuit sans etoiles".  Hikes along the coast road; swimming, endlessly swimming in the buoyant waves of the Med.

Here are some of the photos from the last two years that I forgot to post.

The self-seeded grapevine is coming on nicely but I had to knock some fruit off the plum tree because it looks like there will be a bumper crop this year. The plum tree has a 'sport' and throws up sweet yellow plums a couple of weeks before the main purple crop is due. Problem is that most visitors to the Garden Apartment do not eat enough of the plums and they drop and squish. I'm hoping that between my culling of the young fruit and the work of Franck, our gardener, there will be less fallen fruit this year.  My intention is for any fruit that is not eaten to be given to Louisa to be made into confiture. MMM

Entrecote at Cafe Pujol

I usually go each day to Cafe Pujol to use the WiFi but after a full day of gardening I had unusual craving for meat. Pujol is one of few places in Port Vendres that serves 'late' and I have to say this was the best steak I've had in an age.

May-June 2013:

I arrived in Port Vendres via Eurostar & TVG on May 25th for an 11 day stay alone to rest, work and do a bit of gardening. Intending to start well, I began at Port Peche with gambas, garlic mayo and crisp white wine.

The garden was a riot of roses - the tall sweet white ones, deep red, wild orange and flamboyant pink. Despite fact that Dan had hacked back the undergrowth only one month previously, the garden had quickly gone wild again. We've had inclement weather in London and apparently, just as unseasonal weather in Port Vendres. Here it has been raining heavily and during the 11 days there were 3 storms. The wind was up for 3 days and at times I didn't head out along the coast because the wind was so strong I could barely walk.  But the difference between London and Port Vendres is that in PV the sun WILL come out, the sky WILL be blue and the wind subsides - and when it does it was blissfully hot. I swam in the crique most days despite fact that water isn't really warm by late May.

Feedback from Guests June 2012

We just received this feedback from Stephen F. who stayed for one week at the beginning of June 2012:

"The Prettiest part of France..." 

Our first time in this part of France (having visited most other parts with young children over the past 12 years), Our kids are now 13 and 16 and we booked this holiday because we liked the look of the garden apartment; the little coves and the idea of walking to the beaches and the little cafes. The apartment was lovely in every way: the views from the windows are sunny and interesting; the living area is spacious, clean and welcoming. The garden areas are numerous as they are bright interesting and secluded. The apartment has everything you could want for a stay. Also easy to find a parking space right outside.. My daughter spent some of the time revising for her GCSEs and she found the apartment quiet enough to get the peace she needed while being only 2 minutes stroll to get an ice cream or a drink. All the nearby restaurants were very good and well priced. I enjoyed going out each morning to get a coffee and some pastries. We were lucky with the weather (28-29 each day in early June.) The nearby beaches were lovely; crystal clear and clean (favourite paulies blue flag beach) and we loved to swim and snorkel each day. My wife and I walked (20 min good pace) to the nearby town of Colliuore - great place to see for the day – very pretty and interesting with great places to shop and eat but hard to park (if you don’t fancy the walk) and a bit too touristy for our liking – however we did go on the little train into the nearby hills which was great. In summary we loved this un-spoilt part of France (definitely our favourite) and will return.. 

Summer 2011

Its been busy here in London, but meanwhile,  we've been getting some lovely feedback from guests staying in the Garden Apartment this spring and summer. This is from Grace who stayed with her husband and two teenagers in late June:

"Hello Karla

I am now back in work looking out at the rain and missing Port Vendres.  We really had a wonderful week and would be delighted to write a review.  The house really made our holiday - a lovely atmosphere that we could all sense.  It was so comfortable - and what a book collection - we all abandoned what we had brought until we got home.  Evelyne was really helpful and very patient with our 'school French' - please pass on our regards. Port Vendres itself was a great location - very friendly and everything that we needed.  We made some wonderful excursions to see Cathar castles in the mountains, swam in the coves and really recharged the batteries.  I think this is our last 'family holiday' with teenagers now 16 and 17 - and it was one which we will truly look back on with affection.

I would hope that we will be able to return in the future and will certainly recommend the area and particularly your house to anyone who asks.  Please send on the link and we will gladly write a review.

Many thanks again for all your help, Grace & Family"

Almond trees in blossom in February 2011

Panoramic Webcam of Port Vendres
It looks like its a cloudy day, today in Port Vendres, but if you follow the panoramic webcam around the port till you get to the marker for Tour de Madeloc, you'll see the almond trees are in blossom behind our house. We have one in the garden too but its not visible on the webcam.  I'm posting my favourite photo of Port Vendres, (again!) because this is really what it looks like for about 5 months of the year. These colours are what attracted Matisse, Derain, Picasso et al to region.  What could be better than sea, sun and mountains?

Thoughts on gardening, here and there

 Another grey, damp day in London, and garden here looks pretty sorry for itself. It was dry and sunny for 2 hours last Sunday so I ran outside and pruned the fruit trees, and hauled the garden debris to the dump. Then the rains started again. In Port Vendres right now, regardless of the weather, there will be something blooming. The lemon-scented white roses often flower in January. Looking at old photos from 2002 I notice that the Mulberry tree was a slim sapling on the top terrace. Now it spreads its branches across the entire top terrace, its trunk thick enough to hang a hammock. The fig should be cut down, its almost dead, and has loads of new green branches springing up beneath that would replace the old part in a few years. But I love the shape of this gnarled  fig and it gives additional shade, so I'll keep it as it is for one more year. Besides the fruits are very sweet even if the yield is small.

One year, when I am not working, I'm going to spend January in Port Vendres planting fruit trees, and February and March watering them. In the meantime, I'm temptd to have some WWOOFers come to stay.

Australian guests send feedback August 2nd 2010

"Dear Karla

We had a great time. Especially liked the food at Cafe Pujol (the Zarzuela was fantastic and our waiter on both occassions was very passionate and informative) and the Poisson Rouge (great food, friendly service and terrific view). PLus the croissants, baguettes and coffee from the boulangerie / cafe near the BNP Paribas - we went there almost daily. It was too hot to do much hiking unfortunately but we still managed to get to the Gorge Du Fou and to Carcassone.

We think you chose very well with Port Vendre. Coullioure was pretty but completely overrun with tourists. We only went for a couple of hours one day. We liked Banyul - ate on the waterfront a couple of times.

We also enjoyed reading your books. Jane & I both managed to read 3. The Kate Moss one was especially atmospheric given our location."  Kim & Jane, from Australia, July 17-31, 2010

Grandma's wonderland with pancake and strawberry Jam

Received today, from Finnish guests who stayed in the middle of June after I had asked them if they'd enjoyed their stay in the Garden Apartment:

 "Karla,
We were very happy to stay in your place. It was like grandma´s wonderland with pancake and strawberry jam.
  Kimmo"

That's possibly the loveliest response we have had to date.

Beach at Les Pauliles

Another great meal at La Tramontan restaurant, Port Vendres

You can't go wrong at La Tramontan. Get the 3 course set meal, approx 16 euros, first time you go.

Grapes

We had 12 straight weeks of no rain at all in Port Vendres, so that by the time the family arrived for our annual holiday in August, the garden was pretty parched. The exception being the grapes which clearly love the dry heat. Must plant more of those..

Festival of St Vincent, patron saint of fishermen, August 2009

This 3 day festival occurs over 3 days in Collioure and features all kinds of bands and musicians.

Swimming in Crique La Mauresque

Crique means cove, and within 10 minutes walk of the Garden Apartment you will find a number of coves.

Storm in Port Vendres

Sophie & Lil at the beach, August 2009

New Year In Lyme Regis

Frankie and his family are using the Garden Apartment over New Year to celebrate his 80th birthday, so we are having a lovely restful time by the English seaside, in Lyme Regis.

Autumn Guests 2009

I just received a very detailed review of the Garden Apartment from a Swiss guest who spent the 2nd week of October with us. This gives a good description of what you can expect to find here:

Dear Karla,

we had marvellous holidays in Port Vendres!!! It was quite windy

(Tramontan), but sunny.

The flat is extraordinary charming!!! We liked the way you designed it and

how you combined the colours!!! There are so many good details!! It's really

stimulating! The bathroom for instance: it/he is so small, but with the

mirrors and the black stone it looks so nice. And all you need is there.

The bedrooms are very practical and each has it's own character, because of

the colors and the books

The kitchen is really to live in! We liked, that there are pots and pans

like at home (good ones and nice looking ones); plates, cups, mugs in

special colors and shapes and good knives and forks and spoons. It was a

pleasure to have all those things.

It was an impression like staying at the house of friends.

And it was great to have such a good selection of books. Next time, I would

take less books with me, because I found several, I would have liked to

read.

And it was great, to have breakfast in the garden or sit there, reading a

book. We picked some figs, bears, apples and grapes. Delicious!

We enjoyed sitting on the left place or in the very comfortable chairs on

the right side.

Thank you for the roses and the wine. It was very nice, to be welcomed that

way!

Your recommendations were super!! We bought fish in the fishmarket and went

to the restaurants "La Tramontan" (I never had such a well-prepared fish like

here before!).

It was very good and interesting, to live in the village itself, in a

"normal" environment and not in a holiday resort. It was good to have such a

short way to the bakeries! To see the huge ships..... from abroad.....

The girls often went to the beach. We also went on some wonderful walks,

along the coast in both directions.

The little book with proposals of walks we left in the flat.

We enjoyed our staying there!!!! And we loved the flat and the garden!!! And the surrounding area! Thanks that you answered all the questions, I had.

Best wishes from all of us!
Ulrike

P.S.: We forgot the cheese (very good one from the pyreenees; we bought it

in the market in Collioure) and yoghurts in the fridge.....

The Apartment & The View from my Yoga Mat under the Mulberry Tree

Les Pauliles and the Dynamite Factory

One of the best summer holidays ever

Yes, I would say that, but really it was. Just me, Kim, Sophie & Lili and all we had to do each day was to decide which beach to go to and what to eat. It was the most restful holiday I have had in a long long while. We lounged on the beach and spent an inordinate amount of time messing around in the sea. Read, napped, idled about. Took ourselves to Collioure couple of times but it was very busy and after the festival had finished there was no reason to be there. Port Vendres, and its beaches, seemed much more appealing. Lili took some great photos, some of which I have uploaded here. Since then Imogen has been there with friends and I've booked myself a week alone in October halfterm. I discovered this year an ideal patch in the garden to do yoga: underneath the Mulberry tree.

Glorious Feedback from tenants

Its great to get really good feedback. Today I heard from JJ who rented last week in July with husband and 2 children, and then RL who rented with partner, child and parents. We leave tomorrow for Port Vendres tomorrow for the Festival St Vincente in Collioure and 2 weeks by the sea. Can't wait!

Hi Karla,

Thanks for the cheque, which we've received.

We had a lovely week in Port Vendres, followed by a very enjoyable week in Collioure. Yes, we were very lucky with the weather, particularly for our week in the garden apartment - gorgeously hot and sunny every day. We loved the apartment, especially the decor and style of it and the lovely breezes blowing through. We all had plenty to read and also added a couple of books to your collection as we finished them! It was also lovely to meet one of your neighbours, Frankie, who was very welcoming and interesting to talk to.

I hope you get to enjoy some time there this summer and that you are as lucky with the weather as we were.

Thanks very much,

Jenny

And from Richard:

Hi Karla

Sorry I forgot to take my blackberry charger so have been without a mobile

and e-mail all holiday!

We arrived home late last night and have had a wonderful time.

Port Vendre and the surrounding area is lovely. The apartment was very

accommodating too.

I hope you enjoy your holiday and thank you for providing a great base for a

lovely holiday.

Richard

Some Videos of Music in Port Vendres

I found these You Tube amateur videos recently.
The first is Tekamali playing in Port Vendres on a summer night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVe7Q9u2ehs

By day we had Les Pescatore entertaining along the cafes and bars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9V2QDf6f90 -

Then here's some New Orleans Jazz, Port Vendres style,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW0zLKONHt0

A 3 masted schooner departing the harbour (okay the horn doesn't quite count as music)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNe759uQ6iA

And finally, a little piece of folk history: the traditional Catalan dance, the Sardana, performed on the Place de Catalon with the harbour beyond. Once or twice a week during the high season you will find a disco or a band playing in the Place de Catalan, usually till about midnight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvVgIEHRN00

August Sans Auto

Yes I keep using this photo in this blog, because I just love the colours.


2 weeks till we go to Port Vendres - a much shorter break than usual this year, but greatly anticipated!! Along the Cote Vermeille this has been one of those hot summers that we get every 3rd year or so. From the avantage point of a 'changeable' London summer this for me is an added bonus. With any luck it will get up to 34c when we are there. If its hot by day you spend more time in the sea, take siestas in the midday, and then spend some more time again on the beach in the evenings.

We're got family and friends coming and going at different times this year, so we're experimenting without the 8 seater people carrier. We often do this in autumn or spring, it just takes more planning in the summer when we want to visit all the beaches, including the distant beaches. Of course its easy to walk to any of Port Vendres beaches - Le Gibraltar, Oli, Boeuf, and the swimming hole etc. Walking to an fro to neighbouring Collioure is a given, in fact during the 3-day festival of St Vincente - August 14-16, - you can't drive to Collioure because so many people come in for fireworks and dancing that the local coast road is shut to traffic Friday Night. I plan to take the coastal bus to Les Pauliles and probably Sentier Sous Marine. The tourist office were offering one weeks free bus pass to any visitor - perhaps they will do that again this year. Getting to Le Racou sandy beach at St Cyprienne will take more planning: 5 min train to Argeles and then taxi to Le Racou - but how to get back???? We might also take a day trip by train to Gerona to see Dan off, and visit the old city. We could train it to Barcelona and stay over night. But I have a feeling everyone will just want to collapse on the beach...

Penny in the square

First guests in 2009

Its a sunny morning in London and I have just received feedback from our first guests, a family from Germany who stayed for 2 weeks with their 3 children during the mini-heatwave we had in late June this year. Here is some of their feedback:

"Dear Karla
We enjoyed our stay in the Garden Apartment very much. After we arrived

we were very friendly welcomed by Evelyne who looked after us very well.

Great thanks to Evelyne.

We loved the cosy atmosphere in the Apartment, the lovely view from up

there of the harbour and the friendliness of the people of Port Vendre.

We loved to sit on the terrace in the morning and in the evening and

enjoyed the French food (and the rose-wine from Collioure). Our Kids

enjoyed the films from your DVD collection (especially the Lord of the

Rings), though they could watch it only in English language (so they can

better imagine why it´s worthy to learn English well ...).

We cooked most of the time at the Garden Apartment, used your barbeque and

enjoyed the Mediterranean food. At first we were a little bit disappointed about the

beaches in PV were not as "sandy" compared with the beaches at the Costa

Brava. But at the 2nd day of our stay we discovered the beach "Le Racou"

which is very nice as well. We spent a lot of time there and enjoyed diving and snorkelling.

And last but not least we watched the Tour de France racing cyclists

"live" who came through Argeles on their way to Perpignan.

We had a good time in Port Vendre! Thank you very much for the good

organization and the lots of useful and good hints in your file."

Dr H- H. July 2009

4 Friends in PV

May halfterm. Maria and I arrive first by Ryanair to find a warm, balmy evening, a little cloudy, but the air full of floral smells and a welcoming deep sleep away from the pace of London. Next day, Kate & Penny arrive via Eurostar and TGV, and so begins our holiday. Maria sums it up well on our return,

Seven days
Four friends
Twenty one meals
Ninety one steps
A hundred kisses.

I don't remember that we had time for a 100 kisses, we were too busy sleeping, reading, debating, walking, swimming, cooking, lounging, gardening, browsing, and eating, eating, eating.
Best meal inhouse was fried gambas with garlic and coriander served piping hot with Siloe wine.
Best meal eaten house was definitely our first meal at the Tramontane. Croissants for breakfast with some of our smashed mulberries were pretty good too.

The weather was perfect: warm enough to enable a swim, sometimes twice daily, and yet changeable enough so that we had some cool cloud cover to enable deep sleeps/naps and comfortable walks. The garden looked great and was unusually verdant for this time of the year because it has been an unusually damp spring perhaps.

Missing my garden in France

A cold, dank, dismal day in London and I'm missing my garden in France. Roll on summer holidays when we can laze on the beach, pluck plums, figs and grapes in the garden, sipping fragrant Siloe wine as the little garden lizards dart amongst the rocks. At Easter we usually go out to do a spring clean and wrestle the garden back into shape but I might make it out during February halfterm this year; even if the February weather is a bit apocalyptic, there is always the views to soak up, the air, the food.

Early Bookings for 2009

We've already had considerable interest and 3 weeks bookings for 2009, which is very early for us. I thought there might be some fall off for 2009 with the current state of affairs, but who knows, perhaps the election of Mr. Obama has spread a sense of optimism far and wide.

Michael, from New York, stayed with us in August and has sent some lovely photos of the area and views of the harbour that he took on our big hike up Cap Bear. Thanks to Michael, I returned from Port Vendres this summer incredibly fit: we hiked miles and probably doubled our swimming routine. It all seems a far cry from our rather sedentary life here in London....

Lili's August 2008 fashion shoot: Joy in the Harbour

Very Warm October: Feedback 2008

Its been a busy autumn, with family and friends coming and going to Port Vendres.
We just received this very positive feedback from a family that made a last minute booking and stayed the first week of October 2008:

"We enjoyed the Garden Apartment very much. We had a wonderful week. The

house is located calm, but very central. Shops and restaurants are nearby.

The apartment is very cosy and has much atmosphere (we say this in German, I

don’t' know if it's correct in English). We felt ourselves at home.

Our children love your DVD-collection!

Our whole family can imagine staying again in Port Vendres.

Thank you very much for being your guest in the Garden Apartment,

Bettina, Uli, Lisa, Julian and Nils"

Good feedback like this makes me very happy. Holidays are important, goodness knows we all need one, and its very very hard to have a family holiday and satisfy everyone's needs - I know that from my own experience. We think Port Vendres has something to offer for young children through elders, and it seems that our rentors think so too.

Meanwhile in London the glorious Annie Leibowitz photographic exhibition has just opened at the National Portrait Gallery: very moving experience, a must-see.

Fashion shoot summer 2008

Feedback from our German Guests in August/Early September

After we left we had German rentors stay for 13 days who left the following feedback:

Dear Karla
thamk you for your welcome back email. After an exhausting journey by train (through France) and by plane from Basel I found myself back in Berlin where weather is cold and cloudy. That makes one difference to Port Vendres.

We all enjoyed the pleasant stay in your lovely Garden Apartment. Most of the time we where outside that means on the beach (most times the smaller one in Paulilles) or on a trip in the region (St. Martin, Perpignan, vineyards around, Peyrepertuse, Gorges de la Fou and so on but the rest of the time we loved to sit on the wooden terrace and had a good time there with comfortable temperatures (only the last two evenings of our stay were to cold for eating outside in the evening).

We love the expanding view over the harbour, the hills around Port Vendres and the Pyrenees.

The highlight of our holidays was the menu and wine tasting in Clos de Paulilles what we can recommend with a lot enthusiasm.


Best wishes from me and on behalf of my friends Tina, Barbara, Thomas, Steffen and Felice (our three year old little princess)

Marco

Latest Guest feedback from late July 2008

We had a Norwegian family of 5 stay with us in August 2008 and here is their feedback:

"Hello Karla. Thank you for letting us stay in your apartment this summer. We had a great 14 days with lovely weather, great food, nice beaches and a lot of “action” in the village.
The village was cozy and had what we needed for a pleasant stay, but parking spots scarce– and by the way thank you for returning the deposit so quickly." Oyvind N

WHERE TO PARK IN AUGUST?
Any other month except August - when everyone seems to be on vacation - you can easily park near our garden gate, in our square, Place Belieu. But its true, that in August, parking spots can be scarce. Generally the neighbours have fairly regular schedules and you can coordinate parking around this: generally everything stops for lunch, so not a good time to come back and park up, but late afternoon you can often find a spot outside the house. If you cannot, just double park and unload then look for a spot on the many sideroads that run off of Rue Louis Pasteur - the road that runs into our square. This is, in our experience, a very safe town. We have two free car parks, each 5 minutes walk away. One at the Obelisque (but don't park there Friday night because that's where are wonderful market sets up first thing Saturday morning) and the other is just at the top of the port, near the tourist information burea. Compared with London (!) Port Vendres traffic wardens are great. The few times I have parked in the wrong place they left a note telling me off (rather than give me an £80 fine which is what would happen in London).

July 2008

Things are coming to a halt in London at last, and we are all looking forward to our departure to Port Vendres in August..

Reviews: Good for Children!

I heard from Evelyne, our housekeeper today, that the temperature had reached 30c. This must make my neighbours very happy. Its been a changeable spring with more rain then usual. The Catalans like the heat and we expect some extra warmth on the fruit at this time of the year. Tamara from London stayed in June, with friends and two small children and she just sent us this feedback on her stay:

Dear Karla,

Just wanted to let you know we had a fantastic holiday in Port Vendres and we all loved your house. My elder son, Alex (aged 4), loved all the bits & pieces in the house and seeing the boats out of the kitchen window. Thanks also for all the info you sent on the local area. It was great to have some insider knowledge.

Kind regards,

Tamara

N.B: People often refer to the apartment as a 'house' and I don't think this is by accident because the apartment has a very complete feel about it, and it is pretty large - for an apartment, plus we have a HUGE private garden. We are also getting more and more families with small children coming to stay and the feedback from them is overwhelmingly positive.

Dutch Visitors in April

We had a family of four from Holland stay during April, and received photo and feedback from their visit:

"Dear Karla, Just a quick note to thank you for the super week we had in Port-Vendres!

Most of the days sunny, superb "apartment", nice location, also the kids really enjoyed it!

Thanks a lot again!" M & E H, Holland.

Easter in Port Vendres

Dan and Lili were in Port Vendres again this Easter, and this time, Annelise came to visit and to paint and sketch. Dan took down and set up the new single bed in the triplex bedroom at the front of the apartment - this is a super duper large single which easily sleeps two children and one large adult. With Annelise's help, a lot of work was done on getting the garden back into shape and we now also have a new gardener - Frank. Dan's sister Carol, her husband and two children, flew over from Canada to stay at the Garden Apartment in March 2008 and had this to say about their stay:

"Dear Karla, we had a great time in Port-Vendres. We absolutely loved the area -sufficiently off the beaten track, yet large enough to have great restaurants, services, etc. We couldn't have asked for a better vacation. Your apartment and garden are beautiful and very comfortable. We had many relaxing hours cooking dinners and hanging around your place. Evelynne was very kind. Everything was clean and tidy when we arrived, and hopefully we left it as tidy as we found it. Thank you so much for everything."

Carol reminded me to tell people that they have to enter Place Belieu, using the map we provide, via the higher elevation, i.e. from the Obelisk end of the harbour. Also to mention that there is a light switch right outside the main door - very useful for late arrivers during the late winter months /early spring when it might still be dark. Carol also left us a great new cookery book which we hope everyone enjoys.

Fireworks!!

Two great fireworks displays bracket the summer in Port Vendres and Collioure. On Bastille Day, July 14th, Port Vendres hosts a superb fireworks display launched from barges in the mouth of the harbour. The second one takes place at the commencement of the 3 day party in Collioure to celebrate the feast of St. Vincent, around about August16-18th.

More Photos from Charles

From the glorious produce available on the Quay Forgas to huge range of fantastically fresh fish: go shopping, light up the BBQ....enjoy!

More feedback summer 2007

In June, Charles O. from Norfolk stayed at the Garden Apartment and sent us this feedback and some great photos as well:

"All went well and we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday. Although we like
being near the sea (for the air and the fresh fish) we¢re not particularly
after beaches so your lovely garden was an absolute bonus. We spent two or
three days just enjoying the sun, the shade and the view without going
out at all.

The tiny plums (or are they edible crabs) were tasty and we wished the figs had been big enough to eat. The house was very well equipped. The only thing I couldn't find were
secateurs because I would have given the roses a light prune to encourage
more flowering. There were occasional showers so nothing dried out but we
did put waste water on some of the newer shrubs.
We were delighted with Port Vendres and were very pleased we were there
rather than the neighboring costal villages. PV has the right scale and is
a busy working community that we found appealing.

Evelyne certainly is a treasure and full of information. She arrived with
her daughter just after we arrived and she was also there when whe left so
I gave her the keys directly. She was very tolerant of our version of
French and it was good to talk at some length. Evelyne, the wine and
flowers that we found on arrival, and your written information all made us
feel most welcome."

Summer 2007 latest feedback

Eleanor H. (Germany/UK) - stayed in the Garden Apartment for 9 days in mid-May and gave us this feedback:

"Hello Karla
We had a wonderful time in Port Vendres, and are in fact considering trying to raise the funds to buy somewhere nearby. Port Vendres is a verypleasant place, and we found it had a very real air about it, not pretentious at all and very much alive.
The apartment was great, it was lovely to have a bottle of wine brought in
by Evelyne and some flowers. She was fantastic and very helpful. There
was everything we needed, I was delighted to find some of that wonderful hot
smoked paprika in the handy spices box - not a lot of people know
about it and it told us a deal about your cooking habits when you're there!
Fabulous."