Phillips Update – Still 18 June

We shared a taxi back from Port Cassafieres to Beziers with Lynne and Miki. Jim, Helen, Margaret and Christine had all already left.

Most enjoyable train journey first from Beziers to Perpignan and then from Perpignan to Figueres Vilafante. The first leg was through some of the countryside that we recognised from the Canal trip. We went under the canal through the Malpas tunnel. We passed through Nissan, Courson and then to Narbonne where we went over the canal and then travelled alongside it past the salt lakes to Port La Nouvelle.  We followed the coastline to Leucate-La Franqui continuing beside the water to Sales 

and then to Rivesaltes with a magnificant backdrop of the Pyranees. The train terminated at Perpignon  where we changed trains to a TGV. Very comfortable ride, part of which went through the Pyranees, we got off at the first stop on that journey.

Very impressed with the SNCF train service – clean comfortable trains with all the relevant information about the trains at the stations, such as a diagram showing where to stand on the platform to get into your designated carriage and seat. I was fascinated with the bike racks. We need them on our trains.

The station at Vilafante was new and modern with lifts, so that we didn’t have to drag our cases up and down steps as we had had to in previously. 

There was a bus waiting outside the station when we arrived and luckily for us it was going into town and we didn’t have to walk far to get to our Hotel – La Rambla. Very pleasant hotel in a pretty area of town – the Rambla. Our room overlooks the square.

Thoroughly enjoyed the hot shower after a week of sharing the limited water with 9 others!!!!

The hotel has a special deal with a gorgeous little restaurant in the Rambla – Euro 9:50 for a three course set menu WITH wine (I had Sangria – yummo) That certainly beats all the other set menus we have had that we thought were reasonably priced. Obviously the meals weren’t as exotic but very tasty.