Across the bridge from Ille sur Têt, on the road to Belesta, along a small road on the left running along by the river, lies the ruined village of Casenoves, (‘new houses’ in Catalan).
Phone & internet providers, insurance companies, professional training organisations… the offers are varied, numerous and mostly a pain in the derrière. But new measures are now in place to limit cold calling.
The ‘Castell de Sant Ferran’, built in Figueres in the mid 18th century, is the largest bastioned fortress in Europe and could house 4,000 men.
New app with chat function to contact a gendarme or a police officer directly.
The clever network of signal towers (tours à signaux) that you see on the high mountain tops around the region date back to the 13th century. They were originally set up by the Rois de Majorque as a defence system to protect the Roussillon from invaders and to enable the passing of information around the region, using fire and smoke signals.
Céret composer Déodat de Séverac was born in Saint-Félix-Lauragais, not far from Toulouse, in 1872 and moved to Céret in the Pyrenees-Orientales.
Until the French Revolution, Madame, (my Lady, equivalent to Monsieur, my Lord) was mainly used to address the bourgeoisie, whilst Mademoiselle, (my Damsel) was the form of address used for both younger and older ‘common’ ladies.
How about Halloween in Villefranche de Conflent. Several shops sell ‘poupées sorcières’, as befits the legends of magic and witchcraft surrounding this region.
Bunyetes are traditionally made and eaten at Easter all over Catalonia.
Baby you can drive my car… Wondering what’s changed since the last time you drove over? You can always depend on P-O Life readers to point you in the right direction.