|
 At
Perpignan you might think you've crossed the border into Spain, for
it was once Catalonia's second city after Barcelona. Even earlier it
was the capital of the kingdom of Majorca. But when the Roussillon
-- the French part of Catalonia -- was finally partitioned off,
Perpignan became permanently French by the Treaty of the Pyrénées in
1659. However, Catalan is still spoken here, especially among the
country people.
Legend has it that Perpignan derives its name from Père Pinya, a
plowman who followed the Tèt River down the Pyrénées mountains to
the site of the town today, where he cultivated the fertile soil
while the river kept its promise to water the fields.
Today Perpignan is content to rest on its former glory, its
residents -- some 110,000 in all -- enjoying the closeness of the
Côte Catalane and the Pyrénées-Orientales to their north. The pace
is decidedly relaxed. You'll have time to smell the flowers that
grow here in great abundance.
This is one of the sunniest places in France, but summer afternoons
in July and August can be a cauldron. That's when many of the locals
take the 10 Kms. ride to the beach to cool off. There's a young,
vibrant scene here, especially along the quays of the Basse River,
site of impromptu nighttime concerts, beer drinking, and the
devouring of endless tapas, a tradition inherited from nearby
Barcelona. |
