After a busy period Piet and Mary went to the house in France for a 10 day break. At the last moment they finally managed to align this trip with their friend Jan, after many, many earlier attempts. Jan and his fiancee Gwen have a house in the Pyrenean foothills, near Perpignan. Unfortunately she couldn't make it, as she was stuck in Houston for work. So they drove to the house in Bassey on Wednesday night (in their new car!), and after a short stopover continued further south on Friday morning. They agreed to meet at a winery in the Cote de Roussillon, where Jan, and other Shell friends Ron and Helen, where already tasting. They joined and after a few stops ended up at Jan's house, high on a hill above the town of Ceret. The day was rounded off with a Catalonian dinner. The next day Piet tested his new racing bike with a loop to Col de la Brousse, whilst Mary and the others visited the local market. In the afternoon they did a hike around the area, and the evening was focussed on wine and music, with the Eurovision Song Contest as central theme.
The next day Jan and the others went to Barcelona for the F1 Grand Prix, and Piet and Mary went on a trip to memory lane, to Mary's old fieldwork area near the coast, centred around Banyuls sur Mer. Unfortunately it was very cold and windy, and a planned hike in the area was foregone, and replaced with a short walk around the Banyuls harbour. The drive back to Bassey was a real nightmare; it was the end of the Ascension Day weekend, poor weather, and all French were returning home from the Mediterranean. A drive that should have taken 5 hours lasted almost 10 hours, with all side roads blocked as well.
The next week was spend in the usual French mode: cycling, working in the garden and some short hikes in the mountains, to test Mary's body for the summer. Also Beau's stable and field were prepared for the return late June. Fully recharged they returned home, to Beau and the girls.
Piet with his new bike, after a ride through the Pyrenees
Collioure
In Banyuls sur Mer, Mary's old fieldwork area
There was still lots of snow in Parc des Ecrins
Mary and Jan discussing wine at Thunevin-Calvet
Collioure
Refuge du Carrelet, in Parc des Ecrins
