February 2021

That was a long gloomy winter that progressively drove us mad trapping us into a limbo of lockdown restrictions, darkness and dust. After a quick breath of air in the mountains of Ariège we decided that no matter what we’d try to leave Toulouse if not for a weekend, then at least for a day. My soul craving for the sea, we left for the closest seaside spot – Gruissan.

Gruissan

I didn’t know Gruissan, nor did I suspect of its existence and at that point it didn’t matter at all. We simply wanted to enjoy the sea and use that famous benefit of living in Toulouse – having the sea and the mountains within a short drive. I wouldn’t qualify it as “a short drive”, it’s definitely not the term I’d use for 1h40 in the car, but yet again – leaving the city was so much needed that the distance had no importance.

Zero expectations, zero preparations – we both discovered Gruissan with a blank mind and it was exactly what we wanted. Especially, knowing that we have a particularly soft spot for summer resorts in winter with an atmosphere of peace and freshness in comparison to the crowded “high season” months. The only sad point was the food. The restaurants hadn’t been yet opened for sitting in, so we had to settle for a take away with some overboiled paella. Not great, not terrible.

Do you see these two flamingos? Yes, this area of ponds and marches (étangs as they are called in French) is a paradise for flamingos and I’m looking forward to sharing the article about Camargue – a hotspot of these wonderful birds. Soon I hope!

Gruissan Plage

The highlight of the day was when we arrived to Gruissan Plage and dived into a chill. Empty beach, kitesurfers, people drinking tea from their thermoses – February seaside that we were dying to see.

The part I probably loved the most was the section with beach houses. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this in France so far, because these are not simply wooden huts like one often sees in England or even in Normandy, but proper big houses on deserted at this time of year streets. They are all different and incredibly aesthetic in this landscape with a slightly Caribbean touch.

We spent quite a while exploring these houses before going back to the beach and inhaling the sea air as much as we could, searching and finding the seashells, taking an indecent amount of pictures (what a joy to sort them later) for such a simple day. Each and every trip of the year 2021 will turn out to have a similar vibe – escaping, going out for air, meditating.

Port de Gruissan

The last stop in the port of Gruissan had a very important purpose: finding an ice cream and devour it despite the wind and cold. I’m happy to announce that we succeeded.

Bages

It’s been a long time since I reconciled with the idea that being up to date with the blog posts is very difficult. Looking at the flamingos makes me think about an article about a trip to Aude department in 2018 that hasn’t seen the light of day as well as the trip to Camargue in June 2021 (back to the future, hehe), but somehow I like this chaotic timeline. Wait for the Cuba articles from 2013 that I’m determined to post soon!

France is a very diverse country, but it also manages to be diverse within its regions because this facette of Occitanie is so very different from what we’ve seen so far. Make sure to check our other articles about this vast and beautiful place (there are no others in France).