Had a lovely walk today back up to Ermitage San Ferreol. We
set off at a half reasonable hour, collected a couple of baguettes on the way
and off up the hill. Nothing much to report until we got to the little path
across the top towards the hermitage an hour later, when a snake zipped off
into the grass. Suzanne and I thought we’d investigate more, and dropped gravel
into the grass where it seemed to have disappeared. After a moment there was a
rustle and a waving of grasses and off it went. We tried again hoping to
actually see it (threw a rock into the grass this time), but again it was
hidden in the grass as it moved on. Finally it sat hissing under a bush where
we still could not see it. It appeared to be a metre or so long – rather more
than the few we have seem flattened on the roads. Quite exciting really.
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| Walking with the necessities |
The hermitage at the top is in a perfect position to sit
and enjoy the view over the valley and across to the Pyrenees and also a piquenique, so we did. A hot day again
and we were a bit bushed by the time we got back mid-afternoon.
Before dinner we walked up to the Capuchin monastery just 5
mins out of town so S & S could see the views across the valley and over to
the hermitage we had walked to in the morning. Right beside the monastery is
also where some of the water that always courses through the streets of Céret is
channelled from.
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| The old Pont (13thC) and the River Tech |
Fired up sausages on the BBQ for dinner, along with a dish
of eggplant, garlic, red peppers and courgettes cooked… wait for it…..(drum
roll)…..in our oven. The BBQ is a little hopeless as it has only on or off, and
with the very fatty sausages here, there is a tendency for the fat to drop onto
the red-hot elements and to smoke appallingly, or catch fire if you are not
careful. A fan blowing smoke outside is essential. In fact we had both of our
fans blowing the smoke outside – our Aussie friends had thankfully walked past
only a few minutes earlier or would have given us a hard time about smoky Kiwi
barbies.
