Couleurs catalanes

Blipmeet day! I met TickyTocky and Mrs TT by the Castillet in Perpignan, somewhat belatedly after a wrong turning on the way in sent me off towards Andorra. At home it had been raining, about 50mm overnight, which is more than we've had in the whole year up till now. In Perpignan it was sunny. After a very brief wander we settled down for lunch in a nearby restaurant recommended by a friend of TickyTocky's. An excellent choice; it was busy with locals, the food was delicious, and it was excellent value -- 17 euros for three courses. After a while we noticed that the waitress seemed to be neglecting us in favour of people who'd arrived later, and were forced to conclude that she had us pegged as tourists and was prioritising the regulars who needed to get back to work. So our lunch took a leisurely two hours, but we didn't really mind; the time passed quickly, with plenty of chat.

As we came out it had started to rain, so we accepted Mrs TT's suggestion of popping into a rather nice homewares shop across the road. I was sorely tempted by the lovely crockery on the ground floor. Then we stepped into a lift (furnished with padded benches) and the doors opened on the top floor to reveal a veritable treasure house of stripy fabric in traditional Catalan colours from the factory in St Laurent de Cerdans. Almost everything you could want: tablecloths, cushions, napkins, aprons, handbags, shopping bags, wallets, espadrilles, notebooks, phone covers -- it would be easy to spend a fortune in there. I nobly restricted myself to three postcards at 1 euro each, and some photos, which cost nothing.

By the time we came out it was raining hard, and it was nearly time for the TTs to catch their train, so after a quick coffee we parted ways. Thanks both for a lovely day -- it was good to see you again.