Nearly to Spain in a Little Yellow Train

Mon 29 May

A 0700hrs start today as we take to the road to Villefranche de Conflent via Perpignon for our three hour 'Le Train Jaune' trip over 64kms to Latour de Carol in the Pyrenees.

The roads are pretty clear when we leave C-M however, we come to somewhat of a sudden stop around 30kms into the trip when we confront two semi-trailers parked across a narrow road. The driver of one has left his truck and is engaged in conversation with the other driver! Traffic stacks up behind us as both drivers seem oblivious to the delay they are causing. A car emerges from between the trucks from the other direction and I decide to take the chance and find a way through. Happily, our car and a congo line behind me, thread the needle. Selfishness seems a trait of the characters in this part of France and particularly with parking where no rules apply!

On now through Perpignon which is a city of 450,000 and we manage to slot nicely into the morning peak hour. This makes navigation more difficult but with the 'TomTom', and Graham's eye to the map, we find ourselves with only 60 more kms to go. We leave behind the vineyards as we skirted the Mediterranean and now see more general cropping in the fields as well as many cows and horses.

Villefranche de Conflent dates back to the 11th century and, above the railway yards, we notice Fort Liberia, which had been fortified by Napoleon 111, dominating the Tet Valley and was long used as a prison. Up over the mountains from here is the Catalan countryside known as The Cerdagne and runs up to the Spanish border. The area is actually two magnificent mountain ranges cradling a very large and beautiful valley.

The 'Yellow Train' was established in the early 1900's as some political 'pork-barreling' to bring new life into the impoverished mountain valleys. It is now essentially a tourist train however, the Certagne is anything but poor with its substantial ski slopes in winter and beauty in the summer bringing hordes of visitors. The train is bright yellow in colour (We gathered that Phil. Ed.). It is narrow gauge and is powered by an electrified third line. Two normal carriages are at front and rear whilst the centre carriage is 'topless'.

There are 22 stations along the line as it climbs from 427 metres above sea level to 1593 metres at its highest. The train passes through 19 tunnels and negotiates two seriously high bridges. The mountains on either side are still tipped with snow at this time of year and they make a tremendously impressive backdrop to the general scenery. The initial climb is through steep, deep valleys with towering rocky cliff faces reaching above us. The plateau is covered with crops and pasture grasses interspersed with millions of spring flowers competing with their myriad of colours. It is not hard to imagine the place covered in snow and indeed much construction of lodges and houses is underway.

The weather for us was perfect and at our destination, Latour de Carol we had a pleasant walk into town where we had baguettes and juice for lunch. The Catalan influence is very apparent as is that of Spain which borders the town. In our stroll around we noticed Catalan crosses and dates back to the late 1700's on the buildings. I introduced myself to an old fellow in one of the houses who warmly invited us into his courtyard garden. He had rabbits, chickens, and birds in his cages. His house and very large courtyard were covered in flowers and roses. He spoke French to me and taught me a little Catalan. Donna had her photo taken with him and overall it was a great experience.

We had an inside carriage on the way home which kept out the increasing cold. The car trip home was uneventful and a scratch dinner of BBQ potatoes, cassoulet, and salad with a glass or two of merlot sealed a most enjoyable day.