#tbt: Perpignan

UNPLANNED AND UNEXPECTED. These two words perfectly describe my one day getaway to Perpignan, France. The whole idea was born one late evening when we were looking at the map and flicking through another travel guide trying to figure out what to do on the next couple of days we had left in Catalunya. Since France was close and with TGV (aka travelling at the speed of 299km/h meaning a speed of light if You live in Poland and travel by train) even closer and more accessible. It took me around 45 minutes to get from Girona to Perpignan and I started the day with a complusory cup of americano in a typical French bakery (not to mention a really strong black tea in Girona cause I was freezing). Althoug the lady in the bakery didn't seem to understand a word in English (though I still wonder why cause americano is americano and I was trying to speak as slowly as I can) and looked as if she wanted to pour my coffee on my head and hit me with a coffee machine, I got a glimpse of what a typical morning in a typical French city looks like. People coming to get a freshly baked baguette and greeting each other with 'Bonjour' or wishing a nice day upon leaving is something I'd love to adopt here in Poland but as much as I know our mentality, it may never work anyway. 

Since this little trip was pretty spontaneous, there was no major plan of what to do and see. I won't discuss if it was a good or bad idea but at least there was no rush to tick off another tourist attraction from the list. Simply being in the city and enjoying its atmosphere and architecture was enough. It also amazed me how different the city was from what I had in Spain. Catalunya doesn't have palm trees all around and in Perpignan I saw them everywhere. To those of You who don't know, I'm a little sucker for palm trees. Maybe it's because the only palm in Poland is fake and looks somewhat strange? Or maybe because I fell in love with palm trees 14 years ago when I was a little kid and went to Cyprus? Whatever the reason, my love for palm trees is eternal and if You ever see a post informing I'm moving to LA, it's gonna be only because of that and I'll have a brand new instagram account: the palm trees of LA. No kidding. 

Being in France, even though not in Pareeh Pareeh, always makes me take a closer look at the all so blessed around the glob French sense of style and fashion. It was my third time there and finally I was able to use some critical thinking and analyse what I had read in books. French women are skinny. Sometimes even too skinny (these are the words being said by me, a girl wearing size 32/34 and effortlessly fitting in children's clothes) and not really so sexy. They dress nicely and it's clearly seen they pay a lot of attention to what they wear but I don't remember any particular outfit from there (on the contrary to Barcelona where I saw many stylish people and got really inspired). I like diversity and eclecticism and here most of the outfits were simply correct. Well, they were definitely safe and easy to transform from a typical working uniform to a late evening drink with friends but still, this was not something I was looking for. Or maybe I just went to a wrong city and spent too little time there... . Alright, next time I'll just make it to Paris. 

I read somewhere that Perpignan is the most ethnically diverse city in France (although most cities in the region are diverse). Truth be told I saw many Arabs and even visited the Arab quarter with its narrow valleys and the smell of herbs and spices all around. It reminded me of my two trips to Morocco and for a moment I just wished I could stau there for a little longer. Most travel guides say Perpignan is the place to be if You want to experience a normal French city. Cause You know, Paris is crowded with tourists, Saint Tropez and Cannes are oh so cool and Perpignan is just a city like probably many others. Anyway, it's a perfect city to take a walk, do some sightseeing and finish the day in a cafe with a glass of wine.