Day 51 Perpignan, France - Rest day

Spending a rest day in Perpignan after a strenuous week.

Whilst there, Grant stayed in the old village and became tourist for the day, visiting the palace, cathedrals and museums.

The old city is positioned on the side of a river, with it's beautiful cobbled boulevards circulating within the old walls.All the newer additional buildings have been added in the original style which gives the place a wonderful feel of continuity in its aesthetics.

Grant spent some time in the big Palace on the hill, although quite bare, it's position was impressive.Below it was the local weekly produce market with beautifully displayed bread, cheeses, fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and baked goods.

Not a single plastic bag in sight - everything goes into a paper container or bag! From supermarkets to market stalls - no plastic anywhere and the streets are spotlessly clean even in the ghetto part of town with its mangled abandoned cars, ancient walls and broken windows and structures.

Another interesting but not uncommon practice in Europe, was the no car zones which start on the outskirts of the old city and which make walking around rather pleasant as all the cars are in demarcated parking areas on the outskirts with the only access being on foot from there.

Postal workers riding bikes,delivering parcels and mail on bicycles are plentiful with buses being a favored mode of transport instead of cars for city goers.

The commercial and industrial areas are on the far outskirts and have obviously grown a lot over the years as indicated by the urban sprawl.

A wonderful place to spend a day - lots of character, great places to visit and friendly people.

Onwards to the Southern coast of France tomorrow, with his sights set on cycling up towards Italy...855kms away.

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Grant is cycling across Europe to help raise funds for our NPO: we want to inspire people to integrate and include autistic and neuro diverse people in their lives and environments. By having a place where they can be trained to do something meaningful every day and work in a safe environment, in a community that is receptive, supportive and inclusive is our dream.

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