As I went to sleep last night I could hear Elliot, the French bulldog, snoring in the living room. That dog really makes me laugh!

I sleep great and woke up refreshed. Nicolas had a cup of strong coffee ready for me. I love strong coffee. I opened my computer and let Googlemaps suggest a route for the day and Nicolas showed me where to improve it. There was one road he wasn't familiar with and thought it might a cycling road. He warned me of lots of climbing into Collioure and I had been anticipating this. I am so close to Spain I must be going over the Pyrenees very soon. My destination for the day was Collioure which isn't very far but many people have said it is a must-see destination. Belinda and Nicolas agreed and suggested I stay there at least 2 nights. Looking on the internet, all the accommodation was way out of my price range, even on AirBnB. I would just have to wait and see what was available when I arrive.

It was warm when I set out and I made my first stop the market in the center of Ortaffa. I picked up some snacks and fruit for the road. The route out of Ortaffa was easy and I crossed a small bridge over some rapids. Shortly after I found myself at a deadend looking for the road Nicolas wasn't familiar with. There is a good reason he didn't know it because the road doesn't exist! Where does Googlemaps find these road that don't exist? I back tracked and found another road. This one went to Palau-del-Vidre. The road was narrow enough that 2 trucks had trouble passing each other. Then I found a roundabout way into Saint-Andre on a cycle path I wasn't expecting. This was a cute town and then I found another cycle path into Argeles-sur-Mer. Love all these cycle paths! I rode through this picturesque town and got suckered onto another cycle path. This one led me to a highway bikes are not allowed on but I did get to see the Chateau Valmy, a huge estate surrounded by vineyards. I turned around back into Argeles-sur-Mer and followed the Route de Collioure. Today's ride was surprisingly flat. There were lots of people out for day rides too. The climbing didn't start until about 3 miles out of Collioure and here there were even more cyclists. I was passed by a peloton of 20 cyclists all in matching jerseys. They went by silently in a gust of air - whoosh. There is a rest area with tables just before Collioure and I pulled in to decide what to do. Looking at Googlemaps there should be a campground in the next 2 miles. I think it is close enough to town that I could walk if I decided to stay. I continued on and discovered, like so many campgrounds I've seen, this one was also closed. All I could do was ride into town. I got there before noon and the tourist information office was still open. They were so friendly. The woman spoke fluent English and offered to call a hotel in the heart of the old city that only charges 39e. Fantastic. I followed the map riding over and Francois was waiting for me out on the street. She had rooms available but didn't know what to do with Myrtle. She found Myrtle to be very fascinating. We opened the door and saw only a stairway that went up to the rooms. No space for Myrtle there. Francois didn't speak English but called her son who was working in the building. His English was very good. They have an empty space next door that a gallery is going into and, at the present time, is available. Yahhh! Myrtle had a secure home and I found an affordable hotel. I booked in for 3 nights to take in this sweet town.