Romantic Music and Romanesque Churches in French Catalonia.
Separated from Spanish Catalonia by the Pyreneans mountains, French Catalonia is known as Roussillon. For decades, Spanish Catalonia has been seeking independence from Spain. Roussillon, French from the mid 17 th century, is less keen on separating from France. Unlike its Spanish counterpart, Roussillon is not a national economic powerhouse which may explain the feeble independence mood and hardly anyone speaks the Catalan language. Perpignan is the main city of the region. Roussillon is renowned for its beaches, medieval castles and Romanesque churches. When in France I like to join cultural and musical tours. Our groups are usually small by excursion standards, and they got even smaller due to Covid travel regulations. We had to send a proof of vaccination beforehand. All the concerts we attended and the visits we made, were subjected to the passe sanitaire , the French “green pass”. Many participants, particularl...