The aptly named Maison aux Volets Bleus (House of the Blue
Shutters), enjoys
a sunny, south facing aspect, affording magnificent views of Mount
Canigou (the sacred mountain of the Catalans).
It is situated at end of the village of Rodes which lies between
Perpignan and
Prades on the road to Andorra at the Eastern end of the Pyrenees
(Pyrenees Orientales). The house (Gite) can be found at the bottom
of the village on the
corner of a tiny lane on rising ground. It is built into the granite
rock of the hillside which gives it an interesting interior feature.
Originally a barn, it has been subject
to sympathetic conversion with undressed stone walls, exposed
beams and rock
and pine floors, as well as the retention of the old (feeding)
manger.
Outside, a ruined castle lies directly above and behind the village,
keeping guard
as in olden times, while just around the corner from the house,
the River Tet runs through a Gorge.
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