Picasso's Table

While the French writer Boris Vians's assertion: "If there had not been any cafés, there would have been no Jean-Paul Sartre" takes the power of caffeine somewhat seriously, there is no doubt that French cafés have helped fuel intellectual and cultural life in France.

One of our favourite artists' haunts, though more a bar than a café, is the Hotel Le Templier in Collioure near Perpignan. It has retained a tangible sense of history in its walls, whilst art given in lieu of meals and drink by impoverished artists decades ago, adorns every inch of those walls. Great fun to spot the famous artist! Yet it hasn't sold out and traded on its past; it remains a living part of the village. Go inside, for that is the place to be, savour a local wine and watch the locals play cards and banter in Catalan, around probably the same tables that Picasso played on. Magic!