Corsica

During our trip to Corsica we stayed in Ajaccio, the capital. We arrived in the middle of Friday afternoon peak hour and our first impression was of the difficulties of driving and parking. This view was reinforced each time we used the car but then we had chosen to stay in a city! Apart from that, our week on the Island was most enjoyable, scenically beautiful and interesting historically. Our apartment was well placed above the Old Town (with a secure car park) and we enjoyed strolling down to the town; along the very busy waterfront with ferries, cruise boats and pleasure craft coming and going; checking out the beaches; exploring the Old Town; dining at excellent and affordable restaurants and shopping at the markets for our fresh supplies.

View from our Apartment balconyWe found Corsican honey, cheese, ham and wine as well as local fruits, vegetables and fish. We also had the chance to sample a Corsican liquer made from local berries. Ajaccio is definitively a Mediterranean city, geographically located almost in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The weather was brilliant so we could eat all our meals on our apartment's balcony, enjoying the views of sea and mountain. Our explorations of the Island beyond the city of Ajaccio first took us to the headland west of the town where we walked the Coastal Track, giving us fantastic views of the Gulf of Ajaccio.Bush regenerationThe path was very steep in parts but nevertheless there were several people on mountain bikes as well as some very fit looking runners. The view from our apartment was dominated by the very steep mountains which seem to rise straight out of the sea. A single chain of mountains makes up two thirds of the Island of Corsica and separates the East from the West. There are at least 45 separate peaks higher than 2,000 metres. The highest is over 2,700 metres- but it is only 20 kilometres from the sea! By comparison, Mount Kosciuszko is 2,228 metres. We ventured out by car to explore the Coast to the north of Ajaccio, following the winding , mountainous, two lane narrow road to various coastal towns including Cargèse, settled in the 17th Century by Greek refugees. Two beautiful churches face each other across a gully, one a (Latin rite) Catholic Church, the other Greek Orthodox.View from the Churches

The separate populations have assimilated over the intervening four hundred years, and the same pastor serves both congregations. Just North of Cargèse is Piana, an old and well preserved town. Just north are the Rock formations near Piana"Calanques", a rock formation which is World Heritage listed.

Along the entire coastline there are magnificent views of the picturesque gulfs of the Mediterranean, amazing rock formations and mountains covered by snow even in the middle of May. The next day we planned to visit Corté, in the Centre of the Island so after our rather tense trip by car we decided to catch the train which takes about two hours to climb the 80 kilometres. The views on the trip were spectacular, travelling through the mountains to reach the historic town of Corté, a fortified town in the geographic centre of the Island.From the train on the way to Corté

During the brief period of Corsican independence in the 18th Century, Corté was the Capital of Corsica and always the centre of its fight for independence. It is now a University town. We enjoyed the excellent Museum of Anthropology which gave a well- depicted account of rural life in Corsica over several centuries.Corté's fortified Citadel

The next day we ventured out again in the car towards the South of the Island to visit Filitosa where a settlement dating back to the Neolithic age was discovered in 1946. Artefacts at the site include menhirs (tall upright stones) and basic tools from Neolithic times and from the Bronze Age carved and decorated menhirs and evidence of huts, places of worship, tools and decorations.Mehirs at Filitosa

We could not leave Ajaccio without some reference to its most famous son, Napoleon Bonaparte. We visited the house of his birth which from 1682, Bonaparte's ancestors had lived in this house. He was born there in 1769.Inside Napolean Bonaparte's house

Napoleon was sent away to study from the time he was nine years old but his family continued to own and live in it for most of the subsequent years, except for a brief period at the end of the 18th century when it was occupied by the English. Subsequently returned to the family it was restored first by Napoleon's mother and later by his nephew, Emperor Napoleon 111. It was donated to the French state by Prince Victor Napoleon in 1923. Because of this long family occupation it was possible to explore an ancient house still containing original furniture, tools and artefacts and to become a little more informed about Napoleon's background.

Some of the old tools used thereOur flight from Corsica to Paris afforded another stunning view of the Mediterranean and the snow- covered mountains of the French Alps. The peak of the highest mountain, probably Mont Blanc, was visible above the clouds.

Best Regards,

Penelope and Dave

The Ajaccio waterfront

We have been in France for a week now and are about to leave the French island of Corsica for the Rhone Alps.

The flight from Sydney to Paris via Singapore was trouble-free. However we had a very busy day upon arrival. We caught the train from the airport to Gare du Nord then transferred to another which took us to Gare de Lyon. Then a brisk 800metre walk to Gare de Bercy. On the way we stopped at a Tabac and purchased tax stamps which were needed for later. The 150km train trip from Bercy to Auxerre was straightforward; we checked into a hotel and then walked across the river to the préfecture where we picked up our new titres de séjour (long term visas) and handed over the tax stamps as payment. Then we hopped onto another train to deposit various items on the barge and pick up some extra clothing. After that, we trained back to the hotel for a low key dinner and some much needed sleep. We had just flown half way around the world, caught five trains and walked 14,500 steps!

The next day, we were on the train again plus a bus to Orly Airport, from where we flew to Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica. We picked up a rental car at the airport and ended up in a pleasant apartment in a very convenient part of the town. We look over the Mediterranean and are only five minutes from shops and restaurants plus a number of historically interesting sites.  In the next blog, we will detail some of the things we have seen and done in Corsica.

Best regards,

David and Penelope