Then we drove back to Calvi after passing through a really bad traffic jam in Ile Rousse. All the highways in Corsica are two lane and when you enter villages and towns it can really be crowded. After having lunch and ice cream in Calvi, we headed on to Piana climbing, twisting and turning as all roads seem to do here passing breath-taking views of the deep blue sea below breaking on cliffs, and finally entering the famous calenques which are cliffs and rocks in shades of red and rust in all sorts of intersting shapes. It is really lovely.

The views rivaled scenes from the Big Sur area in California.

I don’t know why we didn’t see dead cows all over the place on our way as they seemed to roam where ever they want–probably because we all had to go so slow due to the curves. We had to take turns driving as car sickness became common.

Here is a view of the famous Calenques which are on the Unesco World Site list.

Can you see the mountain goat on the rocks? How in the world did he make it there? A little later he was lying down-probably spent the night.

We reached a gite where we planned to stay for the night in Piana where we had dinner which featured wonderful salads made up from vegetables from their own garden-jullienned zuchinni, carrots, onions and anise and another of jullienned beets. We were also served sanglier, wild boar, which, as expected, tasted gamey but I ate a little of it for the experience. The gite is set up rather like a dorm-we had a room with a bed (no a/c or TV), and the bathroom is down the hall with showers down stairs. I haven’t done something like this since high school camp or college. There is a young couple there riding their bikes. They started in Accacio and plan to ride up all the way to Ile Rousse which is over 150 kilometers with lots of climbs. It is rather dangerous with cars as one must slow way down to get by approaching cars. We had a really fabulous sunset as we sat outside in the rather chilly air eating dinner. Everyone went and got coats, sweaters and long pants. I’m not sure if it is a cold spell, or due to the wind, or if it is normal for this part of Corsica.

After a nice breakfast (typical French with great bread) we backtracked a little as I wanted to see a village called SantAntononino. We were high in the mountains and as we took turn after turn we could see villages high on top of hills that we had just driven through across a valley or see the next village we would arrive at perched on top of a hill looking a long distance away but quickly driven into. We went back through Ile Rousse, a popular tourist stop packed with people and traffic as it is a sea side village in a beautiful setting with turquoise and dark blue water curving around the cliffs and beaches which we could see as we climbed again to find SantAntonino. The whole area gives me the feel of Provence with rocks and boulders everywhere, and many perched villages, although there is a lot more vegetation called maquis here in Corsica. The village was one of those built totally of rocks easily found here with winding climbing steets also of stone reminding me of Gordes. There wasn’t that much there to see other than the stellar view-just a few shops and places to eat. The only photos I took there were of our drinks:

Corsica Cola-rather like RC but not very good. I had to give it a try though.

Another type of Corsican beer. The head is on Corisca’s flag. Called the Moor’s head for reasons not clear but thought to be Arabic in origin from what I read.

We stopped to see a 12th century church inside a cemetery with primitive carvings on the outside in the area. Then we crossed what is called a desert here, altho ugh I’m not sure why. There were mainly rocks but there was vegetation, not sand with very little else to see. Maybe nothing can be grown there.

These carvings look like something you’d see in South America to me.

We made our way up and then down many curves and twists (there were few roads that weren’t this way) to St Florent, a little harbor village which we didn’t like nearly as much as Calvi although Maurice had good memories of it when he went sailing with friends years ago around the island. It didn’t have the neat beaches and architecture of Calvi although there are apparently beaches to be found only not easily accessed.
Our hotel was interesting. When we first pulled in we were appalled as we entered an unpaved parking lot full of weeds and unfinished walls. We would have driven on and found another place but we had already payed for our room with a credit card. We went through a garden which badly needed weeding to a dirty, messy office. Thank goodness our room turned out to be clean and it had a/c and a TV so all was fine. They even served drinks in the evening with a few munchies on a porch with a view of children’s toys everywhere in the weed overrun yard and cleaning products and equipment on shelves with spiderwebs everwhere (I am a critical viewer of other people’s housekeeping) and we met everyone staying there. The owner of the hotel is a Harley Davidson owner and so was one of the guests. He told us about really delightful sounding but remote beaches but it would require a four wheeler or be a three hour walk. A nice little lady sat next to me at the “cocktail hour”. She and her husband were from Paris and she told me that they had come to Corsica several years ago and fallen in love with it. Then she told me that on her first trip she and her husband had circled the island on their Harley Davidson motorcycle. This surprised me as she certainly didn’t look the part of a biker babe sitting there with short gray hair cut in an old fashioned curly short style. I looked at her husband and he was more the type with a sleeveless t-shirt and beard. Just goes to show—you can’t judge a book by its cover.

On another note, I’ve been awarded this award by Terry at the blog of Island Writer . Merci, Terry

Sideroads of Europe

We next did a little exploring into the hills south of Calvi. Corisca, by the way, if very hilly and we did more of that winding and turning which we ended up doing just about every place we drove in Corsica. In fact, we seldom made it past third gear. We took highway D 151 which took us to Calenzana where we had lunch, then to Zilia, Lunghignano where there was an olive press turned by a friendly mule named Charley where we bought some olive oil and a t-shirt.

Charley

You see this sign alot in Corsica. They are known for their charcuterie-sausages and the like, along with olive oil. It isn’t unusual to see pigs cross the road. These are not wild pigs but ones that farmers let graze upon the nuts and grasses of Corsica giving the meat of these pigs a wonderful flavor.

Corsica has its own beer too-and its own Cola which wasn’t very good.

The road kept curving up and up until we reached the summit full of some vegetation but mostly rocks and boulders and, I bet, snow in the winter. We finally made it to our village called Speloncato which turned out to be charming with two unusual churches and interesting streets winding up to a view of a lake far down below.

Views of the towers of the two towers there.

Our hotel, A Spelunca, was made from the former summer palace of Cardinal Savelli, a minister of Pope Pius IX. There were no elevators or air conditioning (or WiFi or TV) but it was very charming with antiques all around. Our room had a strange little cubicle and a plastic curtain for the toilet but there was a nice shower in our room. The hotel was totally full and we understand that after the 15th of July it is almost impossible to get a room anywhere in Corsica, especially in August when most of Europe and especially France take vacations. We had a nice meal at the cafe across from our hotel in Speloncato with lots of Corsican rose. When the sun set the temperatures cooled off and with the open window in our room we had a cool night. By the way, there were signs all over the hotel warning clients to close the windows and shutters when they were there or left the rooms due to violent winds. I’m sure the wind must really blow around here with the village on such a high mountain. When we went into our room for the night there was a wonderful crescent moon in the sky that we could see from our window. Such a nice stop.

A strangely painted house in the village. There were also paintings of cards too, mostly pairs of 21, which made me wonder if the house was won in a card game.

High above Corisca upa really bumpy, pot holed road, is Notre Dame della Serra. You often find chapels like this in inaccessable places but with fantastic views.

The view from below as you approach.

Mary from behind.

From below, in front.

A view as you approach the chapel.

Here is Mary’s view of Calvi down below.

PS-I didn’t mention this in my first entry but, yes, Napoleon was born in Corsica. While he was serving in the army in France, Corsica, which up to this point was running as France was with the rules and regulations of the new regime of the Revolution, became a different political animal due to the return of a very influential leader who disagreed with what was going on in mainland France. Napoleon’s family had to basically flee for their lives and ended up in Toulon. Napoleon only returned to Corsica once which was on his return from Egypt.

Sideroads of Europe

We’ve been away for a week visiting Corsica although it looked like we were in Paris if you were reading my blog. Almost every American when I mention Corsica wants to know where it is. It is a French island in the Mediterranian between France and Italy. Directly south of it is Sardenia which is Italian. Being so strategically located it has been invaded and settled by many nations and invaders. It was once occupied by Genoa in Italy back when various cities there had there own little kingdoms and navies and there are signs of their occupation here in towers overlooking the sea and some of the architecture. Most French people said, when I told then we were going to Corisica, “We are too!” It is a very popular place for both French and Italians for vacations especially along the beach.
Anyway, we loved Corsica. It is a delightful place which reminded me a lot of Provence but with many of the villages overlooking the sea plus, it hasn’t been overbuilt like most places with ocean views and beaches so it has a nice feeling.

We took our car across on a huge ferry from Toulong to Ajaccio. It was an overnight trip.

They put these stickers on the back window every car that takes the ferry and you see cars bearing them all over the island. We’ve left ours on the car-sort of a nice souviner.

Here is a view from the harbor of the city of Calvi, the first place we stayed, which we really liked.

A sculpture of Christopher Columbus. There are some who believe that he might have been born in Calvi. It is true that he was Italian and his parents were from Genoa so it is possible but not likely from what I read.

A pretty church in Calvi.

There was music and dancing in the evenings on the beach. Here is a view of a young guy wearing those low pants that I just don’t understand. And, by the way, Maurice and I were probably the oldest people on that beach but we had fun anyway.

A view from a cafe where we ate on the beach. I loved the pink against the blue of the water.

More to come on our trip.

Sideroads of Europe

It is really interesting to see Paris from a boat on the river. It gives you a different perspective and you can see things you might miss on foot at the same level. There is a boat called the Batobus which you can take from site to site along the river.

The Orsay Museum which started life as a train station. I’m glad it wasn’t torn down when they stopped using it. They just cleaned it too so it looks all spotless in the sun.

As we pass under this bridge you can see all of the other bridges lined up further down the river.

The Louvre Museum

Notre Dame

Probably some of the most expensive real estate in Paris-a place on Ile St Louis.