Corsica, 2022

View of Calvi, Corsica from a not so distant hilltop.

 We’d been to Corsica before, two years ago. We liked it! We went in September, which we found to be the perfect time to go. As we've said before, this year the weather in Montpellier was still hot and humid in September, and we were still looking for relief. Time to revisit Corsica. 

This time, though, we did it differently: we took a boat. Last time we flew from Montpellier to the south of Corsica and rented a car; this time we took our own car on the ferry, to a town in the north of the island. And this time, we’d get more beach time, because Corsica really does have some fabulous beaches, with delightfully warm water!

And also this time, we were accompanied by our friend and fellow adventurer Kate, who contributed some of these photos.

 

The beach at Algajola.

First thing: the ferry doesn’t leave from Montpellier, but from Toulon—at 7 in the morning. So, we drove to Toulon, about two and a half hours, and spent the night. We were up very early to be at the ferry dock well before departure.

Meanwhile, while we slept, a tremendous storm passed through Toulon, with torrential rains and heavy winds. But by the time we left, around 5AM, the streets were deserted—and very clean! It was surreal, driving through the empty streets to wait at the ferry dock, with hundreds of other cars, in total darkness. 

Waiting in the dark...

The air was scrubbed clean by the storm but was still warm and very humid. The sky lightened, we saw the massive ship, and we all slowly began to move into its cavernous opening.

...and finally packed into the hold of the ferry.

It was a seven-hour ride to L'Île-Rousse, the ferry dock on Corsica—much longer than the one-hour plane flight! While not an overnight, we booked a cabin onboard because… hey, we got up at 4AM! Beauty sleep, yah know… There was too much to see and do aboard the ship (including breakfast) to spend much time below in our cabin, but we were still very glad to get our heads down for a bit, and to have a place to leave our things. 

The trip itself was uneventful (except for being on a ship at sea!), and soon enough we were driving out those huge doors onto solid land. And waiting, and waiting, as the tremendously long line of cars slowly made its way through town and onto the highway.

Sunset, from our hotel in Algajola.
(This one by Paula.)

Same spot, a few hours later.

Our first stop was a 20-minute drive down the coast: the village of Algajola, where we spent three nights overlooking the crashing ocean. The ocean wasn’t supposed to be crashing, it was supposed to be calm and picturesque; but the wind was up. In fact, it blew like stink—as we used to say in our sailing days—for our entire stay. That made lounging on the beach less pleasant, so we drove up into the hills to visit the very historic and endlessly interesting villages there. And take in the tremendous views out over the sea. 

Our beach-side hotel in Algajola had a pleasant garden for breakfast, or just sitting.

Algajola from a distance (vertical as well as horizontal!)

The village of Corbara, in the hills above Algajola.

Another view of Corbara.

We did make it to the beach, finally, for a half-hour or so on our last day in Algajola. It was relaxing in the sun, but the beach in Algajola was steep and the wind-driven wave action serious, so we stayed on the sand.

 

We really did like Algajola! Another view of the water front.
(A great photo by Kate.)

A windy day on the beach.

Our next stop was back in L’Île-Rousse, of ferry dock fame. We had a very nice apartment a short walk from the town center. The beach along the city front was gorgeous—long and clean, with the water an incredible azure, and warm. Oh, so warm! So enchanting! We were only in that lovely sea once, though. It was still windy! 

The warm, shallow waters of L'Île-Rousse, with the ferry dock in the distance.

There are only a few train lines on Corsica (maybe the amazing thing is that there are ANY train lines on this very mountainous island!), and one terminus is L’Île-Rousse. We thought we might take the train to Corte, a city in the interior, one-time capital and center of a powerful independence movement. Thing is, the train leaves at 7AM. Up at 6? On vacation? Ah, don’t think so!

The Citadel: the highest--and oldest--point in Corte.

Place Gaffory; the statue is of Jean-Pierre Gaffory, a hero in Corsica securing independence from Genoa (it's a long story...) 

Corte is a very vertical city!

We drove. But only half way, to Ponte Leccia, where we got on the train to Corte at noon. That way we avoided the most tortuous part of the mountainous road, as well as the city traffic and the need to find parking in Corte. (And avoided rising too early!)

Turns out that the train station is on the edge of town, in the flats. The interesting part, the Citadel—the old fortress—is up. And up. And up…

An engraving by MC Escher of a church and tower. (We tend to forget that Escher was an accomplished artist before he became famous for his series of fantastical designs.)

Eglise et campanile l'Annonciation as it is today (well, a few weeks ago).

We did make it though, thanks to a well-placed restaurant half-way up. We spent some time exploring the city center, then began the long descent to the station in time to catch the afternoon train back to Ponte Leccia, and then back, by car, to our place in L’Île-Rousse.

 

Our path back down to the train required crossing this bridge.

Almost there! Looking back at the Citadel.

Our final stop was in the relatively large city of Calvi. Again, we had a pleasant, modern apartment, this one with a good view of the bay. And the wind-driven whitecaps. But the wind came off the land, leaving the beach itself calm. Ah, we thought, tomorrow will be a great beach day!

Except, the next day the wind changed, and came off the ocean, driving waves far up the beach. Ah well… 

The beach at Calvi on a calm day.

On this not-calm day we headed for the hills. Calvi and its gorgeous bay. 

The church A Madonna della Serra with its broken statue in the hills above Calvi. It was blowing hard enough to imagine the wind was responsible!

Wind-carved rocks near A Madonna della Serra.

The water around Corsica really is beautiful!

So it was not the beach holiday we had envisioned, but it was interesting, and adventurous, and steeped in history and culture. And, we ate very well! There was a huge choice of tourist restaurants everywhere we stayed, and all those we tried served good food at a good price, with good service. (Well, there was L’Île-Rousse, but we’ll skip that part…)

 

Our final dinner in Calvi.

Then it was time to go. This time the ferry left in the afternoon, so no early rising! But we still booked a cabin, because we’d be arriving around midnight, and a bit of a rest on the ferry seemed like a good idea.

 

This time, in the daylight, we could see the ferry arrive.

In a few moments, we'd be driving on board...

 

...to nap in our cabin while the car waited below.

As it turned out, the departure was delayed, which meant we’d be on the streets of Toulon around 1:30 in the morning, faced with a 2-1/2 hour drive. That was too much of a stretch, so Paula did what she does so well, and found us an Airbnb for the night; arrival time 2:30AM. Ouf!

On the ferry, leaving L'Île-Rousse behind.

And, after a half-hour drive on the nearly-deserted but very dark Autoroute, that’s exactly when we arrived. We were very glad to get off the road, and after a bit of unwinding, gratefully laid our heads down. 

The next morning the drive went well, and we were soon home to a cooler, less humid Montpellier. Yes, the weather in the South of France is now fantastic, sunny and warm and dry. We did have a tremendous rain storm that has greened things up nicely, but, conveniently enough, it happened at night. We know this winter we will be griping about the cold, but right now the weather is just where we want it!

L'Île-Rousse seen from its peninsula; that's the ferry dock on the far left.

Brittany—Our First Week

 

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A bridge in the village of La Gacilly, of photo festival fame.

Since we’ve been moving chronologically backward through Brittany, this last installment is of our arrival, in Vannes, a city in southern Brittany. Our other Brittany blogs are here, and here.

This was our second trip to Brittany, the first being in 2016. This time, though, we were joined by Paula’s brother Mark, who had driven up with us from Montpellier. We had come here, at least in part, to escape the heat down south. That aspect of our trip didn’t work so well, at least for the first week.

We arrived in the city of Vannes, our first stop in Brittany, to record high temperatures. Brittany has a reputation for being cold and wet, so nobody has air conditioning!

Paula and Mark at the entrance to the old city of Vannes, Porte Saint-Vincent

Once inside the gates the old city is full of... old buildings!

No one knows who added this couple, or when. Locals call them Mr & Mrs Vannes.

These half-timbered houses are a hallmark of Brittany, and northern France in general.
 (And no, nothing is square or plumb!)

.

There were a number of things we'd planned to do in Vannes: repeat the boat tour of Morbihan Bay; re-visit the astounding standing stones in Carnac; tour the countryside around Vannes and visit some of the many picturesque towns. We did spent several days wandering through old stone villages, the ancient buildings now housing cafes, restaurants, art galleries, and shops selling all manner of local products and tourist items. Many of them are designated as villages fleuris*: villages where the inhabitants have made a marked effort to ensure the place is especially attractive, which generally includes planters throughout the city filled with… yes, flowers.

*This is actually an official designation, awarded by an organization whose goal is to encourage the beautification of French towns and cities.

The central square in Malstroit.

Malstroit, along the river.

Paul and mark in Rochefort-en-Terre--a village fleuri!

Also Rochefort-en-Terre. What is it with the old bicycles?

Of the towns we visited—Malestroit, Rochefort-en-Terre, and La Gacilly—the last was particularly interesting because of the summertime photography festival. It features works by artists both famous and unknown. Some photos are displayed as huge posters on the sides of buildings; others in more modest size along the extensive convoluted lanes through parks and woods. Quite extraordinary!

Summertime means photo festival time in La Gacilly.

A path in the woods in La Gacilly.

There are photos everywhere in La Gacilly.

 

And then, as we were driving to the seashore, we came upon the Domaine de Suscinio, the former home of the Dukes of Brittany in the Late Middle Ages. (It's great to stumble on an unexpected gem like this!)

Not far from Vannes is the town of Carnac, with its rows and rows of standing stones—hundreds of them—from Neolithic times. No one know exactly when they were erected, nor why, nor by whom. It’s hardly the only field of such stones, but it is one of the most extensive. We have long been fascinated by these stone alignments, and menhirs (single upright stones); we’ve seen them in Ireland and the UK (Stonehenge being the most well-known, but hardly the only!). But Brittany seems to have an extraordinary number of them.

Carnac, with rows and rows of standing stones... fenced in.

Anyway, we wanted to wander among the stones, as we did last time here. But, no doubt a victim of its own popularity, the alignments are now fenced; access is solely by guided tour. Eleven euros later we were inside the fence, trying to make sense of our guide’s endless lecture. Here we were among these stones that begged to be examined and explored, and all we were allowed to do was stand and stare. Very frustrating, for an area so full of mystery.

Carnac: rows and rows of mysterious stones!

Once done, we drove off to re-discover a menhir we’d discovered before. Fifteen feet high and a bit off the beaten track, it, at least, was not fenced in! 

The Geant du Manio. What was it for? Nobody knows!

But one thing we had not planned on was the July 14^th celebrations in Vannes.

 

July 14th, Bastille Day (as we call it in the US). While we tend to think of Bastille Day as similar to our Independence Day, the Fourth of July, in France it’s more a celebration of history and culture. While the big parades happen in Paris, Vannes celebrated with a medieval craft fair, a day of costumed characters roaming the streets of the city, and a fireworks display at night. It was special in a way that only a city full of 13^th Century buildings can be!

 

The fair occupied the huge gardens in front of the ramparts of the city. While we’ve been to numerous Renaissance Faires over the years, it’s difficult to beat the air of authenticity given by a backdrop of actual 13^th century stone walls. Plus, it’s likely that many of the participants were actually living out the lives of their great-great-…-great grandparents. The gardens were beautiful, the participants amazing; it was really wonderful so long as we could avoid the heat of the sun!

Ancient ramparts give an air of authenticity...

...that compliments the recreation of old (and current!) artisanal skills. A stained glass maker.

Making arrows--and magic wands--was very popular with the kids.

Deeper in the city, costumed characters wandered the streets: older couples representing rich merchants and nobles: younger people in wandering musical groups; and fantastical creatures, some with costumed handlers, and others just wandering wild.

Costumes!

 

Creatures, great and tall.

Mark gets a love kiss!

Read my book?

Oh, you'll want to hear my story!

As we were finishing our lunch at a sidewalk restaurant, Mark was confronted by a huge walking book, a lady’s head peering from above the spine. The tome opened to reveal a story of a knight and a dragon. After a brief response from Mark, the lady said, in lightly-accented English, “Oh, I don’t think I can do this in English!” She then proceeded, in French, to tell the story of the brave knight, Mark, rescuing the princess, Paula, from the ferocious dragon (who may well have been named Paul). And every aspect of the story was lavishly illustrated by drawings in the book.

 

A tale of the great knight Mark...

...defeating the fearsome dragon.

            It was hysterical!

The weather did cool, and we did do all we’d wanted to (except wander among those stones at Carnac!) Soon enough, it was time to move on to our next location, further north in Brittany.

 

 

No, it really is Vannes in 2022! A music troupe, on their way... somewhere.

Up next: We’re off this week to visit Corsica. This time we’ll be taking our own car across on the ferry. We’re sure to have some interesting stories to tell!