promenadingpeacocks

Our last full day. ‘sniff’. It feels cooler but the sun is shining. Yesterday was a lazy morning as advertised but I did go for a swim around midday. The beach was pretty empty and only two or three people in the water. I swam about revelling in the blue sea, blue sky, calvi shining in the sunshine in front of me across the ‘golfe’ when, right on cue, a flock of white birds flew overhead and started to spiral and soar. No noise so i’m guessing not seagulls and just a perfect addition to the scene.

After lunch we went off to find the route des vins. A lady in the office had dug out a brochure and the chap in the shop had recommended a domaine called ‘orsini’ at the village of calenzana, described in one guide book as the summer retreat for marseille gangsters! We managed to do a tour of the back roads of calvi before finding the one we wanted. Daft really as there are so few yellow roads on corsica!

The domaine orsini starts unpromisingly; a turning through some rather ugly new buildings but soon you start to climb (don’t you always on this island?) and then the vineyard starts and then amongst some trees there is the main building.

We parked and noticed quite a few cars but nothing prepared us for the experience we were about to have. Through sliding doors we were met by a tasteful shop and a girl who waved us on to the next ‘salle’. There in a room full of prettily wrapped ‘paniers’ a chap gave us some leaflets and a short introductory speech about the domaine and its products, sweets, jams, wines, liqueurs…. then up a slope (not good for negotiating after tasting!) and into a long low ceilinged room with comfy banquette seating arranged as little booths. Yet again we were taken in charge by a young girl who waved us into an empty space and presented us with a plate of sweets and two glasses.

Around us people were similarly sat. we were clearly part of a very well organised machine! Three girls whisked about offering wine, jam (oh, so that’s what the funny little platform was for above the table  as i watched a huge tray of jams for tasting balanced on next door’s), liqueurs and eau de vies. Apparently we were supposed to consult the long list given to us by the chap and make our requests. We played our part and tasted our way through two pinks and a red and an eau de vie plus nibbling on our sweets which seemed an odd thing to be doing when tasting wine. Later I realised the little dry biscuits were a speciality of the village and we should have dunked them in our white wine….but we didn’t taste that! Thanking the girls we went back through the panier room to the shop and made our purchases adding a pot of sanglier pate. We had bought a bottle of eau de vie de myrthe (myrtille) although I have to admit, lovely as it was, it reminded me slightly of infant cough mixture. Now that would be a great winter cold cure! 🙂

the domaine orsini vineyards looking towards calvi

To round off the afternoon we carried on along the d151, now that we had found it, to visit some of the other ‘fortress’ villages of the balagne which is how they are described in the guide books. Up and down and round and round until we came to zilla and stopped for afternoon coffee.

Several people were sitting outside around a small square and we had noticed garden chairs outside several houses, ready for some sitting and chatting. A small boy puffed past lugging his school bag on wheels. We had passed the poor chap back outside the village school several bends below. They breed them tough up there!

Coffees drunk and alleyways explored and photographed we moved on…and on…and up…and up!

Past cassano, past montegrosso, past the cloud line!

We had seen the lowering black clouds from zilla and now we were driving through them. In gaps we could see the sunlit slopes below us so we had to stop to record the moment, of course!

Then down again to find the road to lumio. Road signs here are invariably damaged in some way and these were in two languages, french and corsican (I’m guessing). It was the french names that had been spraycanned out!

Back to our nest for a meal chez vanina with the opportunist ginger cat making a short but unsuccessful visit.

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there was some debate yesterday morning about where we should go as lou had found the driving through constantly twisting roads very tiring. having consulted the map he decided to bite the bullet and off we went! the road south of calvi, the d81b for anyone who feels like a challenge, should come with a health warning. the first part is lovely offering wonderful views of the azur waters below.

but then the surface all but disappears as you wind through a landscape of maquis and hills. the map said there were two ruins of genoise towers. we didn’t see them but what we did see was as beautiful as ever.

although the road surface didn’t improve and seemed to worsen!

we were heading for porto which via michelin had said was one and a half hours away…it took us two and a half! with nowhere to stop i wildly pointed the camera at views and clicked hopefully.

from high above we saw galeria behind its beach but we went straight (!) on.

we laboured up to the col de painfarella along with straining cyclists, motorcyclists and assorted vehicles. it must be hell in high season but your speed is slow as you navigate the bends. i only squeaked a bit when the drop seemed very close to my side of the car!

at the col everyone was taking a breather and photos, of course. i took one of the view behind us and then walked to the view on the other side. it was awesome, an overworked adjective but in this context exactly right. i felt my eyes begin to water at the sheer majesty of it.

a photograph doesn’t do it any justice at all!

onwards we toiled past the stopping places full of weary cyclists or tourists holding cameras aloft.

past the golfe de girolata, the only village on corsica that can’t be reached by cars (what a blessing for the inhabitants! ) with the nature reserve of scandola in the background. the road wound round rocky outcrops and we could see it on the other side of the gorges as a small cut into the forested hillsides.

stare hard and you may just make it out! 🙂 at the col or ‘bocca a croce’ we stopped for drinks and, hopefully, a pee. drinks but no milk so no cafe au lait and no toilets. no filling your water bottles either. a message we were going to see a lot in various cafes along the way. we were travelling through walking country. rather them than me!

finally porto below us although this photo is of the golfe de porto due to rampant maquis getting in the way!

then it was the drive along les calanches, incredible rocky edifices eroded into whatever shape your imagination desired.

turning round and heading back to porto but not going into it, we took the road up to evisa and the spelunca gorge. by now it was getting on into the mid afternoon and we were undecided as to which way to drive home. the thought of three hours back along those roads was not encouraging however beautiful the views!  around a corner we suddenly came upon some goats. we had hoped they were the mythic corsican mouflon but maybe not.

the spelunca gorge is walkable and boats not one but two genoise bridges but yesterday was not the day despite us being prepared with boots and sticks in the boot! up and up we went and stopped for welcome drinks in evisa where i bought some local chestnut jam. poring over the map we decided that going up over the col de vergio and down the valley beyond may be a better option. it still twisted and turned but now we had the forest aitone and its incredibly tall pine trees with glimpses of the high sunlit granite mountains beyond.

the col de vergio gave views to the east with a lot of cloud and we drove through wet roads and saw a rainbow as we descended. the lower part of the d84 took us through nightmare twists again with sheer drops on my side and steep rock walls  on lou’s. even so a local driver indicated wildly and zoomed past at a crazy speed on a road that had everyone squeezing past each other. we watched as he took on a coach further along!

home through a rainstorm but sunshine on the coast. dinner in the campsite restaurant to make up for the picnic in a layby somewhere near orsino!

today? lazing on the campsite and then taking the route des vins this afternoon…..

for our anniversary we had decided on a gentle day driving to st florent for lunch and then, maybe, on to bastia for a spot of sightseeing….wrong! the road to st florent crosses the desert des agriates. in my mind desert conjures up pictures of a wide, dry, FLAT landscape…but this is corsica and nothing seems to be flat here except the sea!

the road climbed and climbed and the scenery spread out below and beyond us in layers of mountain ranges in varying shades of blue and grey.

this was the first of many stops ‘to get a photo’. sometimes it wasn’t possible as other people squeezed into any available space to take their own. we finally came to the top of a col and there on the other side stretched a much wilder landscape with the distant bay and headland of the cap corse, although i didn’t recognise it as such until the journey home.

a very twisty drive followed which took some time but eventually we caught sight of st florent lying sunlit against the mountains with glorious blue sea in front. no space to stop for a photo and no space for us to park when we arrived ‘centre ville’. it seemed a bit too busy for us so we drove on towards patrimonio, a delightful sounding village. there we found a restaurant by the road with a shady terrace and plenty of space to park and offering corsican dishes. perfect!

we settled down to our aperos and ordered a menu strong on corsican ham and sanglier. a beautiful tortoiseshell cat roamed the tables expectantly.

before we left there was a nice moment as during some banter about the year 67 i mentioned that it was indeed a good year as we had got married in it and today was our anniversary. ‘oh, you must have a myrth’ the chap said and offered us a drop of myrtille liqueur each. so it was with a warm glow we set off to find bastia. the road took us over another col and this time we found space to park. the col sign as many others on corsica seems to have been deliberately damaged. 🙂

more winding road and then, eventually, a glimpse of bastia or, rather, the etang and industrial area to the south of it. we arrived in the centre ville and drove around and around following car park signs but finding them all ‘complet’. cars waited in the road as other people left precious spaces. finally we gave up and took the road out of town…and, of course, spotted a space. quickly making it our own we left the car and walked back down past the lycee, the gendarmerie and the bus and train stations….

the old town is ramshackle but lively and we stopped for tea and iced coffee in the market square (underground car park marked ‘sature’)

then a stroll around the ‘vieux port’ and back to the car.

for the ride home we decided to take a detour to find the chapel de san michel that sian and chris had told us about (they were here earlier on the year) so we took to the hills (where else? this is corsica!) and chugged upward past the defile de lancone, a deep cleft to our right and finally came to the sign for murato. suddenly the chapel came into view. there was no missing its green and white chessboard facade made up of marble and serpentine. we stopped and i clambered over the wall and found my way into the dear little place, choral music playing and a guardian watching over the visitors. i took pictures for sian (it was shut when she came) and bought booklets in french and english to remember it by. 

lou had decided the quickest (sic) way home was back to st florent and over the desert des agriates so that’s what we did. back around the twisty bends and one stop for a photo although we could have done more. along the road towards l’ile rousse we finally found a space at the ‘point de vue’ where we both snapped away at the gorgeous bay behind us bathed in the evening sun.

back home for a snack of leftovers and an early night…wears you out, all this eating and gawping! 🙂

yesterday was back in the car to visit corte, the celebrated central town of corsica, seat of the first university on corsica and headquarters of the revolutionary pascal paoli’s government. we found a pretty mountain village, brimming with cafes and steep, stepped ‘ramps’. we had reached it via the n197, the road to everywhere if the signs were to be believed! the scenery along the coast and into the mountains defies description. suffice to say, i just kept uttering ‘wow’!

after our obligatory coffee and pression the smells from the various eateries were making our mouths water and our tummies rumble so the walk around town was short but took in the main delights and several photo opportunities.

i dodged into the tiny but beautifully painted little church whose name i can’t find and bought some postcards before we headed back to the car and our picnic lunch we were ready for!

along cours paoli i bought a local delicacy, tarte au herbes, which looked yummy….

after driving back along the n193 to the turning for the asco valley we found a picnic spot and then, fully replete, drove on upwards, dodging our first encounter with grazing cows on the road.

we decided they wouldn’t be any good for a roadkill bbq as their ribs seemed to have hardly any flesh on them.

the road wound up and up and ‘wow’ was repeated a lot! the rock wall on one side hung over the road and the white line down the middle was purely decorative as we had to squeeze past any oncoming traffic or use a passing space. it occurred to me that the overhang was more desirable than the cliff edge we would have to hug on the way back down!

at asco we parked and looked for the path down to the genoise bridge that i had read about. thoughts of a cool swim came to mind.

we had expected cooler weather in the mountains having seen them shrouded in cloud from the coast but it was very hot up there. a helpful chap told us ‘tout droit, tout droit et, apres, tombe pour un kilometre’ emphasising the tombe as if we were gong to dive off a cliff! finally finding the route down we were surprised to see a tarmac road and cars driving past us. nonetheless we trudged down the hairpins with the sound of the water below us somewhere.

round the final bend and there it was, tiny but beautifully proportioned.

built presumably with local stone it blended into the landscape as if it had always been there. photos taken, i clambered down to the water as elegantly as my creaky knees allow and sank my feet into the cool water. not deep enough for the anticipated swim but cooling enough.

lou joined me and together we sat and listened to the chatter of two older ladies in cossies. they’re waiting to skinnydip, lou opined, after we’ve gone. eventually we dragged ourselves away and trekked back up the slope. cloud was coming down on the mountains tops and as we sat with cold drinks and a choc ice (me) and attendant donkey, yes, really, we heard thunder roll around the tops.

then it was back down the scary road. lou pulled over for some local drivers who drove at a pace that would have me shrieking or passing out with fright!

home along the stunning coast and takeaway pizza for supper…oh, my aching knees

a day without the car to blow the cobwebs away!

after a deliberately slow start to the day, we needed to recover from the morning before, we took the boardwalk to calvi. the day was magnificent again, blue sea dotted with some impressive boats, mountains already veiled in heat haze and bodies flopped on the beach and in the sea. the walk is alongside the little railway line that runs between calvi and l’ile rousse and has the beach on one side and pine forest on the other. a pleasant breeze kept us cool in the hot sun.

at calvi we headed for the quai landry opposite the marina where the most expensive eateries are to be found. we wanted coffee and beer which was still a bit pricey but worth it for the pleasure in sitting in the shade watching the world go by. then we climbed an alley staircase up into the town and studied menus. lou fancied a salad and i was after moules.

lou’s salad and my moules were delicious and plentiful. we ate or rather, slurped in my case, drank our local pink wine and enjoyed the

ambiance and view. they even had some earl grey tea as my alternative to lou’s expresso.

leaving there and feeling very replete we trudged up the narrow street to the square above and contemplated the climb to the citadelle.

it had to be done! a lot of stairs and mutters of ‘oh, my knees’ and some fabulous views we got to the top. i dodged into the oratorio and was rewarded with a fetching shot from a window over the bay.

we passed a tour group now and again who were gamely dragging themselves from sight to sight with a commentary. interesting i’m sure but so lovely just to please ourselves on what and where to look.  

back down the stairs and steep alleyways with my knees complaining even more loudly and into the town proper for bread of both kinds, from the bank and the boulangerie.

a slower walk back along the boardwalk where lou wondered at how shallow the bay is the nearer to calvi you are. further out we could see speedboats pulling what looked like enormous lilos, presumably with people clinging to them who fell off at regular intervals judging from the many stops and returns of the speedboats. 

at the campsite we shopped for some essential, light, supper provisions and after rinsing out some washing (gosh, i’m good) i went off for my first swim in the sea since 2012.  fabulous!

for regular readers, the usual complaint, got wifi but it is s-l-o-wwwww! 🙂 maybe i’ll find a cafe with a faster one. on the campsite we have paid 20 euros for a week’s worth of wifi but can only use one device at a time. my tablet doesn’t like it very much anyway.

so, we are in our little chalet amongst the pines and eucalyptus trees which makes for a wonderful perfume in the air. the chalet is like an old caravan in feel as there is everything we need but in a compact space. the veranda on the front looks towards the setting sun and we had aperos out there last night as we tried to forget the hassle of the crossing.

we did manage to get up even before the alarms set for 5 o’clock and got ourselves to the port in plenty of time, relying on the reception chap’s instructions rather than tom tom.

loading was hectic with cars still driving off as we drove on. we were directed to a corner at the sharp end which meant we would have to reverse out when the time came to leave. more of that later! we traipsed through corridors with little sense of direction due to lack of decent signs but find ourselves in a bar offering breakfast. with empty stomachs we sat down and ended up staying put for the duration as did many others. a calm crossing under blue skies but trying to get any kind of nourishment for lunch meant long queuing for limited options, some of which had run out by ten past twelve! p and o could teach corsican ferries a lot!

leaving was chaotic with  a chap waving out one car and then leaving the rest of us to back into the stream of cars leaving from further down the deck…nightmare! we got off eventually to be faced with five lanes of traffic trying to leave down one! the queue of cars waiting to load went on for ages. come here directly from the campsite next saturday, lou said, if we want to stand any chance of catching the afternoon boat back!

by the time i was paddling on the nearest bit of beach and gawping at the stunning vista of the bay and calvi the memory was fading….but not completely! 🙂

we ate in the campsite bar/cafe and tasted local charcuterie and cheese. the helpful owner said the cheese was brebis and came from a small local producer and i might find it in the camp shop. now that’s what we like to hear! our apero had been corsican rose, bien sur.  happy days!

leaving arles behind us but not before visiting the musee reattu (very interesting) we headed for the carmargue despite the lousy signposting which tried to scupper our endeavours! the hotel had offered to look after our bags until we were ready to go which gave us a chance to revisit the yummy sandwich epicerie for lunch provisions (who needs grotty subway?) and some final postcard and newspaper buying. eventually we found the road we needed and drove through a flat landscape before finding a picnic spot. leaving the road for a dusty and bumpy ‘chemin’ we finally came to the side of an etang and a point du vue after a short stop to snap some white horses in a field. turning round to head south we took an even smaller and bumpier road(?) out to the digue/dyke and stopped when we saw flamingoes across a stretch of water. i snapped quickly while got out, camera in hand. suddenly they all took flight. a magical sight. further along the dyke was closed to allow the flamingoes some privacy so we drove on to toulon. some fun and games doing a dry run to the port which was very frustrating but with the help of the lad in reception and two alram calls we hope to make it to the 7.30 boat tomorrow morning!

Arriving at this hotel in high season must be a nightmare.  Nothing that I had read prepared me for the exercise! We wound round tiny, narrow streets until we were faced with the correct one but found access barred by two flashing bollards. Lou squeezed the car into the nearest wall and I went to find the hotel. That done and armed with a code, we parked on an allocated but tiny spot outside the front of the hotel and tried to make sure we took what we needed from the car which was going to be parked in an unknown location by an unknown driver! sadly, I forgot the bag with the kettle etc. So I am writing in a tea deprived state arghhhhhh!

The hotel is in the old town and perfectly placed for exploring on foot. Yesterday afternoon we wandered towards whar ee hoped might be the centre and found our first photo expo. One of the chaps there directed us to thetourist office and on the way wepassed three of the biggest sites, the arena, the theatre and the main square, huge buildings that tower over their neighbours. 

Mission accomplished ie equipped withmaps and a day ticket to the photos, we had an apero on the boulevard des lices and, later, ate tapas on the pavement around the corner from the place du forum. The holiday has begun. And in some style! 🙂

Arriving at this hotel in high season must be a nightmare.  Nothing that I had read prepared me for the exercise! We wound round tiny, narrow streets until we were faced with the correct one but found access barred by two flashing bollards. Lou squeezed the car into the nearest wall and I went to find the hotel. That done and armed with a code, we parked on an allocated but tiny spot outside the front of the hotel and tried to make sure we took what we needed from the car which was going to be parked in an unknown location by an unknown driver! sadly, I forgot the bag with the kettle etc. So I am writing in a tea deprived state arghhhhhh!

The hotel is in the old town and perfectly placed for exploring on foot. Yesterday afternoon we wandered towards whar ee hoped might be the centre and found our first photo expo. One of the chaps there directed us to thetourist office and on the way wepassed three of the biggest sites, the arena, the theatre and the main square, huge buildings that tower over their neighbours. 

Mission accomplished ie equipped withmaps and a day ticket to the photos, we had an apero on the boulevard des lices and, later, ate tapas on the pavement around the corner from the place du forum. The holiday has begun. And in some style! 🙂

The peacocks have landed! Quaint, old and pretty hotel buried in the back streets by the rhone…..