Incredible Corsica!

 

Bonjour!

Up this morning at the usual time, and down to breakfast at 7:30.  However, the check-in time at our Bastia hotel is 4 pm and we don’t want to get there too early.  According to the GPS it will take us about 3½ hours to get there.  So, we read and rested and just “hung out” until about 10 am when we checked out of our lovely hotel.  As Robert says, we have certainly had the most incredible views this entire trip!  

As a note on the photos:  Because most of them are scenic, passing through a Corsican national park, there won't be much commentary!

Heading to Levie Museum

Menhir with sword!

Neolithic bowls

Original ax blade in modern wooden handle

La Dame de Bonifacio!  She's even older than me!

R's HUGE hamburger!

Our first stop this morning was in Levie, which we had planned on visiting yesterday and did no such thing.  This time we found the museum – a lovely modern building in a very old village, and there was even a school group there ahead of us!  The collection was mostly flora and fauna from the local area, but they did have one really good menhir with a sword carved across him (or her…) They also house La Dame de Bonifacio, a skeleton which apparently rivals Ötzi, as far as age goes.  Her skeleton has been dated to 6570 BC ±150 years, which makes her almost twice as old as Ötzi, if my calculations are correct!  (Ötzi, is dated to 3300 BC)  

From the museum about 11 am, we decided to start the drive to Bastia, and boy, were we in for a HUGE surprise!  I did so much research on ancient things that I guess my eyes were shut to anything and everything else!  

Turns out that the interior of Corsica is incredibly, truly, stunning – there were mountains with spires and walls of rock that rivaled Yosemite – and we knew nothing about it! Duh!  We just kept driving up and up and up – the weather got cooler and became crisp mountain air!  It was wonderful!  We finally hit the first major mountain pass, Col de Bavella, at 4,000 ft. which was packed with people everywhere.  There were cabins and homes as well as restaurants and shops; something for everyone!  People were biking, and hiking, and there were canoe and paddleboard trucks.  

There is a hiking route called the GR20 which crosses the entire island along a northwest-southeast axis, which attracts more than 17,000 hikers from all over the world annually. To say the countryside is incredible is an understatement.  We have traveled to many parts of the globe, but this was truly memorable. 

From the Col, we headed downhill to the coast, and joined up with the sea route about 50 km south of Aleria, where we stayed on Friday.  From then on, it was pedal-to-the-metal to get to Bastia, and we made it just about on time. Summer is definitely here now (I know it really starts tomorrow) but apparently up until two weeks ago, it was cold and rainy, so people here are thrilled.  We’re just HOT! Into Bastia and down toward the port, and then up the hill and into the parking area of the Best Western Bastia Centre.  We are in room 2, which has marginally more room that Massa Maritema, but without the balcony and redeeming view!  Robert says I am just spoiled, and so I think I am.  Very small room, but at least here there are places to put things. Everything in from the car, as it’s so hot out, we don’t want to leave wine to cook.  So … thinking now about going out for a nice lunch, and I am craving hamburgers.  Did I tell you that there are NO – and I mean, absolutely NONE  – McDonald’s here on Corsica?  Heading back to the front desk to see if the nice gal that checked us in two hours early has any recommendations!  Other than that, we will use Tripadvisor, but we are both thinking Taxi as opposed to using the car. Finding parking space in town does not look like fun!  So!  On to food, and more later!

Lots of love,

m

xxx

Hello!

Back via taxi from downtown Bastia!  The walk down – about 15 minutes, was fine.  We were on the shady side of the street, and there was a nice breeze.  We finally did locate a place that 1) was open! And 2) did hamburgers.  Robert ordered a HUGE double double cheeseburger, and I ordered an ordinary one. It actually wasn’t bad at all! The only problem we had were the FLIES that are very aggressive here.  There is a large area on the port itself that is filled with open air restaurants – and all of them had the World Cup on TV!  Portugal, unfortunately, beat Morocco 1-0, and have advanced to the knock-out round.  Saudi Arabia is now playing Uruguay, with Uruguay leading 1-0, but again, nothing at the hotel…bummer!  I’m thinking we may want to go back down there tonight to see Spain play their match! Can NOTunderstand why the French TV channel isn’t broadcasting it! GRRRRR…Caught a cab back up the hill, and are now in our cozy little room which is wonderfully air conditioned, and R is napping from a busy day!

Tomorrow, our ferry leaves at 8:30 am back to Livorno, and from there, we will head straight south back to Fiumicino Airport and our overnight there before our return flight on Friday morning!  So!  More later!

Lots of love,

m

xxx