TODAY IN CORSICA...

Walking in Corsica – Les Orii I Canni et Chera

2010-11-25T18:04:00.031+01:00

Years ago, we stopped off at the Oriu I Canni years ago on the way back from lunch at the Cala Rossa beach at Porto Vecchio, and I’ve been wanting to go back ever since, but somehow just never found the time.

This Oriu is perhaps the most photogenic and it’s easy to see why local people used to believe it was haunted. It’s also much bigger than it looks on the photos, so when Florence climbed up onto the roof so that I could take a photo of her as a ‘Lutin volant' (flying pixie), my heart was in my mouth and I could barely look through the lens!

Fortunately, even when I managed to fall in a hole, we didn’t need to call the emergency services, which is a stroke of luck really as the chances of getting a mobile signal up here is about the same as Statler and Waldorf from the muppets being elected to government. Oh no, wait a minute…

The other amazing thing about this particular Oriu is the doggie guide. Yes, there is actually a dog who guides you up through the maquis to this amazing structure because from below, you’d never know it was there. Today he seemed more interested in a quick pat on the head before going back to his sunbathing, but luckily we knew roughly where we were going and the path was well marked with cairns.

The views are amazing, and once we’d amused ourselves with a spot of escalade and a photo shoot in front of the Oriu, we decided to carry on to Chera where we knew there was another one. The downside is that we had to refer to the unreliable walking book to find out where…

Amazingly, we managed to find this one with no trouble at all (mainly because you can see it from the road!). There wasn’t much walking involved here, and the Oriu itself is nowhere near as impressive as I Canni or Monaccia d’Auddè, but we did find a rather enthusiastic puppy along the way.

So after nearly knocking me over by laying on my feet for a belly rub, and then causing the onset of tennis elbow from all the stick throwing, she accompanied us back to the village to where we’d seen a plaque commemorating GHJUVAN 'ANDRIA CULIOLI.

Known as the Corsican Bard, Culioli was a storyteller, poet, and singer. Throughout history, the bard has been associated preserving the history of a culture, genealogy, poetry, praise, satire and blame in particular for those who generally govern society. Resident of Chera, he continued to improvise on local life, the small rural society that surrounds it, and politically remained a staunch supporter of the ROCCA SERRA family.

Chera really is a bit of a ‘bled’ (a dead and alive hole in the back of beyond), so it was no surprise to find that the signs were only in Corsican. Luckily, our basic Italian stood us in good stead and not only did we find out about Culioli, but we also knew that the sign for Ghiesia Sant'Austinu would lead us to a chapel.

The chapel itself was just a ruin, but it was a nice walk through the woodlands which wwere covered in a carpet of mushrooms and leaves of every shade from bright yellows to burnt reds. It’s a shame we were starting to loose the light, but what a fabulous day!

Plage Roc e Mar

2010-11-24T16:37:00.007+01:00

After waking up to snow capped mountains opposite yesterday, it’s amazing that today the weather was absolutely glorious, and whilst not really hot enough to sunbathe, there was no wind at all, so it was lovely and warm sitting on the beach in the sunshine.

During my recent walks along the Grande Corniche, I’d spotted a little path leading down to the beach next to the hotel Roc e Mar. Ordinarily, this is private access for the residents of the hotel, but as it is now closed, I thought I’d explore a bit...

What I’d forgotten was that section of the coast is basically a cliff with sandy coves at the bottom, so not ideal with my gammy knee, but the views through the pines was stunning, and it wasn’t long before I’d settled myself on the sand below.

It’s amazing that from above, the water here looks green rather than blue, but down at sea level, the beach isn’t quite so impressive as some of the others in the area. That said, it was deserted and with hardly a ripple across the water, I could have quite happily stayed for a couple more hours. Sadly, work was calling...

Sunset over the Tour de Campomoro

2010-11-20T19:20:00.001+01:00

I was so disappointed when we took the dog down to Capolorosa and I hadn’t thought to bring my camera, so when I came down the hill from the supermarket this evening and the sky looked like it was on fire, I knew that I had just enough time to get to the best spot.

There were lots of people on the beach; fishermen, those wishing to catch the beautiful sunset on film and those who were happy to just sit on the rocks and watch the sun slowly sink behind the rocks

The reflections over the river at the Estuary were just amazing, and I even managed to catch the silhouettes of three fishermen walking back along the sand with the days catch

Campomoro

2010-11-17T17:44:00.002+01:00

I needed a spot of exercise but it was so lovely that the beach was calling, so I decided to combine the two and take a little road trip to Campomoro.

The sand here is fabulous for walking because it’s very fine so it compacts down and makes a really comfortable, low impact base to walk on. Despite the cloud over most of the Valinco, this little corner was gloriously warm and sunny.

I followed the beach all the way through the village and headed up towards the tower. I knew it would be closed at this time of year, but it’s a nice walk with plenty of steps so it gives you a decent bit of exercise.

Along the way I amused myself looking at all the flowers still in bloom; gorgeous morning glory - even though it was the afternoon! - Arbousiers (strawberry trees) which not only had fruits but also still had flowers, a testament to the temperate climate.

There were also all manner of berries and even roses in the odd sheltered spot. Quite amazing for mid November.

From the top of the lotissement, there are several paths you can follow. One leads up to the tower and grounds with fabulous views over the surrounding coastline and countryside, one leads to I Pozzi along the Sentier littoral, and the other leads in the other direction to Punta Bianca, also along the Sentier Littoral.

I know that out of season the tower is closed, but my inner trespasser told me to try the gate anyway, and I was amazed when it opened. The tower itself was closed up for the winter, but I still managed to get some great shots through the holes in the ramparts.

I also found lots of delicious olives that were ripe for the picking!

The walk up hadn’t been too challenging, so it wasn’t long before I found myself back on the track heading down towards Punta Bianca. I have walked the Sentier Littoral in both directions. But I particularly like the rock formations along this stretch

The best bit was actually discovering a natural granite heart shaped into the underside of one of the rocks. Aahhh!

I spent a bit of time scrambling through the taffoni which are rocks that have been sculpted by the wind into weird and wonderful shapes. It’s even possible to climb inside some of them which given my propensity for freak accidents, probably wasn’t a great idea.

After the recent storms, some sections of the path were impassable, so eventually I had to admit defeat and start my ascent back up to the tower. The combination of sun and rain meant that the wooded areas were covered in a carpet of mushrooms. It’s just a shame I didn’t have a bag with me...

I made it down onto the sand again and it wasn’t long before I came across what looked like an ugly branch but was in fact breathing. There was no way I was going to touch the slug like creature, but I also couldn’t leave it to die on the sand, so eventually I (hopefully) saved it by nudging it back into the water with my shoe. I am such a wuss.

I walked the full length of the beach up to the coach car park at the entrance to the village and then back along to where I’d left the car. Amazingly, the whole walk had only taken a little under two hours but by the evening, it was beginning to feel more like 2 weeks!

Corsican Clementines

2010-11-15T20:40:00.007+01:00

When it’s 20 degrees and sunny outside, it’s sometimes easy to forget that technically this is autumn, so I was slightly surprised to see the crates and crates of local clementines in the doorway of the supermarket yesterday.

The Clémentines Corses are the only clementine produced in France. They are hand picked and hand-picked and sold with the thin, deep-green leaves still attached, which not only look pretty, but also show that the fruit is fresh. Apparently, it takes its name from Father Clement but was introduced to Corsica by Don Philip Semidei who planted the first common clementine in 1925 at Figaretto on the eastern plain where production is still centred today.

Clementines are rich in carotene, provitamin A pigments and antioxidants, helping to promote healthy skin. They are small, juicy and easy to peel, plus they are only 46 kcal per 100g but unfortunately I had other plans for mine and I suspect that they are now considerably more calories per portion than they started off as!

For 4 people;
- 5 clementines (tangerines or satsumas work just as well)
- 140g of golden caster sugar
- 4 slices of cake to serve (and vanilla ice cream if you like)

Peel and segment 4 of the fruits. Juice the last one. Stir 4 tbsp of water in with sugar in a microwave bowl. Microwave the sugar on High for 4-5 mins until everything is bubbling and golden. Using a cloth or oven gloves, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and stir in the fruit juice - watch out, it will splutter. Stir in the segments and serve alongside the slices of cake.

Walking in Corsica - l’Oriu de Monaccia d’Auddè

2010-11-13T11:17:00.000+01:00

Todays excursion was a victory for common sense and willingness to wander off into the maquis with no compass, no phone signal and not much of an idea where we were going, over the stupid guide book which was no help at all!

We’d decided to hunt out the Oriu de Monaccia d’Auddè which is one of the Orii Satenais’. An oriu (plural Orii) is shelter/cave under the rocks which have been sculpted by the wind, and whose entrance has walled up with dry stones. They generally look like the witch’s house in ‘Hansel and Gretle’, or even Gargamel’s house from the smurfs!

What is most fascinating about these shelters is that no one really knows what they are for or why they are there. They could have been ancient troglodytic dwellings, but in that case you’d expect to find more than the odd one scattered here and there. They could be ‘bergeries’ or shepherds shelters for when they are moving flocks from the coastal planes to the mountains in the summer, but most of them exist in places that are not really suited to animal grazing so that doesn’t make sense.

The book told us that the path started from a hairpin benda few hundred metres from the village of Serraghja. In fact, after a fruitless hike up to the relais, we discovered that it was actually 2.3km from the cemetery to an unmarked dirt track! The views from up here are spectacular, but we could have done without having to don our Miss Marple hats to find the way.

Fortunately, once we found the little path, there were cairns to show us that we were on the right track if you’ll pardon the pun. It took us up through the maquis to woodland where we came across all kinds of mushrooms which we thought might come in handy if we couldn’t find the way back!

We eventually came out at a mass of rocks, and a quick squint at the guide book told us ‘go towards the nearest rock pile and the Oriu faces east so you can’t see it until the last minute’ – yeah, that was really helpful since a) we didn’t have a compass and b) it was cloudy so we couldn’t tell where the sun was!

Eventually through trial and error and a spot of seriously dangerous rock climbing even in proper grippy walking shoes, we spotted some brick like bits amongst the rocks and came across the Oriu. What a truly stunning place.

As we rounded the structure, the come came out, so we amused ourselves taking photos of the views over the l’Omu di Cagna (a very famous huge rock balancing on the top of a mountain at about 1200m) and the village of Monaccia d’Aullène below.

We sat in the sunshine and ate our picnic and all that was missing were two flasks; one cold with G&T for our aperitif and the other full of hot strong coffee to fortify us for the descent.

An introduction to the Corsican Countryside...

2010-11-08T09:47:00.001+01:00

This morning I was shouted at by a very irate Corsican for not keeping control of my dog. OK, so it's a hunting dog and has no road sense which is how it nearly got run over (it laid down in the middle of the road when I shouted at it). To be fair, he did have a point, but the only problem with his argument really was that IT'S NOT MY DOG!!!!

I did try to protest my innocence, but I was too distracted by the rather over enthusiastic arm waving and gesturing that could have passed for Mediterranean style voguing, so in the end he just jumped back in his van and roared off, narrowly avoiding the sheep dog that was also wandering down the middle of the road…

Plage du Lido

2010-11-04T14:27:00.000+01:00

Who’d have thought the temperature would be up in the 20’s in November? Not me, that’s for sure, so I was slightly caught out this morning when I went out walking in a long sleeved t-shirt!

Luckily, today is my day off, so as it’s so nice, I decided to head to the beach. We are still suffering from the petrol refinery blockades on the mainland – no diesel and unleaded rationed to 30 litres – so being sensible for once, I decided to stay close to home and conserve my fuel.

The nearest beach is the Plage du Lido. In the summer it is busy with families as well as those looking for a bit more going on as there is a beach volley ball ‘pitch’ as well as an area for football and a smattering of beach bars with Caribbean style parasols selling delicious homemade ice cream. Today, I had the place all to myself...

What I love about this beach, especially in the mornings, are the colours. The waters are relatively shallow and so clear that you can see all the barnacled rock plates just below the surface, so the combination of rock and sand gives a beautiful turquoise sea (‘turchese’ to show off, as I have been learning some Corsican!).

After a while a strange 'person' arrived and started digging through the sand with what looked like a soup ladle. It did seem rather odd behaviour, but then he/she was also wearing a parka jacket in the heat so I decided to move myself behind the hotel to another beautiful little cove.

In the summer, no matter what time of day you arrive, this bit has always been bagged as it’s so pretty and protected by the rocks on which the hotel is built, so even when there is a breeze, it is quite calm here.

Today I sat in the sun and fully intended to read my book but I just shut my eyes for a moment...

Wild Mushrooms - Cèpes (porchini)

2010-11-03T10:58:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I was rewarded for my efforts in the birthday cake making department by my neighbours who gave me a bag of wild mushrooms they had collected in the grounds where we live.

I am always a bit dubious about mushrooms as I have been known to poison myself from time to time with foods that I can identify, let alone those that could be friend or foe. Luckily, these came from a trusted source who didn’t seem to have any homicidal or suicidal tendencies, so I felt fairly confident that they were indeed cèpes (porchini).

So my plan was to de-mousse them, wash them, chop them finely and fry them in a little olive oil and white wine with some chopped parsley and garlic. The whole house smelled heavenly, especially when I warmed up the home-made mushroom soup that yet someone else had given me the day before – yum!

Drying is the best way to of preserving cèpes, but they never seem to last that long in my house!

Cut into slices around 1 cm thick, or around half an inch thick, and threading them onto cotton thread with a clean needle.
Hang up the threaded mushrooms in a warm, dry place with a matchstick tied to the bottom of the thread.
When the mushrooms are dry, pull them off the thread and store them in an airtight jar in a cool dark place.

Sunset over the Bay of Propriano

2010-11-02T19:28:00.001+01:00

What pretty colours...

Marinca Plage

2010-10-23T14:43:00.013+02:00

When I went out walking this morning in my scarf and gloves, who would have thought that by lunchtime I’d be skinny-dipping on the beach!

Of course I should have been packing as I had to leave at 3pm but as I am a hopeless packer and find the whole thing very stressful, I tend to prevaricate. Plus I knew that within a matter of hours I’d be wearing my thermals to cope with the change of climate, so it would have been rude not to take advantage of the warm autumnal sunshine.

I’d only intended to sit and read for a bit over lunchtime, but with no wind to speak of, it felt much warmer than the actual temperature of 18 degrees. At this time of year, the hotel above this stretch of beach is closed, so it is almost deserted which meant that I could swim and sunbathe undisturbed.

I was only there for just over an hour, but it’s amazing how relaxing it is just lying and listening to the water lapping the shore, so by the time I got back I felt fully motivated to pack – probably just as well as there was only an hour left by then!

Plage de Cupabaia

2010-10-17T14:52:00.000+02:00

Despite my love of cute baby animals, I draw the line at cows which is probably why I tend to avoid Cupabaia outside of the summer season because there is a resident herd that live on the beach – only in Corsica!

Cupabaia is a huge stretch of fine golden sand backed by dunes, so it can be a killer tramping along the beach so I generally find myself a nice spot close to the water and the car park. However, today we had other plans and headed to the far end by the rocks.

Although the beach was virtually deserted, the one spot that I wanted for the best photos was already occupied by a gaggle of fashion-challenged tourists in speedos and some very fetching swimming caps. Lovely!

It was amazingly warm for mid-October and even I was tempted into the water (that doesn’t happen often because the water has to be like a bath for me to venture in) but there was hardly a ripple and only a very light warm breeze – absolute bliss.

After a couple of hours, we decided it was time to start the more energetic phase of the afternoon’s activities and find the path leading up to the Genoese tower. We’d interrogated a couple of slightly unfit looking walkers, so we knew roughly that the path started behind the rocks.

We also found a random dog as often happens, and I now have a gammy elbow to match my gammy knee where I was guilt tripped into flinging half a tree branch for it to ‘fetch’.

The path wound along the coast and up into the maquis so we had some fabulous views down over the beach. Sadly, we took a wrong turn and ended up miles from our destination, trespassing through a residence at Serra di Ferro! A gappy-toothed local did give us some directions, but in the end we had to admit defeat and head back down the way we’d come, just in time for a spectacular view of a sailing boat in the bay.

My first attempt was ruined by the ‘Mafioso’ wannabe sitting on the beach fully clothed in his back dress trousers, black shirt and obligatory sunglasses (in the dark), but luckily he got the hint and moved eventually!

Corsican sheep (Brebis / Pècuri)

2010-10-16T15:49:00.023+02:00

I am an absolute sucker for cute baby animals, so I can’t tell you how excited I was this week when the first lambs were born, and I was allowed to go into the field and pet them when they were less than a day old!

The Corsican Brebis (A pècura in Corsican) is a very ancient race of sheep, and are remarkably adapted to their environment. They are comparatively small (35kg on average) which is probably why I am not struck dumb with terror as I am with other larger animals, as I could stamp on one in an emergency.

The brebis have a high resistance to weather, including drought (probably just as well!) and an amazing capacity to sustain themselves from the maquis which covers a huge percentage of the island. However, brebis are a bit like goats and they will eat pretty much everything in sight, so we often see the farmers moving the herds from one field to another where they have stripped it clean!

While taking photos, we spotted a little black dot lying in the field and were worried that one of the newborns hadn’t survived, but as we watched, he struggled to his feet and started bleating for his mummy. Sadly, she wasn’t interested, so as he’d heard us chatting, he realised we’d be the next best thing and wobbled over to us. Ahhh!!

This little white one also got a bit confused – don’t think he’ll have much luck there!

The Corsican brebis are the only European breed with such a variety of colour in their fleeces, and as well as the little black and white one which looked like he was wearing one of those collars they give dogs at the vets, there was a gorgeous little brown one that looked just like Bambi. I nearly had him under my jacket, but I was spotted – drats!

This herd is kept primarily for milk which is turned into cheeses. Here in the south, the average herd is 100-150 sheep producing milk from October to late July which is then turned into ‘Brocciu’ (popular with Corsicans who consider it their National Cheese), and Tome which needs to be matured for a minimum one months to transform itself into a full-bodied cheese.

I have heard of chicken in a basket but when the shepherd put two lambs into a bucket I was slightly worried that they would find themselves in a different type of pot before very long! Fortunately, it was because they’ll be raised by hand. What a shame it won’t be by me :-(

The cheeses are made in the traditional way on the premises as well as olive oil and all sorts of other yummy stuff, and you can buy them direct from the producer at the Bergerie de Monaca, Route de Baracci, 20110.

Sunset over the Plage d'Arena Bianca

2010-10-14T20:29:00.024+02:00

In Corsica, the police don’t seem to have a lot to occupy their time because whatever you ring then for, they ask ‘is anyone hurt?’ and if you say no, they don’t come! Tonight, these seemed more interested in what I was doing with a paparazzi camera than the bloke doing an illegal u-turn right in front of their van without his seatbelt on!

Of course, the simple answer was that it was such a fabulous evening, that I was taking photos of the sunset. I wasn’t the only one enjoying the moment and I have to admit that these two had chosen a plumb spot to watch the sun sink behind the hills. All together now, ahhh!

I hadn’t really taken much notice before, but once the sun starts to set, it really disappears very quickly, so it wasn’t long before I was heading back to the car and my woolly jumper. BBRR!

EDF (Électricité de France) or the SAS?

2010-10-13T11:00:00.012+02:00

I am as deaf as a post so coupled with the fact that when I walk I listen to music through headphones, it’s rare that I hear anything going on around me, but this morning I was convinced that we were under attack!

The helicopter was flying so low over head that almost as soon as I’d heard it, my hair was flapping around like the wild woman of borneo and I was huddling into my walking jacket where the down current from the blades was so cold. It took me a while to work out what was going on, but it seems that despite a fleet of brand new 4x4 all terrain vehicles, EDF find it easier to work on the electricity lines by helicopter! That’d be why my bills are so high then...

All I can say is that working for the electricity company in Corsica must be much more fun-filled than elsewhere as they were delivering chainsaws on the end of a wire, and then depositing men onto the pylons in the same fashion before flying daredevil style between the trees and landing in a field. All they needed were some balaclavas and it could have been an SAS style mission!

Plage du phare

2010-10-10T20:03:00.020+02:00

I don’t often come to the Plage du Phare which is silly because it one of the easiest beaches to get to by car as you virtually park on the sand!

Today I was actually in the town to run a few errands, but the weather was so glorious that since I always have a camera in my car, it wasn’t long before I found myself wandering down to the beach at the bottom of the main street

The water was as flat as a mill pond and hardly a ripple, but it was the colours that really caught my attention. This section has a huge stretch of sand leading up to the Lido, but I like the little bit near the lighthouse where there are all sorts of interesting rocks.

Last time I was here I nearly fell off the retaining wall trying to take photos from above in the wind, so it was a bit of a relief to see that the local commune have tried to save me from myself (either that or some daredevils have been riding motorbikes along there!) by cementing rocks right along the middle of the wall.

This didn’t stop me of course, because the shot that I really wanted was looking out over the harbour towards the huge stretch of sand at Baracci, and the red-hued mountains at Martini beyond. For me, this just about sums up the Valinco.

Walking in Corsica - Altagène to the Punta di Serradu

2010-10-08T19:50:00.005+02:00

Thanks to my neighbours who sent me this most amazing photo that they took whilst out walking from Altagène to the Punta di Serradu – absolutely stunning!

Plage de Capoloroso

2010-10-07T19:38:00.008+02:00

One of the great things about October is that most of the summer visitors have gone home (they don’t know what they are missing), so on days like today, you can nearly always find a spot of beach to yourself.

Well, when I say to yourself, you do have to share with the local wildlife, but as that consists mainly of cormorants sunning themselves on the rocks and various little fishes swimming around your legs, that’s not really a hardship.

During the winter, this is the stretch of beach that I normally torture myself with because you can extend a perfectly good walking circuit with about 1km of ‘escalade’ (up and over the rocks) and sand walking which is an absolute killer!

Today my activities were vastly less energetic as it really doesn’t take much effort to lay on the sand and soak up the rays and then paddle your feet from time to time. Ah, the joys of autumn in Corsica!

Vitricella Plage

2010-10-02T17:58:00.003+02:00

I’m slightly obsessed with temperatures (even to the extent that I chose my current car model because it has the best temperature gauge!), so once the thermometer on the balcony hit 27 degrees, and I had finished all my urgent work, I decided that it was time to go to the beach...

I didn’t fancy the town beaches so I decided to take a drive round the bay to Vitricella. This is another of my favourite spots out of season. During the summer, it’s popular with small children because the collection of little coves are so shallow.

At this time of year there was hardly a soul so I found myself a gorgeous spot right at the waters edge. I had fully intended to finish my book, but the sun and warm breeze were so lovely that I found myself having 40 winks.

What I particularly love here are the colours; the red hued rocks against the golden sand which gives turns the water all shades of turquoise from blue almost to green, all with the backdrop of the velvety green hills of Baracci – what more could you want?

Sunset over the Plage du Lido

2010-10-01T20:55:00.002+02:00

I’d been out to Baracci to do my usual evening walk, but the sunset was so impressive that I found myself heading down to the Plage du Lido to watch it instead of going straight home afterwards.

This is why I always have a camera in the car, as you just never know when a fantastic photo opportunity might present itself!

There were about 10 people on the beach taking photos, and one bloke actually told me off because I left before the sun had completely disappeared below the horizon – that’s obsession for you!

Le Rocher Vacilliant, near Aullène

2010-09-30T19:20:00.013+02:00

As the weather has now cooled down a bit after another scorching summer, we can finally start doing some of the mountain walks which are too exposed during the height of season.

I am still suffering from a knee injury, so we decided to play it safe and choose a walk from our book of ‘walks for all the family’ with a difficulty rating of 1. OK, so it’s maybe a bit cowardly, but I didn’t want to get stuck at the top and have to be dragged down the mountain by my ankles!

I am very easily persuaded to excursions of any kind, so as usual, I hadn’t paid much attention to the details of exactly what we were going to do. It came as a bit of a shock when I found out that the Rocher Vacillant is a 50 ton rock perched on top of another so you can climb up onto it and rock it from side to side – eek!

Did I also mention that it’s a climb of 100-150m up to it? No, well that came as a bit of a surprise too!

I wasn’t at all convinced that we could really move such an enormous slab of granite, so I got a bit over excited when Florence tried walking up and down and I could see the gap opening and closing.

The scenery was amazing and although there was some cloud, it sort of added to the moody atmosphere, especially when we discovered the 'Tete de Mort' which is a huge boulder in the form of a skull!

We spent ages taking photos of ourselves with it, but didn’t discover that there was actually a tomb inside until we were on the way back down the track and bumped into someone we knew. It makes you wonder if there was an ancient settlement up here in the middle of nowhere, or whether the dead were brought up especially...

Sanglier (wild boar)

2010-09-30T19:16:00.002+02:00

I have only ever seen a sanglier (wild boar) once in Corsica and it was absolutely huge so I was glad I was in a 4x4 at the time! That said, I absolutely love sanglier and as you can’t buy it from the butchers, the only way to get some is from a hunter.

I was always very against hunting when I lived in England, but when you live in Corsica it is a way of life and something you have to learn to accept. Yesterday while I was out walking I was given a huge chunk of sanglier in a carrier bag from the back of a 4x4. I wasn’t even sure which bit of the beast it came from so I had no idea how to cook the damn thing!

After taking advice from my neighbours (and the discovery of a kidney and some ribs), general consensus was that it was a piece of belly, so I marinated it in red wine and herbs for most of the day, and the slow roasted it on a low temperature for about 3 hours in wine, with garlic, rosemary and bay leaves.

Unlike most red meats, sanglier needs to be well cooked all the way through (not pink). The taste is very strong and the texture is actually more like beef than pork- delicious!

A visit to Grasshopper Island... The Mill at Monticello

2010-09-26T18:18:00.030+02:00

It was during a recent trip to the Balagne that I found myself trundling down the track to ‘Le Moulin’ wondering once again at the wisdom of low profile tyres for my Corsican adventures, but what a treat awaited me...

As soon as I drew up in front of the gates I was enchanted, and when P & G told me that the house had actually been the setting for the children’s film ‘Grasshopper Island’ my imagination started to run wild!

The film was serialised in several countries and apparently, when the current owners started renting the house for the summer, they had an email from someone in Germany who had loved the series as a child and now in his forties was hoping to make it here one day – how lovely is that!

We went into the house via the terrace at the side which opens straight into the farmhouse style kitchen, and first glance convinced me that there would be more delights to come.

One of the problems with renovating old/character properties is that people can get very carried away which leads to the ‘yellow plastic door handles mixed with flagstone floors’ horrors of another mill I have visited. I was delighted to find that here, a great deal of taste and restraint has been exercised. Every piece of furniture has been hand-picked and seems to have almost become as one with the house. That’s real skill!

I am a huge fan of exposed stone work, but as I am someone who is nearly always chilly (I am the mad woman wearing trousers and a jumper when the tourists are all in shorts and t-shirts!), I was worried that it might be cold in the winter. G assured me that old Corsicans knew what they were doing and the stones actually hold the heat so the house feels quite cool in summer and doesn't lose the heat until the depths of winter when the roaring fire warms them up again!

Whilst I really liked the living room with its unusual iron gallery, it was love at first sight when I got to the first bedroom. I don’t know why, but this room really captured my imagination. I really liked the idea of transforming the original cupboards into built in book cases and it seemed to just sum up the character of the house.

The house is set in about 5 hectares of land which is mostly covered with olive trees which are still harvested and taken to the local co-operative to be turned into oil. The first year, the manager was surprised at how few they had since he had seen the trees which, like this year, were dripping with fruits. The owners had been very selective when collecting the olives, not collecting bruised ones etc., instead of just sending them all to be turned to extra virgin olive oil which is what is normally done. Needless to say they have had more oil in subsequent years!!

The pool has been fenced with a childproof gate so I was a bit worried that there might be a repetition of the incident at Les Hameaux where I had to be rescued by one of my neighbours because I couldn’t get out! Luckily, no such drama today.

We took a tour of the land and saw the train stop – apparently you just step out of the gate and stick your arm out! – before coming across the little bergerie hidden at the far edge of the land.

What a gorgeous little spot P & G have created here. They told me that when they rent the main house out during the summer, they de-camp to the bergerie which has been converted to a little studio.

Again, they have managed to keep and make the most of the original features, working with the original materials to ensure that everything blends seamlessly into the landscape. There is a little garden at the back where they were growing delicious looking tomatoes, and pots of herbs.

The welcome committee of three beautiful if slightly over excited dogs was unleashed and I was treated to lots of tail wagging and leaping about. It wasn’t until they raced off into the grounds that I realised that one of them only had 3 legs, not that it seemed to slow her down at all! It’s no wonder they all looked so happy – I know I would have been equally enthusiastic to be living in such a fabulous place!

Restaurant Chez Doumé, Calvi

2010-09-25T23:52:00.008+02:00

There’s always one who wants something different to everyone else (you know who you are!), so having scoured Calvi for a menu with a nice bit of lamb on it, we finally settled on Chez Doumé in the rue Clemenceau which is overlooked by the impressive Eglise Santa Maria.

I have never eaten here before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was absolutely delicious. I chose the set menu for 19.50 euros which had loads of choices including Corsican specialities such as charcuterie (yum) and Sanglier (wild boar in a delicious sauce served with tagliatelli – double yum!).

During the main course, we could see a busker on the steps of the church who proceeded to serenade us with various French and Corsican songs. We were sitting right on the edge so it was a bit loud, but the funniest thing was the baby who screamed every time he walked towards us! I know it’s mean, but once he started his rendition of ‘Help’ by the Beatles (or ‘elp as he was pronouncing it!), we just couldn’t ‘elp thinking of Inspector Cluseau which caused riotous laughter!!

Thanks to Sam who managed to capture the moment on film (I was too embarrassed for once!)

Calvi

2010-09-24T14:53:00.026+02:00

Having been to Calvi so many times, and lived there for a while, it was great to go back with friends who were new to the area and see it through fresh eyes.

Our first excursion was in the evening when we headed out to eat. I was amazed at how many people there were in the narrow cobbled streets because normally by this time of year where we are in the Valinco, it has calmed down considerably, but Calvi seemed to still be buzzing.

The other thing that surprised me was how much things have changed since I visited last. New restaurants and bars seem to have sprung up, and there were lots of people picking over tapas style snacks with their aperitifs.

We finally chose ‘Le Nautique’ on the port as they had a reasonable variety of dishes. They seem to specialise in mussels here where they are sold by the kilo(!), but after stuffing myself on fresh bread and jam earlier in the day, I decided to opt for the Corsica Salad which was all different cured meats and local cheese – yum.

After a delicious dessert of Tarte Tatin – my favourite – and huge profiteroles for the others, we decided to wander along the port and have a good look at the huge yachts. One boat, the Albacora, was lit from below lending the water an eerie glow. Sam was slightly freaked out and convinced that a creature from the deep was going to leap out onto the quay, but fortunately we all escaped without incident!

I was so pleased that I’d brought the big camera out with me. OK, so it does weigh just over a kilo which is a not insignificant weight in your handbag, but it does take fab night shots and I still can’t get over the range of the zoom...

We were so lucky with the weather that it was hard to drag ourselves away from the pool during the day, but eventually we decided that we really ought to do a spot of souvenir shopping in the town.

It wasn’t long though before we found ourselves down on the port, distracted by all the pretty flowers and fabulous photo opportunities.

So after a spot of shopping and some scrummy ice creams (it would have been rude not to!), we decided to head back via the beach before taking on the more serious task of stocking up on the ‘English’ products from the Super U that we just can’t get in Propriano like proper cheddar and McVities digestives!

The water was as flat as a mill pond and I really wasn’t sure the colours would come out as well as we could see them in real life, but I needn’t have worried...

Villas Ronduli, Calvi

2010-09-23T20:30:00.000+02:00

No matter how lovely the place you live, we all need a break from time to time, so this week I am ‘on holiday’ in the north of Corsica with some friends.

I think this is the first time that I have really appreciated how different the north and south are. The north to me has a distinctly more Italian feel to it whereas the south west definitely feels more French.

As we were travelling with a little one (and it’s the end of September), we chose the Villas Ronduli as they have a heated pool. The water was like a bath and I have to admit that yesterday I must have dozed off while I was floating on the lilo in the sunshine surrounded by the scent of the flowers.

Unfortunately, I got rather a rude awakening as I must have shifted in my sleep and found myself taking a rather unexpected dip! That said, it was the most relaxed I have felt in months.

The best thing about it for me though has been that I can swim in the evenings – what a treat!

The Corsican sense of humour

2010-09-19T21:28:00.001+02:00

So last Sunday I found myself at Ajaccio airport waiting for a slightly delayed flight to arrive so that I could say ‘au revoir’ to various family members, and ‘bienvenue’ to some friends that I haven’t seen for far too long. As I had some time to kill, I soon found myself in the gift shop, giggling like a schoolgirl at the new series of postcards by BROUTCH.

Find the walker who woke Doumé up during his siesta

The series centres around ‘Doumé’, your stereotypical rural Corsican, and pokes fun at life in Corsica much along the lines of ‘l’Enquete Corse’ which is a must-read for anyone who knows the island well!

An intruder has infiltrated Doumé’s herd
can you find him?

According to their website, creating this collection was based on two assumptions:
- You can laugh at Corsica and the Corsicans.
- The Corsicans have a sense of humour

For the first is easy (especially when you have no second home on the Island of Beauty!), but for the latter, it’s necessary to live on the island.

Recycling Corsican style

However, it was slightly dangerous because, apparently, among the Corsicans the laughter gland is very close to that of irritability…

Plage de la Barrière

2010-09-18T20:25:00.000+02:00

OK, so it probably wasn’t a good idea to go to the Plage de la Barrière when three out of four of our party have ongoing knee problems and there are other beaches where we could have driven straight to the edge of the sand, but it’s just so stunning here, that we couldn’t resist!

This particular stretch of beach is one of my favourites in the Valinco area. Not only are the colours absolutely amazing, but you can nearly always find a nice stretch all to yourself – today was no exception.

The sea was as warm as a bath, so we all dipped our feet before we settled on the sand. We’d chosen a section with rocks in the water, because not only does that it look good on my photos (always a consideration!), but it’s also great for snorkelling.

Actually, it was here a couple of years ago that I spotted a long bright blue fish that looked almost like a swordfish, but apparently it might have been a flying fish. I did try to capture some of the smaller fishes but the current was quite strong and was pulling the sand from around my feet, so I was terrified that both me and the camera would end up doing a Jaques Cousteau impression!

In the end I decided to amuse myself from the sand instead and got some amazing full zoom photos of the cormorants sunning themselves on the rocks. Apparently in the water they look like penguins when they are diving for fish, so I suspect I might be investigating underwater camera cases on the internet this afternoon!

Restaurant l’Oasis, Propriano

2010-09-18T20:22:00.001+02:00

Today was a funny day. It started off really hot but slightly overcast, but as often happens in Corsica, it wasn’t long before the sun made an appearance.

We really fancied a beachside restaurant but couldn’t be bothered to drive round the bay to La Crique or the paillote at the Roc e Mar, so we headed down to the Bar l’Oasis at the far end of the town. At this time of year not so many people venture down this far, so it was far less busy than the restaurants in the town and we managed to find a nice table right next to the sand.

I’ve only ever had salads here before, but when the other dishes of Caramelised pork kebabs and huge wood baked pizzas arrived, I realised that I had seriously underestimated this place! Goodness knows how I managed to resists the Tiramisu!

An introduction to the Corsican Countryside...

2010-09-18T20:17:00.004+02:00

Lesson 1:
When the shepherd opens the gate to the field, the sheep will follow the sheepdog. Don't let the dogs jump up at you because the sheep will follow! Every single bit of clothing I was wearing (including my socks) is now covered in mud and sheep muck!

Lesson 2:
When you're trying to drive down a country lane and there is a herd of cows being moved, it's not a good idea to try to gently nudge them out of the way with the car. I have never seen projectile pee'ing before, but it certainly washed the dust off the bonnet (and the windscreen!). Thank God they didn't panic...

Lesson 3:
When you’re out walking and you see a 4x4 that you don’t recognize reversing up the road, there is probably an interesting story to follow. We watched as they turned into the field and started to herd the sheep. We continued to watch as they opened the gate and all the sheep and the dog shot off down the road, and the 4x4 followed lazily behind. We thought it was odd that the shepherd wasn’t there joining in, but a few minutes later we saw him and stopped for a chat. With hindsight, we probably should have mentioned all the sheep related excitement earlier because when we asked where the sheep had gone too, he replied with a panic-stricken ‘what do you mean they are gone??!’ and shot off after them. First time I have been witness to a spot of sheep rustling!

Restaurant La Crique, Abbartello

2010-09-16T20:05:00.000+02:00

La Crique has become a firm favourite over the summer, so when we were thinking of a spot by the beach for Jane’s last meal (last meal before going home rather than in the biblical sense!), it was the first place that sprang to mind.

I honestly don’t know why I bothered looking at the menu as I nearly always have the same thing here! They do an excellent lunchtime menu of Moules Frites (mussels and chips) with a glass of wine or beer for an amazing 12.50 euros – you can’t go wrong with that can you?

The others were more adventurous with a huge oriental style salad of Gambas which had been marinated in coconut milk with bean sprouts, salad and various fruits and vegetables, and a piece of monkfish decorated with a flavoured risotto and seasonal veg – yum!

The ambiance here is so laid back and chilled out, that we even asked what CD was playing so that we could try to recreate the same ‘zen’ type feeling at home, but there really is no chance of that chez moi!

The dessert menu duly arrived and prompted another lively debate. I went for the Café gourmand which was a coffee with a selection of tiny cakes, all of which were absolutely scrummy. The others chose the apple crumble, crème brulée and the ‘Robinson’. The Robinson came recommended by the staff and turned out to be a concoction of various ice creams, sauces and cream served in a huge zebra print bowl decorated with a naked African lady, plus a free hat! Clearly the entertainment value alone is what prompted our server to suggest it!

It’s days like today that I really appreciate living in such a fabulous place. Lunch took several hours, but we didn’t see the time pass as we were happy to take our time, chatting about everything and nothing under the dappled shade. What bliss...

Restaurant U Corsu, Propriano

2010-09-16T20:01:00.001+02:00

When we eat out in Propriano, we tend to stick to the restaurants with terraces overlooking the port so that we can admire the views, which is nonsense really as it’s always dark! This time, we fancied some traditional Corsican dishes like Sanglier (wild boar) and Saute de Veau (free range veal), so for a change we decided to try the U Corsu.

I haven’t eaten here for about 3 years, but it was excellent. We even managed to persuade the nice waiter to let us have some of the fig tart for dessert which wasn’t on the set menu, but is so delicious that I would have happily paid double for!

After a quick chat in Franglais about Morticians (the waiter was trying to explain his job as a ‘Croque-Mort’ which apparently is what the French call Morticians because in years gone by they would have bitten the feet of deceased to make sure they were really dead!), we started to ponder why this restaurant seems to be much cheaper than the others. The obvious answer is because it doesn’t have the magnificent sea views, but after watching a couple of 4x4’s and the odd motorcycle misjudge the turning at breakneck speed, we decided that it was probably because anyone sitting at the tables on the roadside probably only have a 50% chance of survival!

Casabianca Beach

2010-09-09T16:58:00.001+02:00

Today was one of those days when I knew that any photos I took would come out looking like postcards – the colours were amazing and crisp, with not a cloud in the sky. Bliss on a stick in fact!

It was quite windy, which was a welcome relief from the scorching heat. I felt a bit restless so I didn’t want to go and roast myself in the sun, but I knew that the beaches would look absolutely stunning, so I decided to head along to Casabianca which is a huge long stretch of sand, and simply wander along and see what I could see...

I have often wondered why people bother to spend 9 hours+ on a plane to go to the Caribbean when we have such stunning beaches much closer to home.

The water was the most amazing turquoise colour I think I have ever seen here, and only the odd ripple from the breeze breaking the surface. What was perhaps most surprising, was that although there were a few sun worshippers dotted along the shore, the beach was almost deserted.

I am not sure who was more freaked out when I noticed the heron, him or me! I am not a big fan of birds (I was once ‘menaced’ by a seagull on this beach), so I wished I’d been able to retire to a safer distance, but the camera with the paparazzi style zoom was still on the kitchen worktop – d’oh!

This year for the first time in many years, the estuary of the Rizzanese River has actually closed, so it is possible to walk right the way along from Propriano to Portigliolo. The river comes to a halt in a huge lagoon style pond, and some of the local children were having great fun using the huge boulders as a diving board

Fortunately, the pompiers (who also deal with medical emergencies) were on firewatch at the top of the beach. Rather less fortunately, one of them was asleep in the cab and the other was smoking and listening to his iPod, so I can’t say I was reassured!

To finish my circuit, I walked round the corniche and was treated to some fabulous views of the sea below and Propriano in the distance.

There was a cruise ship in the port and I could see the pattern of brightly coloured umbrellas dotted along the beaches nearer to the town, but I couldn’t help feeling a little bit smug that many visitors never venture further up the coast and we could keep this little corner of paradise all to ourselves...

Figs

2010-09-09T10:12:00.001+02:00

I love figs, and for several days now I have been coveting the green fig trees at the local farm, waiting for an opportunity to leap over the gate in a single bound (well perhaps not!) and ‘borrow’ some ripe ones before the birds get them. No luck yet, but yesterday I did come across some black figs – yum!

I’d been told that figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium so are fabulous for people who are lactose intolerant and a quick Google search also threw up that the fig was one of the first plants that was cultivated by humans and remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites traced to at least 5,000 B.C. Blimey!

However, the most interesting line of enquiry was actually where the phrase ‘I couldn’t give a fig’ originates. Apparently, the saying is based on the Spanish Fico (= Fig) which gave its name to a traditional gesture of contempt made by placing the thumb between the first and second fingers. The gesture was common in Shakespeare's time and was known as The Fig of Spain. Exactly the same gesture and phrase occur in Italy where Italians call making the gesture "far fica", but in polite speech it is referred to ‘fico’ (fig) as in ‘Non vale un fico’ (it's not worth a fig).

Bonifacio

2010-09-08T23:22:00.004+02:00

We’d woken up to cloud over the bay, so after a leisurely breakfast and a spot of work on the balcony, we decided to head down to Bonifacio and see if we could find a spot of sunshine, and a change of pace from the beach.

After a short contre-temps with a bloke in a van from the Haut-Rhin (Alsace) over the right of way in the car park (clearly it was mine as I was in the middle of the road!), we finally found a spot in the car park behind the Marine cemetery.

I know it sounds morbid to visit a cemetery, but this one is particularly special. Perched at the very edge of the town overlooking the sea, the silence is a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere of the rest of the Citadel, and the collection of small white tombs almost resemble a troglodyte village.

It’s always great to visit somewhere you know with someone who has never been there before as it really helps you see it through new eyes. Today our attention was caught by the advert for the visit to the gouvernail.

This is an underground tunnel which is made up of 168 steep steps leading down to a lookout point. It was built in 1880 and amazingly was dug out by hand. Picking my way down with my gammy knee and clinging to the rope hand rail, it made me wonder why…

Of course, during the occupation of the German and Italian armies during the Second World War, this proved to be a strategic point from which to survey the straits of Bonifacio. The first ‘gallery’ is home to an electrical generator which apparently provided electricity for the whole tunnel and all the rooms and ‘galleries’ leading off it.

One or two information panels on the walls explain that troops actually lived down here – some for more than 3 years. We were just 3 visitors, but the narrow/low tunnel made it feel crowded at times, so it was almost inconceivable to imagine how cramped conditions must have been.

At the bottom the tunnel opens out to a bomb shelter with the most amazing views to the lighthouses on either side and Sardinia, just 12km away. Today was a little hazy, but on a clear day you’d almost be able to wave from one side to the other!

The bomb shelter opens out onto the ‘gouvernail’ which is an enormous rock 10m above sea level. This rock is the most southern point of the island, and so the fishermen of Bonifacio have named it the ‘rudder’ of Corsica.

After all that excitement (and steps!) we decided to retire to a little restaurant at the top of the citadel for a lazy lunch. We settled for an omelette and a couple of savoury crêpes washed down with some refreshing Diablo Menthe (mint syrop and lemonade) and a beer.

Now I know that the hunting season has started in Corsica, but I was a little worried that it might have started in the centre of Bonifacio citadel when we heard a ‘shot’ while sitting at the table. Luckily (well for the rest of us of us anyway!) it turned out to be an exploding lighter in the pocket of one of our group! Who would have thought it? Lucky he had a tissue in there otherwise that could have made a very interesting blog entry! I was almost disappointed there was no need to call the pompiers…

The excitement of a small explosion mobilized us into action, and we headed down to the lower town for a walk along the harbour and a nosy at all the boats before heading home. Right in the widest part of the harbour we came across the superyacht TRIDENT. 65m of pure luxury…

What was interesting was how the shops and restaurants changed as we walked along. At the far end where the boat excursions leave and the little ribs are moored were the snack style restaurants and souvenir shops, and as you move further up towards the yacht berths, you see more sophisticated (and expensive!) menus, authentic looking ‘trattoria’ style restaurants and chic clothing boutiques.

Even the small grocery shop was seriously up-market and at 42 euros, the bottles of Rosé on display were slightly more than I was prepared to pay!

Abartello

2010-09-02T18:56:00.003+02:00

When I first moved to the Valinco area, Abartello was one of my favourite beaches, I think because it’s easy to find and there is nearly always somewhere to park close by, even in the height of summer.

What I particularly like about this stretch of coastline is the combination of coarse grain sand and amazingly jagged rocky outcrops, and I am fascinated by how the beach seems to change each year.

I am never sure whether it is the strength of the current washing new rocks up onto the shore, or whether it is washing the sand away to expose the underlying granite. This is a more pronounced phenomenon here than anywhere else I have noticed in the Valinco, so you are never sure what you might find!

This time, a series of narrow channels seem to have opened up where previously it was impossible to get the water except with the aid of seriously grippy rock shoes! Today I managed even with my trusty flipflops.

The other amazing thing today was the colour of the water. You would imagine that sand on the sea bed would actually give the most vivid green tint to the water, but actually it is the ochre coloured rock plates that give an almost emerald hue. Absolutely stunning...

Sunflowers

2010-09-01T15:54:00.006+02:00

Although it’s only 20 minutes or so inland, the colours in Sollacaro are already turning quite autumnal, but obviously no one has mentioned the change of season to these sunflowers in the garden.

What a gorgeous reminder that although it’s September now, that doesn’t mean that summer is over!

Plage de Capo Loroso

2010-08-28T21:15:00.000+02:00

With the temperatures up near to the 40’s again and a gammy knee, a visit to the beach seemed just what the doctor ordered.

We didn’t want to go far and I was a bit bored with the Plage Arena Biance, so we continued on just a few metres more, and then followed the track leading down to the collection of little sandy crescents along the Plage de Capo Loroso.

This is a beach I often come to in the winter because it’s quite sheltered, but also because the huge granite boulders which form the natural barriers between each scalloped section are ideal for a spot of escalade to make my winter fitness regime a little more challenging (depending on the right footware of course!).

Today, the colours were so impressive; the water seemed to shift between green and blue, and with my polarised sunglasses – an absolute must in Corsica – I could make out every contour below the surface for a fair distance.

Amazingly for August the beach really wasn’t busy at all. There were a few people dotted along the sand, the odd snorkeler here and there, plus some small children fishing – we could hear the screams of delight when they caught a tiddler!

Soon our attention was caught by two women who’d obviously invested in a new fangled exercise device from what I suspect is the French equivalent of QVC. We watched as they attached what looked like a perforated steamer to their feet and then push against the water to create resistence. I can’t help feeling though that it might have been more effective if they’d had two each rather than sharing a pair!

Walking in Corsica - Loreto di Tallano (Mare a Mare Sud)

2010-08-27T23:59:00.001+02:00

We really wanted to get up into the mountains, but after a recent knee injury which found me wearing a very attractive support which, because it’s black, looks like I have decided to wear half a pair of cropped leggings (not a great look for anyone!), we decided to be sensible and do a short walk down to the river at Loreto di Tallano.

Of course, 15 years can dull the memory slightly and what I’d been led to believe was a short 15-20 minute walk on a fairly flat path, turned out to be part of the ‘Mare a Mare’ hiking trail which runs from Porto Vecchio on one side of the island to Porto Pollo on the other!

Fortunately, when we arrived at the river, the spot was so gorgeous that I managed to forget all about the rock track with the steep gradient, and was happy to settle myself on the little ‘beach’ beside the river, and listen to the water cascading over the rocks.

I’d managed to get sunburnt on the beach the day before, so I was delighted to find trees lining the banks which provided me with dappled natural shade from the searing hot sunshine.

It wasn’t long before someone came up with the brilliant plan of swimming up to the shallow cascades and sitting in amongst the rocks so that the water could massage away our various aches and pains. Although the water wasn’t particularly deep, the currents were amazingly strong so faced with a choice of a spot of aerobic ‘contre current’ swimming or a snooze on the bank, it took me all of 3 seconds to make my decision!

Had we had more time and less injuries, we would have walked from Loreto di Tallano to Saint Lucie de Tallano for lunch (about 2hrs), then stopped off at the river on the way back as the track is varied and interesting, but that’s a plan for another day.

Restaurant A Madunnina, Sartène

2010-08-27T23:04:00.003+02:00

I’d been invited to eat out with friends at ‘A Madunnina’; which is affectionately known as the fireman’s café given it’s proximity to the main fire station. On the basis that any activity with the word ‘fireman’ in it has to be fun, we soon found ourselves on the terrace faced with the usual dilemma of what to order.

Benny (11) has been practicing his French, so he gallantly suggested that he order for everyone. We all fancied pizzas but there was lots of negotiations for ‘sharesies’, so how he managed to remember what everyone wanted is beyond me! Pizzas were followed by scrummy desserts of chocolate fondant, caramel flan and ice cream all washed down with a tot of the excellent locally made liqueurs.

Luckily Benny kept us entertained by leading a scintillating discussion on the merits of Sweden and Scandinavia in general(!) before the waiter arrived and we thought we’d entered into negotations for the amount of the tip we’d left, but fortunately he told us that he found it ‘reasonable’. Probably just as well!

What a fab evening out!

Sollacaro

2010-08-25T20:36:00.009+02:00

After a lively ‘discussion’ with EDF on the shortcomings of their creative billing system and a threatened sit-in over the sacred lunch hour at their offices in Propriano, we’d finally arranged for an engineer to call at the house in Sollacaro at 2pm to read the meter.

EDF in Corsica aren’t known for their punctuality so just to cover all bases, we decided to head up to the village early, have a spot of lunch, collect some fruit from the garden and hope that they turn up eventually!

It wasn’t quite time for lunch, so we wandered through the village for a little while, admiring the old stone houses and being nosy in the window of one that is currently undergoing renovation. We soon found ourselves down by the church and the school.

It’s amazing that a village of this size has its own school, which still has the old signs above the door to segregate the boys and girls schools. Something caught my eye as we were walking past and I realised that someone was drying their washing on the balcony of the town hall – only in Corsica!

It really reminded me of one of the schools I went to which was an old fashioned annexe to the main part of the school. I started to feel really nostalgic, so it was time for an apero before lunch!

We chose the Restaurant ‘U Paese’ which has a fabulous terrace at the side, complete with original water fountain, but most importantly it is just opposite the house, so that if EDF turned up during the lunch hour (unlikely) or on time (just as unlikely!) we could easily leap into the road and flag them down. The set menu at 12.50€ for three courses was superb value; a feuillette of cheese and spinach, followed by chicken in a sauce and a delicious chestnut cake for dessert – yum!

At 1:50pm, we decided to wander over and pick some of the fruits from the garden. There were so many plums on the tree that some of the branches had actually snapped under the weight. The limes weren’t quite ripe, so that’s a good excuse to pop back again in a couple of weeks…

Oh, by the way – little gold star for Philippe from EDF who turned up at 14:03. A miracle in itself, so worth a mention!

Spin'a Cavallu, Rizzanèse River

2010-08-22T20:51:00.003+02:00

We’d planned to go to the ‘Petit Niagra’ this morning but after the wind of yesterday, it hadn’t occurred to me that the river might have turned into a raging torrent that was too deep/murky to cross! Fortunately, a few minutes downstream and we were at Spin’a Cavallu.

Literally meaning ‘horse’s back’, this superb example of a Genoese bridge which crosses the Rizzanèse river dates back to the 13th century and 15th century. Owned by the commune of Sartène, the bridge has been protected since 1976 and was classified as an historical monument in 1992.

Although there are a collection of little sandy beaches along the banks of the river, we chose a spot a little further up river where we could settle ourselves on the huge rocks and soak up the sun.

Within seconds, the kids were in the water hurtling themselves down the crevices created by the rock formations ‘canyoning’ style before plunging into the pools below and the relative calm of the river as it meandered under the bridge. It did cross my mind to have a go, but given my propensity for freak accidents, I thought it best to stay put...

Svegliu d'Isula in concert, Propriano

2010-08-18T09:55:00.005+02:00

I’d seen the banners all over town advertising the Svegliu d’Isula concert on port in Propriano for the 14th August, but for some reason it’d been postponed until the Tuesday, so we decided to pop along, have dinner on the port and watch the free concert afterwards.

I really fancied Riva Bella but all the tables had been reserved, which is no surprise really when you consider that their terrace has the perfect view over the make-shift stage on the quay. Eventually we found a spot on the terrace of the No Stress Café which was a miracle given the number of people in the town.

It was only a week or so ago that we’d seen them perform at the Foire de Baracci, so I was worried it might just be a repeat performance, but we both commented on the fact that although some of the songs were the same, there was a really different feel to this performance.

The new camera excelled itself and I managed to get some fabulous photos of Anthony Secondi (one of the singers) and also Sébastien Tramoni (singer, composer & interpretor), but what was great was that there were obviously lots of family members in the crowd – unsurprisingly as they are all local to the Valinco-Sartènais.

This is the last concert of the summer season, and they all seemed a bit ‘demob-happy’; laughing and joking with each other, and involving the crowd. The other concerts have been nothing but professional performances, so it was nice to see them really enjoying this one. Roll on next summer!

Restaurant A Marinasca, Portigliolo

2010-08-17T16:45:00.002+02:00

This morning was one of excitement – first, the new sofa finally arrived after the delivery van had managed to drive into the stone archway knocking out a couple of supporting stones, and then we had to do emergency first aid after I nearly amputated F’s toe whilst we were shifting the old sofa out of the way!

What we should have done is go straight to the hospital at Sartène or at the very least, the pharmacy for some steri-strips. What we actually did was go for lunch at the Restaurant A Marinasca in the hope of anaesthetising the foot with a drop of Saparale rosé wine!

We’ve been to this restaurant before and what I like about it is that the food is always delicious, but they change the menu which doesn’t tend to happen too often in Corsica. This time we chose the gnoccheti with mushrooms, red onions, cherry tomatoes and mussels (yummy!) and the dish of the day which was spinach spaghetti with a delicious home made pesto sauce, white fish and cherry tomatoes.

lthough we were chatting in French, the waiter obviously picked up on my English accent and was keen to impress us with his linguistics. Sadly, they only extended to ‘there you go, enjoy your meal’ but at least he tried bless him!

15 August - Fête de l'Assomption

2010-08-15T23:59:00.001+02:00

The 15th August is the Fête de l'Assomption which is celebrated all across the island. Of course, I had no idea what that actually was, except that we get a fabulous firework display – what more do I need to know?

However, I knew that my natural curiosity – some say nosiness, but I disagree! – would get the better of me, and I very quickly found myself on Google looking it up. According to the Roman Catholic faith (amongst others), ‘Assumption’ was the day that the Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven at the end of her life. Ah, that explains the candlelit church procession then…

At 11pm, the lights of the port (and more worryingly the lighthouse!) were doused, and the first huge boums were quickly followed by the twinkling coloured lights of the fireworks over the bay.

This year we were treated to three displays all on the same night, so not only could we see the huge kaleidoscope patterns over the port, but another display somewhere across the bay reflecting on the water.

The main display lasted about half an hour and just as that finished, the one at Porto Pollo started up. At first I wasn’t sure whether the ‘pop, pop’ sounds where a by product of the start of the hunting season, or something else but the deep black of the sky was soon broken again with falling glitter.

Calvi and Bonifacio have perhaps the most exciting celebrations as their displays are in the form of ‘son et lumière’ sound and light shows projected on to their respective Citadels, but the 15th August also marks the birth of Emperor Napoleon 1st, which make this date the high point of the summer season in Ajaccio…

Sunset over the Tour de Capo Nero

2010-08-14T23:07:00.013+02:00

Today started off a bit overcast but after an hour or two of apocalyptic looking skies and the odd flash of lightning, it brightened up sufficiently to do a 10km hike up the hill – I’m not entirely sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing?!

It also gave us the most amazing sunset, and with the new camera and its super-duper zoom, I was even able to get a decent shot of the Genoese tower ‘Tour de Capo Nero’ which is miles away!

Tonight is the start of the 15th August celebrations (Fête de l'Assomption), so at 9pm the church bells started for the candlelit procession, and then 10pm there was another free concert by Svegliu d’Isula on the port although they were drowned out initially by the over enthusiastic bell ringer from the church (or someone who forgot to turn the tape off!). Tomorrow will be the biggest firework display of the year, so I’d better start charging the camera batteries now...

Cippiniello, Baracci & Vitricella - a trio of beaches!

2010-08-11T16:12:00.001+02:00

This morning we’d intended to be on the beach bright and early, as we were going to attempt a sport of trespassing! Whilst technically there are no private beaches in Corsica, some are bordered completely by private land, making access impossible except by boat.

We’d decided to go to the far end of Baracci plage and try a spot of ‘escalade’ to get to the Plage de Cippiniello which is one such beach. Unfortunately, after a rather nasty near-amputation injury the day before, proper rock/hiking shoes were out of the question, so we quickly abandoned plan A, and headed back to the car and on to Vitricella.

We found a fabulous spot just at the waters edge and backed by trees in case we needed to retreat from the sun. It wasn’t long before we were joined by first one young family and then another, keen to make the most of the shallow waters and thick golden sand – the very best for making sand castles!

Within 2 hours, I felt like a giant in the land of midgets (not for the first time in Corsica!) and we were surrounded by toddlers of all nationalities. Some of the parents were apologetic that our bit of R&R in the sun had gone for a burton, so we decided to return the consideration and leave them to it so that the kids could laugh and scream to their hearts content with a clear conscience!

Olmeto Plage

2010-08-08T23:59:00.001+02:00

I’d managed to pull a calf muscle climbing over a gate on private land (trespassing is not something I’d recommend generally speaking!), so as it didn’t get any better with my morning walk, I decided that as I was already halfway to Olmeto Plage, I’d see if a swim would help.

Sunday mornings are the best time for the beach in August. Those arriving on the flights from the UK haven’t yet arrived, and those already here tend to have a well earned lie-in, so there was just a smattering of people dotted along the sand.

This is absolutely my favourite stretch of beach in the Valinco – perhaps in Corsica – so after my swim I was happy to amuse myself with a spot of people watching. The bay was full of boats of all descriptions; dinghies to yachts, sailing boats to little motorboats, but by far the most interesting was the one that looked like they had a nun on board...

I’d only got the little camera with me as opposed to the one with the huge zoom, so I had to wonder in ignorance for quite a while before they came close enough to the shore for me to work out that it was actually a teatowel and not a wimple she was wearing which did make a bit more sense when you come to think about it!

There was even an ‘ahh’ moment when I caught sight of the kids fishing from the rocks. They had a long cane fishing rod that was dangling into the shallows so I wasn’t sure they’d catch anything larger than a tiddler, but they seemed content.

There is no peace for the wicked and after about an hour I heard the familiar tunes of the mobile ringing in my bag so it was time to limp back to work. It was then that I discovered that my car is front wheel drive which came as a bit of a relief as otherwise I would have been calling one of the much maligned 4x4 drivers to come and get the car out of the little ditch next to where I’d parked...

Svegliu d’Isula in Concert, Baracci

2010-08-08T23:53:00.002+02:00

Perhaps the best known of the Corsican groups is I Muvrini (who sang with Sting), who regularly tour the island, and we’d intended to go to the Sartène concert, but when I discovered that Svegliu d’Isula would be playing at the Baracci fair on the same night, there was really no contest.

Svegliu d’Isula – which translates as 'awakening of the island' – originate from the Valinco Sartenais and so despite their rise to fame locally and on the continent since 2007, we are often privy to free concerts in the region - HURRAH!

This weekend, the concert was the highlight of the Foire de Baracci country fair. We’d arrived early to pick up some unusual bits and bobs such as a handbag made entirely from zips(!) which sounds odd but is actually very creative, and some delicious fig jam.

I am a country girl at heart so I love the Baracci area, and I have always been fascinated by the ‘Hotel de Baracci’ which apparently was built in the 1900’s by Russian immigrants. The building is really more reminiscent of those found in the north of the island, with Italianate styling and sunbleached façade, which unfortunately has fallen to wrack and ruin.

It is actually a travesty that this building has not been transformed into a boutique hotel or something similar, but when you see it in the cold harsh light of day, you can appreciate the amount of money that would be needed. Nonetheless, every time I pass I can’t help feeling just a little sad…

Being a country fair, there was the usual collection of food stalls and we decided on a couple of Brochettes de Veau (spit roast free range veal kebabs in a hunk of baguette) with a couple of glasses of moonshine (optimistically classed as wine, but no label on the bottle and you wouldn't want to smoke and drink at the same time!) from the little shack erected at the edge of the building.

OK, so as we got closer to the front of the queue I was slightly disturbed at the lack of health and safety (huge flames very close to bamboo type stuff) and the environmental health would have had a field day with the bloke using what looked like gardening gloves to hold the meat whilst he hacked bits off with a saw(!), but it tasted scrummy so that's all that counts I guess...

The grounds were packed with locals and tourists alike and we ate to the sounds of a couple of local groups; Armunia di Vigna and Doministra, before the main concert started at 21h30. There were people everywhere, sitting at tables, on the ground, in the trees and perched on walls.

Each song was explained in French and Corsican. They explained that the language of Corsica should be kept alive and how it is shameful that so many local languages such as ‘Bonifacien’ has been lost over the years. This is what true nationalism is all about, and I have never felt so ignorant and foreign in all my years in Corsica.

The other illuminating moment of the evening - if you'll pardon the pun - was when we came to leave and realised just how dark the dark can be in Corsica. There are no street lights at Baracci and I could feel myself walking on something squidgy, so I was almost glad that the thousands of tiny stars lighting up the night were not bright enough to show me where I was going!

EVVIVA CORSICA!

Foire de Baracci (Baracci Country Fair)

2010-08-07T21:21:00.006+02:00

During July and August it seems that there is a fair on every week (well, perhaps not quite!) but this weekend was the Foire de Baracci.

As usual there was very little publicity for what is locally a very important event. The banner over the road to Olmeto had been scrunched up by the wind and there were just a few fluorescent arrows along the road. Helpfully, these had also fallen victim to the wind and they were all facing in contradictory directions, so I was amazed that anyone actually found the thing!

The surrounding fields had been mown to provide free and easy parking, but of course the thought of walking 30m was too much for the locals, so they most of them had parked in the middle of the road, literally along the white lines so there is no room to pass in either direction unless your car is the size of a Tonka toy!

This one is definitely worth a visit though as the setting is absolutely lovely and so rural you'd never believe you are only about 1km from the sea and the fabulous beaches of the Valinco. There was the usual selection of local produce such as olive oils, jams, trinkets, jewellery, oil paintings and some impressive water colours.

The kids were well catered for by Baracci Natura who’d rigged up a zip wire in the trees surrounding the tennis courts. Goodness knows how they did it in time as none of it was there when I’d walked by first thing in the morning.

Behind the tennis courts the local commune had made sure the swings and slides had been cleared before the fair, and there there was also a manège (merry-go-round) on the tennis courts. M. d’Istria was there to offer donkey rides as usual, but this time they had to run the gauntlet of the flock of sheep that had moved into the second tennis court and seem to have eaten the net…

Responsible Tourism

2010-08-06T21:46:00.002+02:00

August in Corsica brings two things in abundance; dust and camping cars. The dust I can cope with (especially when people write friendly notes on the back of my car!), but the camping cars can be a bit of a menace. This was brought home to me this morning whilst we were out walking and came across a very ‘green’ notice written on a recyclable paper bag and attached with twigs.

It seems that a campervan had illegally camped overnight next to the river, leaving behind all kinds of detritus even including old pots and a camping stove (not something you should leave lying around in the shrubbery on an island as dry as tinderwood). OK, so the shepherd cleared it up this time, but who will be there next time?

It got me thinking that a timely reminder about responsible tourism wouldn’t go amiss…

1. Don’t litter! Mum always told us to put our rubbish in our pockets or a bag and take it home with us - sound advice.

2. Avoid picking wild flowers as they may be endangered.

3. Dispose of cigarettes carefully – approximately a third of the island is wooded and it only takes a moment of carelessness to destroy hectares and hectares of countryside.

4. Take an interest in the community in which you are staying and behave in a way that will not offend local people or their beliefs, or more importantly damage the land or endanger their livelihoods.

5. Be aware that water supplies can be limited - take showers as opposed to baths, try use washing machines and dishwashers sparingly, and only when full.

6. Don’t leave air-conditioning units running when you go out. The locals have dealt with the heat for years with the use of shutters. The simple ideas are often the best!

OK, lecture over!!

Mancinu Plage

2010-08-01T11:48:00.000+02:00

For some reason I had a Julie Andrews moment this morning and was up at the crack of dawn cheerfully making clothes from curtains (metaphorically speaking!), so by 9:30am I’d broken the back of the days work and was on the look out for something to occupy me.

This morning I wasn’t intending to swim and although it was hot enough to sunbathe, I really wanted to just sit on the beach and indulge in a spot of people watching, so Mancinu was perfect. It sits just between the town and the harbour, and it’s here that most of the water sports start, so there are plenty of comings and goings.

Fortunately, I had my glasses on because otherwise I would have been quite convinced that my eyes were playing tricks on me when I spotted a car crossing paths with a yacht in the bay! It turns out that it was a ‘James-Bond-amphibian’ style pedalo with a slide on the front – how cool is that! I definitely need to have a go at that next time.

The beach itself was surprisingly quiet until about 11am, with only the odd canoe passing and peals of laughter from the kiddiwinks running in and out of the water, but then I suppose most people were indulging in a bit of a lie-in – it is Sunday after all!

Filitosa - Fiera di u Turismu Campagnolu (Filitosa Country Fair)

2010-07-31T21:54:00.023+02:00

It’s not easy to amuse yourself in the queue for the post office, but luckily I’d found a leaflet on the counter for the Foire de Filitosa, an organic/agricultural fair next to the prehistoric site of Filitosa.

As well as all the farm type produce; cheeses, oils, charcuterie (cured meats) etcetera, this fair has a real ‘homemade’ feel to it with people selling artisanal jams, jewellery, leather good and even hand made wicker baskets.

It was another scorcher today and I was glad that someone had had the foresight to put up some sail type affairs so that we could wander from stall to stall in the shade. There were a good few stalls but also, spit roast pigs and refreshments as well as some entertainment for the kiddies (and big kids) with a gyroscope and climbing wall supervised by the local firemen.

As you’d expect from a countryside fair, there were animals pens with sheep and horses, but what really caught my eye were the ‘vache tigre’ (tiger cows). I couldn’t believe they would be what I was imagining, so I decided to pop along and see for myself! In fact, they turned out to be HUGE cows with the same markings as Corsinu dogs which look a bit like tiger stripes.

It doesn’t bear thinking about how M. Abbatucci created this hybrid. The bull was terrifying and I would quite see why they had put a rope barrier about 2m back from his actual pen, but the calf was so cute I almost considered getting one to stable it on my balcony…

All thoughts of cute cows went out of the window once I caught sight of the donkeys. Sadly, I thought they might collapse from exhaustion if I tried to take advantage of the 3€ tours of the fields, but they were incredibly cute.

Then I saw the babies! 3 and 4 months old respectively and they let us pet them and stroke their ears. One mad woman got a bit carried away and wanted her photo taken kissing the donkey and got rather more than she’d bargained for…

Gorges de l'Asco

2010-07-29T22:46:00.001+02:00

No matter how beautiful the place you live, sometimes you just need to escape from day to day life, so this week we decided to take a road trip up to Haute Asco, Thelma and Louise style (but with less murders obviously!).

In the winter, Asco is better known as a ski station rising from 1400m-2000m altitude, but in the summer, the high peaks and gorges take on an altogether different feel, with glistening emerald green rock pools and pebble ‘beaches’ where you can soak up the sun before a refreshing dip (and I do mean refreshing even in the height of summer!).

Unfortunately for tourists and those not used to driving in Corsica, there is no indication that the narrow access road down to the Genoese bridge is basically a dead end, so the parking is a bit of a free-for-all, but the upside is that there are hours of entertainment to be had watching smug looking 4x4 drivers realise that they’ll either have to attempt a 53 point turn on a windy mountain road, or reverse all the way back up again – a victory for the little people!

After picking our way down the track and wading over the river, we decided to settle ourselves on one of the pebble beaches so that I could take photos while the others swam through the rock gorges to the next set of interlinked pools. It wasn’t long before we were joined by a random dog.

This always seems to happen in Corsica, and they generally attach themselves to small children who will play with them (or me!) until they have worn themselves out. This one wanted to catch stones as we were skimming them across the water. She was surprisingly successful, so I was slightly concerned that we might have to mount a daring river rescue if she ate too many and sank!

Further along the gorge is the ancient Genoese bridge for those who don’t fancy wading across the river as we’d done. This is a fabulous example, and my imagination soon ran away with me so that I could almost see the mules and old woman shrouded in black crossing back and forth. A big ‘plouf’ brought me back to the present day and I realised that people were jumping off the other side – how exciting!

So there I was with my camera, ready to take my action shot of either a jumper or alternatively a nasty broken leg. I could hear the conversations between the jumpers which worryingly were going something like this;

‘Is it deep enough to jump from here?’
‘Hang on, I’ll check … I can’t touch the bottom so I guess it’s maybe 2m deep’
‘OK then I’ll try, should be OK’

EEK! I must be getting old because all I could see was the accident waiting to happen, but fortunately my worst fears proved to be unfounded. PHEW!

We’d had lunch at the Auberge E Cime which is just a few minutes from the gorge. The view from the terrace over the high peaks of Asco is absolutely stunning, and I blame the altitude rather than the wine for the giggly afternoon that followed.

The food was ok but a bit ‘interesting’ if you know what I mean. I’d chosen the Civet de Sanglier as it is one of my absolute favourite dishes, but I strongly suspect that the ‘Plat du Jour’ might have been lasagne or Spaghetti Bolognese as I pretty much got the stock sauce with some lumps of wild boar in. Not quite what I was expecting, but tasty nonetheless!

The afternoon’s refreshments were from the café opposite the Tortoise sanctuary at Moltifao. It turned out that this it was actually a campsite with a pool, pretty stone buildings and all sorts of amenities – amazing as we were basically in the back of beyond!

Cascade du Voile de la Mariée, Bocognano

2010-07-28T21:42:00.000+02:00

I really wasn’t on form this morning, and honestly the last thing I wanted to do was to sit in a car for 4 hours in the soaring heat, so we decided to treat ourselves with a little stopover on the way…

I’d never been to the Cascade du Voile de la Mariée which is only a 10 minute detour from the main road at Bocognano. The waterfall is very high so it’s a bit of an uphill climb through the trees and rocks but it only takes about 10 minutes. At this time of year there isn’t much water but that didn’t bother me as it looked almost like lace tumbling over the rocks, and you can really appreciate the colours in the rock pools.

At the start of the trail is a panel to explain about the cascade and photos from all different seasons, so we decided then and there that we’d have to return in the spring when the waterfall is basically a gushing torrent.

Restaurant La Crique, Abartello

2010-07-23T13:07:00.003+02:00

When I first came to La Crique, it really was just a little shack – one of three that sit above a two fabulous sandy coves. How things have changed in the last 15 years!

It’s been a few years since I have eaten here, and to be honest the last time probably doesn’t count as I have been reliably informed that huge ice creams decorated with fruit do not constitute a proper lunch! Anyway, the food has always been good so as soon as I spotted mussels on the menu, I knew we didn’t need to look any further.

We decided to take two different dishes so that we could swap and enjoy double the flavour sensations, so we went for a Moules Marinières with chips (naughty) and a Carpaccio of dorade with a citrus and olive oil dressing and green salad. Both dishes were super tasty and we finally had to admit defeat as we couldn’t finish the huge mountain of mussels between us.

So all in all, fab food and I thought excellent value for money. We had two aperitifs, two main courses, glass of wine and two coffees, and the bill came to 41 euros. No wonder the restaurant was busy, and Franck (the owner) told us that you have to reserve in advance for the evening if you want a cool spot out of the sun. Must bear that in mind…

Pianotolli-Calderello

2010-07-23T12:55:00.000+02:00

We had a free afternoon and desperately wanted to go off and do something a bit different to divert ourselves. After a quick discussion, we decided to head down to Bonifacio on the basis that there is always wind there so it would be a bit cooler. Of course, we never made it that far…

OK, so it was the afternoon and it was already 34 degrees when we left, but as we headed down the west coast the temperature was creeping up and up so that by the time we arrived at Pianotolli-Calderello, it was up to 38 degrees and we had to stop and buy water before we were dry roasted in the car!

We decided there and then to abandon ideas for a walk along the Falaises at Bonifacio as it was just too hot. By chance, there is a little turning just a few metres from the shop where we’d stopped, that goes down to a series of beautiful crescent shaped sandy beaches. Decision made!

I have only ever been to these beaches out of season and I was surprised by how busy they get in the summer. That said, it’s no surprise really; shallow turquoise waters, golden sand and some stunning rock formations for anoraks like me who like that sort of thing!

We paddled out to the flat rocks and sat there with our legs in the water. There was a lovely cool breeze and although we’d put sun cream on when we left the car, I probably should have topped it up every 15 minutes or so as I didn’t notice until it was too late that my ‘bronzage agricole’ (t-shirt shaped suntan) is now worse than ever – drats!!

Petit Niagra Waterfall

2010-07-19T21:58:00.000+02:00

Back in April we’d been to get to the Petit Niagra waterfalls, but to get to flat rocks and really appreciate the fast moving water gushing over the smooth rocks, you have to cross the river.

Last time the water levels were too high, but today they were just perfect. I completely forgot to pack my rock shoes – d’Oh! – but luckily the water in the top pool wasn’t too deep with a sandy bed, so I just scooped up my flipflops and waded over accompanied by three random dogs.

The views from this side are absolutely incredible and we were lucky enough to have the place almost to ourselves. My new toy (Canon SX20 camera) also takes videos so you can hear the roaring of the water.

The rocks are pitted with pools – some deep enough to completely submerge yourself in and others shallow enough just to paddle. Although the sun was roasting, the water was refreshingly cool (perhaps a bit too cool!), and it was actually a welcome relief to lie on the rocks which were still cool from the drop in temperature over night.

We stayed a couple of hours which was enough to top up the tan and de-stress, and definitely enough to do my back in! As we were getting changed, I spotted some tadpoles in one of the little pools at the edge by the vegetation. Where there are tadpoles there are invariably frogs...

I was just quick enough to snap this little guy before the cries of delight from the teenagers using the rocks as an impromptu water slide scared him away. What a fabulous change from the beach...

Plage Campitellu

2010-07-18T21:56:00.001+02:00

We knew it’d bee a hot one today and we weren’t wrong – 37 degrees by 11:30am – so we chose a beach on a headland where we hoped we’d find a little bit of a breeze.

Against my better judgement (I was all for a nice ‘grasse matinée’ lie-in), we were on the beach shortly after 8am to stake our claim to a nice spot. At that time of the morning, the amateur fishermen are out in the bay casting their rods, as much for the peace and solitude as for any real hope of catching something to pop on the BBQ for lunch.

It was already hotting up nicely, so we settled in for a snooze on the sand, but it wasn’t long before our secluded little corner of paradise was invaded by others with the same idea – who could blame them! Luckily even in July and August there is still room for everyone without feeling like Sardines as you do on the cote d’Azur.

We watched as the huge yachts that had been moored overnight in the bay made their way one by one out into the open waters. There was some serious money on the water today, and we agreed that it was probably just as well we didn’t have a yacht as the petrol alone for some of these huge beasts would set you back a small fortune.

It was another victory for the new canon with it’s 20x zoom though, as we were able to be nosy paparazzo style and really get a glimpse into how the other half live. However, having taken a couple of identical shots with both cameras to test the quality, I have to say that the little powershot certainly held its own.

The plan was to stay on the beach until lunchtime and then eat at Chez Angele which is a very rustic beachside paillote. The only slight disappointment of the day was that they seem to have tried to upgrade it to a proper restaurant so that it no longer fits the simple surroundings, so we decided to head just a couple of minutes round the bay to ‘la Crique’ instead...

Restaurant at the Hotel Incudine, Zonza

2010-07-15T18:00:00.000+02:00

Today I had to pop over to Porto Vecchio to visit the Apartment Memona, so as the temperatures were edging ever nearer to the 40’s, I decided to head through the mountains which I hoped might be a bit cooler than via the main coastal road.

After a quick stop at the source just outside Zonza, we’d timed it just right to arrive in the village in time for lunch – result! We often eat at the Auberge du Sanglier when we stop here, but today we fancied a change so as we spotted Gerard as we passed in front of the Hotel Incudine, we decided to stop and eat at the hotel.

What a delicious treat! I can honestly say that it was the best meal we’ve had at a restaurant in a very long time. We started with the Terrine de Veau which was amazingly meaty and came with salad and a scrummy pepper and tomato chutney style topping. Next I’d chosen the Sanglier (wild boar) with olives and polenta. The meat was perfectly cooked and the flavours made my mouth water before I’d even tried a bite. We couldn’t leave without checking that the desserts were up to scratch, so I chose a homemade lemon cake with tangy lemon sorbet. Absolutely perfect.

A couple of coffees, and we were on our way again. We stopped briefly at the Lac de l’Ospedale which is a huge man-made dam, and then a little detour past the restaurant Le Refuge to the hamlet of Cartalavonu. There are some beautiful authentic houses up here with sunbleached shutters and oodles of character

It was while photographing this tiny abode that the owner wandered over and asked if we wanted to look inside. What an experience! It was almost like stepping into a time warp and as the nice lady offered us water and told us that she’d grown up here, and we were amazed to find that they’d been six people in this small one bedroomed shack.

It was the first time that I have ever been invited in off the street like that, and we were so grateful to have been taken on a tour of her past. Something I shall treasure forever.

Bastille Day, 14 July

2010-07-14T23:50:00.000+02:00

I love fireworks! Here in Propriano we get them twice a year on Bastille Day (14 July) and the Fête de l'Assomption (15 August).

This year I was extra lucky as Olmeto had their celebrations on Tuesday night so that for two nights running at 11pm, the night sky has been illuminated by bright red and blue kaleidoscope patterns and bright white patterns of falling stars.

Lots of the neighbours and their kiddiwinks headed down to the port to get the best from the atmosphere, but as we have such a fabulous view from the balcony it was just too tempting to relax with a glass or two of rose and enjoy the show…

Walking in Corsica – Chemin de Croix (Olmeto)

2010-07-14T21:44:00.000+02:00

I am always on the lookout for new walking trails around the area, so after quizzing one of my friends over lunch, we headed up to Olmeto to search out the Chemin de Croix.

I was completely unprepared for walking (as usual) and didn’t even have my own car with me which is normally home to various walking boots and trousers etc., but as the walk starts from the church in the village, I was lulled into a false sense of security and set off happily in my flipflips and skirt.

It was fascinating to wander through the narrow streets and have a good nosy at the ancient stone houses all huddles together and covered in brightly coloured flowers. Before long, the path narrows to a track and starts to head down across the wooded hillside.

The walk is dotted with crosses marking the route and explanations. Close to each marker can generally be found an ancient stone also bearing the mark of a cross. This indicates that a child was buried here to be kept close to God. The pathways were also covered with olive nets, but the fruits aren’t quite ripe enough yet.

For the most part, the path is easy (if you’ve not got flipflops on!) and it’s only the last section that really makes you feel like your heart is about to burst out of your chest. It’s well worth the effort though, as the path opens out to the Chapel St. Esprit

This tiny little chapel is quite a distance from the village – 45/60 minutes each way depending on your fitness – and dates back to the 1100’s. Each year at Pentecost, there is a procession from the village to the chapel, and after mass, the congregation gather behind the church for an open air picnic with a free buffet and musicians.

The church is also home to a ‘Mystère’. If you stand at the alter (which is basically just a table) and look through the tiny window opposite, most people see the face of Jesus in the enormous rocks opposite, sitting high above the village.

Restaurant Aria Marina, Cappiciolo

2010-07-14T15:40:00.002+02:00

I am easily tempted to naughtiness, so when someone suggests lunch at the beach, I’ve normally got my shoes on and am halfway to the car before they’ve finished the sentence!

As today was also my day off, we knew we had time to venture a little further, and we decided to head round the other side of the bay to Cappiciolo. Years ago, we used to come to this glorious stretch of sand as there was a little ‘grillade’ place right on the beach.

In the last 15 years, the place has changed enormously, and where there was once a rough parking area, there is now a hotel with magnificent grounds, the restaurant has been extended, and there is even a swimming pool! The original restaurant has even been turned into a collection of luxury suites – wow!

We settled ourselves right at the edge of the beach under one of the Caribbean style parasols. It was so hot that we didn’t bother looking at the grilled fishes and various other speciality dishes, but settled on a couple of colourful salads.

It was whilst I was munching my way through the smoked salmon, crab and huge gambas style prawns that we spotted the smoke rising from the other side of the bay. The wind was blowing towards the town, so it wasn’t long before were treated to an aerial display by the Canadairs.

The dunes here are home to all sorts of indigenous plants, so structured walkways have been laid to encourage people to avoid trampling them too much. Sadly, the proprietor isn’t too enamoured of the new system and I cynically suspect that the wooden walkways will come in very useful for the winter BBQ soirees!

Restaurant l'Oasis, Propriano

2010-07-12T17:28:00.005+02:00

People kept mentioning l’Oasis and how nice it was but I had no idea where it was, so after quizzing my neighbours after their recent night out, I decided to give it a try the next time an opportunity presented itself (which is never that long to wait!).

Well, this is certainly one that lives up to it’s name! I must have walked past it goodness knows how many times on my way to the Plage du Lido, without realising what a fab place was tucked away just behind the wooden gates.

It’s difficult to know to best describe l’Oasis, as it’s one of those ‘all things to all men’ type places. You can grab a coffee in one of the covered booths, take lunch or dinner on the terrace with coloured curtains and pretty iron lights, grab a drink from the bar while you are bronzing yourself on the sand, or even settle on one of the loungers at the front.

We’d arrived for coffee, but chatted so long that we decided to stay for lunch! I went for the Salade de chèvre chaud (warm goat’s cheese salad) which is one of my all time favourites, and it was absolutely delicious.

This is one of the few places where you can eat in your swimming clobber, so it’s a huge favourite for families coming straight off the beach, as well as those who are dressed to impress. Apparently, they also do Corsican evenings with singing and a set menu, so maybe that’s one to look out for next time...

Whale watching in Corsica

2010-07-11T18:37:00.002+02:00

Each year, the Corsica Mare Osservazione, as well as most of the companies offering excursions by boat around the island, take part in a project to document the whales, dolphins and sperm whales that inhabit the waters surrounding Corsica.

The idea is to observe these magnificent mammals in their natural habitats. Apparently someone asked if they could throw bits of bread to entice them closer to the boats like we do when we go fishing, but the bloke said they'd need a whole ferry load of crumbs, so we didn’t bother!

These beautiful creatures tend to return to the same areas year after year, and in fact you can hear on the video below the story (in French) on Marina, a whale that was injured by a boat and is therefore easily identifiable by her deformed back.

Marina, unlike most whales and dolphins, does not migrate to warmer waters in the winter, so she can often be spotted off the coast even during the winter.

Obviously given that these are mammals in their natural environment, you can never guarantee to spot them, but this was a particularly good trip with whales swimming happily alongside the boat, although the dolphins were obviously hiding!

Baracci Natura

2010-07-11T17:26:00.001+02:00

I need a lot of exercise (probably something to do with all that yummy cheese I eat!) and I am easily bored, so when our local shepherd said that I could walk on his land, I jumped at the chance! What I didn’t realise was that the walking track starts at Baracci Natura, so as I was there anyway, I thought I’d take the time to be nosy...

In Corsica, it’s amazing how quickly you can pass from the seaside to the wilds of the countryside, and this place is definitely in the countryside category, so I was surprised to see a row of hard hats and wetsuits dancing in the breeze. It turns out that they do all sorts there; Canyoning, Via Ferrata and even and adventure park – blimey!

I’ve actually been walking in the Baracci Canyon (above) which it turns out is about 15 minutes upstream. I really must get myself on an orienteering course as I had approached it from the otherside and had no idea the two were connected. The Canyon is accessible to anyone from about 10 years upwards and includes jumps, slides, rope bridges, swimming and water shutes - eek!

The adventure park consists of 50 obstacles along two courses lasting approximately 1h 30 for the two courses combined. I looked at the first climbing wall to get onto the course and quickly decided that I needed to be a bit fitter to try that! However, they do have a smaller park for the kiddies (aged 5 and above) which can be combined with the larger park which is for kids or older children and ‘big kids’ alike!

I’m not quite sure if we have a name for Via Ferrata in English, but basically it’s a circuit of about 1h30 across rope bridges, down zip lines, across bars, up/down ladders, a bit of abseiling and some climbing – PHEW! I can't really tell the difference between Via Ferrata and the Adventure Park. One seems a more extreme version of the other, but given my propensity for bizarre and often fairly serious accidents, probably best for me to remain in blissful ignorance!

They asked me if I wanted to try, but as I am such a cowardy custard where heights are concerned, I decided to stick to my walking and leave the more adventurous stuff to the adrenaline junkies!

Arena Bianca beach with a new camera

2010-07-04T17:39:00.004+02:00

My new toy arrived this week (a new camera), so it didn’t take much to tempt me out and about to give it a trial run – all in the name of research of course!

It was a bit of a strange morning; hot and sunny but with fluffy white clouds over the northern side of the bay, and a real heat haze over the southern side, so I decided to try the Arena Bianca beach, and hope that I could find a nice big chunk of blue sky.

The sky had a slightly pink tinge to it as a result of the heat haze which was great in the end because the combination of rock plates and sand under the water gave it a very greenish colour and the contrast was quite amazing.

I really wanted to try out the zoom (x20) which was more than double the range of my old faithful Canon. It was absolutely amazing how clear the images were even at a distance, and I was able to be really nosy and check out the collection of huge yachts leaving the bay at close quarters.

I also managed to pick out some snorkelers closer to the coast, which again I don’t think I would have got such clarity with the old camera.

The evening found me out and about again, this time on the Plage Mancinu. I’d been walking on the Route de Baracci and the sunset was just so amazing with the sailing boats moored in the bay that I just had to stop – one more reason why I always have a camera on me!

So, how does the new Canon SX20 compare with my old A700? Well in the words of Terry Jacks ‘goodbye to you my trusted friend’ – the old camera has already been relegated to the clutter basket in the kitchen!

♪♪ We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
Da da dah, da da dah
Were just seasons out of time ♪♪

Or something like that anyway!

Fromagerie l’Eternu, Arbellara (cheesemakers)

2010-07-03T20:39:00.006+02:00

If the old wives are to be believed, ‘You are what you eat’ which means that I am either destined to look like a big round cheese with chutney style hair, or a skinny green bean – I know which I’d prefer!

That said, I am a great believer in providing your body with the best quality you can where food is concerned. I cook every day (even when the temperatures are above the mid thirties as they are today), and I think it’s a false economy to buy ready meals from the supermarket. It was this slight foodie obsession that led me to the Fromagerie l’Eternu at Arbellara.

My friend Patricia who is very into all things BIO (organic) mentioned over lunch that she’d been helping out at a local cheese producer who not only makes all her own cheeses, but butter, liqueurs, jams and pickled vegetables – sounds like a full time job to me!

We decided to take a trip up to see for ourselves, and I was in absolute hog’s heaven. They let us try all the cheeses and explained that although most cheeses in Corsica are of the ‘Brebis’ variety (sheep's milk), they’d recently got two cows called Fleurette & Marguerite so that they could experiment with cows milk and also a mix of the two.

Apparently, Fleurette & Marguerite have now had a baby, so I found myself hoping that organic veal wouldn’t be added to the list of produce, but they were so excited about their new arrival, I felt sure they wouldn’t be on the dinner table any time soon!

Natacha, the ‘Fromagiere’ was absolutely lovely and reminded us all of Heidi. She showed us the store rooms and even the upper part of the building where the cheeses are made and then smoked. The smell was heavenly, and it was no surprise we all left clutching bags!!

Corsica Brownie Badge system...

2010-07-01T11:28:00.002+02:00

Life in Corsica is full of trials and tribulations on a daily basis; it’s almost like living in a soap opera where the surreal is an everyday occurrence, and things happen that no normal person would expect to encounter on a day to day basis. Consequently, I have decided to institute a ‘Corsica Brownie Badge’ system whereby I’ll award badges for the most bizarre incidents, or things deemed to be truly Corsican.

As an example, I am going to award myself the Countryside badge for fending off the old gappy toothed men who try to chat me up while I’m out walking in the countryside, and the endurance badge for going to the supermarket in July. I’m also currently trying for the needlework badge because I’m making a voodoo doll of my neighbour (although it seems I am not the only one on that score, so might be pipped to the post!). Marilyn will get the wildlife badge for bravely fending off a bat attack (yes, really!), and Karen can have the technology badge for dealing with France telecom – say no more!

Monsieur S (who has to remain nameless) will be awarded the ingenuity badge for valiantly cutting down an EDF electricity pole with his chainsaw when he ran out of wood to finish the Paillote at his new camp site, and the old lady at the supermarket will get the fashion-forward badge for shopping in her purple dressing gown and slippers in the middle of the day!

Anyone else wanting a badge, just let me know and I’ll post the winners below...

Apricots

2010-06-27T15:31:00.002+02:00

One of our neighbours has an apricot tree, and this year there are so many apricots hanging from the branches that he told us it was ‘weeping with fruit’ – what a lovely expression. Of course what it means is that we’re all now eating apricots with everything, for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Fortunately, I love them; baked, caramalised, straight off the tree, in jam or under crumble, it doesn’t matter to me! In fact, this morning I came over all ‘Nigella Lawson’ and even had a bash at making my own croissants. They didn’t come out quite as well as the ones from the bakery, but the warm buttery taste went so well with the sweet, juicy fruits that it didn’t matter.

It got me thinking though, because I found out an amazing amount about strawberry trees (Arbouses) when they were in season, and a quick Google search threw up lots of interesting facts. Apparently, as early as the year 502, apricot seeds were used to treat tumours and later in the 17th century, also ulcers. I tend to think of fruits as being quite acidic, so I was surprised about the ulcer part.

Sadly, scientists declared them to have no effects on cancer but they are packed full of Carotenoids – more than any other food – and these antioxidants are thought to help with heart disease, ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, and protect against cancer. Obviously you can have too much of a good thing, but it sounds to me like a few more can’t hurt!