Walking in Corsica – Chemin de Croix (Olmeto)

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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...

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

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!

Bonifacio Citadel

Today was one of those days when work and pleasure mingle indistinguishably, as I had to go to Bonifacio to visit the Apartment l’Eglise – what luck!



I absolutely love Bonifacio. Like Calvi, it has a huge imposing Citadel overlooking the harbour lined with colourful restaurants, bars/cafés, interesting boutiques and even a tiny aquarium!



What’s great about the citadel in Bonifacio is that unlike any others in Corsica, this one is like a mini-village not only filled with ramshackle sunbleached houses, but also artisan craftsmen making knives and wooden/wicker goods, jewellers offering the exceptionally deep red coral that is indigenous to the area.





I parked at the very top of the citadel close to the Marine cemetery. There is free parking closer to the apartment I was visiting, but as I was a little early and the sun was shining, I’d decided to park a bit further and take my time wandering through the narrow streets.



I headed straight up the Ciazza Doria (rue Doria in French). One of my favourite shops is along here – Casadoria – where I always manage to spend rather more than planned on all manner of kitchen impulse buys and nice little trinkets.



The shop is almost opposite the chapel of Saint Jean the Baptist. Bonifacio is filled with interesting places to visit and often their simple exterior belies a fascinating interior. The Sancte Joannes Batptista as it is called is home to a beautiful wooden sculpture depicting the beheading of John the Baptist which is paraded through the town each year on 29th August.



I headed on up to the church of Sainte Marie-Majeure at the heart of the citadel. Medieval in style, this is the oldest religious building in Bonifacio and has an interesting loggia at the front. In times gone by, this was where the Genoese would discuss town issues and dispense justice, but today it had an altogether calmer ambiance with just a single nun selling little wooden figures in aid of the church.



Just a few steps away was my destination, the Apartment l’Eglise. The houses in Bonifacio are all huddled together with steep staircases climbing up to the upper floors. This apartment was on the top floor, so I was expecting a lung-bursting climb, but surprisingly there were just two flights of stairs to conquer.



As the owner opened the door, I was amazed at the size of the place! For some reason I was expecting a studio-sized apartment with a couple of bedrooms tacked on, but this place felt open and spacious which is probably in part to do with the impeccable taste of the owner who has chosen key pieces of quality furniture rather than trying to overfill it.



We sat by the windows overlooking the church, and admired the views from the upper balcony. The sun was streaming in, and I felt that I could have stayed the whole day, but sadly all too soon it was time to head back.



There are a couple of restaurants within just a few steps of the apartment, and I was worried that this might make the apartment noisy, but apparently not – perhaps the proximity to the church invites a more respectful clientele!



I took a slow wander back to the car via the third church in the citadel, the Gothic church of Sainte Dominique which dates back to the 13th-14th century. The church is especially distinguished by its octagonal bell tower and the perfect accoustics of the building mean that it is often used for the performances of Corsican polyphonic singing.



In Bonifacio, even the car parks enjoy fabulous views and I was treated to the sight of a huge yacht making its way out of the harbour into the open waters of the Bouches de Bonifacio



Although it seems obvious why someone would buy an apartment in Bonifacio Citadel, my nosiness took over and I ended up giving the owner the third degree. Surprisingly, the answer was the variety of diverse beaches in the area.





From the red hued sand of Tonnara just a few minutes drive from the town, to the super pretty white sand of the Porto Vecchio beaches and the silver white sands of Sperone, there is something to suit every taste.



Personally, I’d head to Tonnara as I’d be slightly concerned at the proximity of the golf course to the beach at Petit Sperone - after all, who can tell the difference between a snoozing sunbather and the unconscious victim of an over-ambitious golf swing??