Plage de la Barrière

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!