IMMORTAL OIL IN AJACCIO, CORSICA!

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Port of Ajaccio, Corsica, France0,

Aboard the Enchanted Princess

Room Aloha 212

Sunny, 60F—another gorgeous day!

 

View outside our balcony this morning in Ajaccio

Our fifth port in a row, but no tours today!!  It was a leisurely Saturday morning in Ajaccio, but the market was bustling with all kinds of fresh fish, fresh meat, and colorful vegetables, similar to every town we have visited. It is always an experience to stroll by the stalls, one’s sense of smell and sight alive with the smells and colors.  Breads, cheeses, olives, pastries, were all in abundance.

 

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica, a French island. Even with a population of 70,000, the streets were quiet and traffic was minimal. The island itself is home to about 300,000 people.  TK and I walked about the old town and found the birth home of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769).

 

Not far away from Napoleon’s childhood home was the Citadel, built in the 16^th century, used for military headquarters during WWI and WWII, and turned over to the city just recently. Free entrance and interesting grounds.

List of WWI and WWII battles the 173rd French regiment served in

 

Just beyond the Citadel was a beach area reminiscent of the Promenade d’Anglais in Nice.

 

 

Last year before our 2022 visit, I read that Corsica was also called the French “Island of Beauty,” because a plant called “immortelle” grows there. Its flower never fades, even after it’s picked. Its oil is extracted and made into anti-aging skin care products. Of course, I was on the hunt but could not find a single skin care product last year in Corsica.  Today TK spotted a sign for a small shop, and I made a bee-line into it while he rested!

NatureElement, Corse

 Voila! The proprietor, Brigitte, did not speak English but I understood her perfectly and she understood my French! I asked her if she could tell I lived in France and she said yes! So be prepared, Friends, my skin will be young and flawless soon. In a few months who knows what will happen when I run out of the oil?

Our leisurely walk took us around the old town, looking for a coffee/pastry shop, scarcer in France than Italy. After a croissant and coffee, we continued our walk—

Galeani, where we had our coffee and croissants. 

Do  you see the thick post in the middle of the street (far right)?

 A driver drove right up to it, got out of his car

and said something to the "machine" (middle)

and the post disappeared into the ground.

He got back in his car and away he went--we thought we 

were going to see some drama. What an idea! 

A post like that is better than a stop sign!

Brookies in the coffee/pastry shop!!

St. John the Baptist church

There has to be a church somewhere in the blog!

 

Enough of that, we were ready to return to the ship with over 10,000 steps by noon!

TK's Takes: He saw only one place for coffee and pastry. He says he is surprised there aren't more wrecks the way the people drive in the countries we have visited. This morning was the coolest weather so far, but it warmed up in the afternoon.

 

[Side Note: A few days ago we received a letter from the captain that told us we will not be stopping in the Azores because of a strike situation with maritme pilots the day we would be in port. Ships cannot enter ports without a pilot.  As an alternative we will be stopping at two different ports in the Canary Islands]

 

12,000 steps by 7 p.m.

CORSICA: BIRTHPLACE OF NAPOLEON I

Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Aboard Regal Princess
Stateroom C512
Sunday, November 20, 2022
68F, sunny

Ajaccio greeted us this morning with plenty of sun.  TK caught this photo early, before we joined our Princess tour of this French island with a population of about 330,000.   Corsica is 7 miles from Sardinia, 30 miles from the Isle of Elba, 80 miles from the coast of Tuscany, and 120 miles from Nice, France. Corsica is 3,389 square miles, the 4^th largest island in the Mediterranean, after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus.

We soon learned that Corsica’s history is somewhat like other areas of the Mediterranean with a twist. The island was conquered by Charlemagne under the Holy Roman Empire. After a period of feudal anarchy, the island was transferred to the city state of Genoa which retained control over it for five centuries. The Corsican Republic was established in 1755, but the French gained control in the 1768 Treaty of Versailles.  I am sure there is more this, but our tour guide emphasized that even though the island was French when Napoleon was born in 1769, he was really Italian.

 

Napoleon overlooking the city of Ajaccio

Our first stop was at a monument dedicated to Napoleon I—Pasca said that he initiated many reforms, like centralized administration of government, a higher education system, a central bank which stabilized the economy and was backed by a gold reserve, codes of law, and a road and sewer system, many of which are still in place today.   

Our second stop was the Peninsula of Parata, a pleasant area on the seacoast with views of the Parata Tower, built in 1550 (built by the Genoese to defend the Corsican coast against barbarian invaders). There were interesting plants and flowers like wild olive trees, heather, and myrtle.  The place reminded me a little of our peninsula in Erie, but a different terrain.  It was like a nature preserve, people were walking and running in the area.

Parata --the tower is on the right

Are you up for a spectacular hike?  Pasca told us about the GR20, a 112-mile-long hike and the most difficult in Europe.  The trail winds its way along the jagged spine of Corsica’s mountainous center. According to different websites, it is a hike that is within the capabilities of most backpackers despite the rugged terrain.  Speedy hikers can do it in 5-7 days, but the average is 11-12 days.  Personally, I don’t think TK or I are up to a hike like this, but Pasca said she did it.  https://57hours.com/review/hiking-gr20/

 We heard hounds in the distance and TK found out a boar hunt was going on in the woods nearby—I really think the man we saw with the dogs was training them and it wasn’t an actual hunt.

 From this point we went to the old center city of Ajaccio near the port. More information about Napoleon, his birthplace, and churches.  TK and I walked along the street hoping to find a few souvenirs and maybe a coffee. Since it was Sunday, only one shop was open, and all the cafes and restaurants were full.  We browsed the nearby market, vegetables, honey, meat, fish, and lots of cheeses.

I love these city streets

This is the Bonaparte Bar right next to

the Home of Napoleon, which is now a museum

More streets and alleys

Alley

The market

Cheeses 

More cheeses

Pasca said that Corsica does not have many cows

Cheeses are made from sheep or goat's milk

Glorious olives!

Another perspective 

Mixed olives

Mexican olives (the way they are prepared)

Pimento olives

 

It wasn’t long before we were back at the ship.  

The Regal is ready for us

Ajaccio and Janie

TK rested and I wrote some—I was very sad that there were no shops open in Corsica—the island is known for its helichrysum italicum, a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is often called “immortelle” and grows on dry, rocky, or sandy ground, especially in Corsica. It has an extraordinary longevity and possesses amazing anti-aging properties.  That was what I was going for.

Our hometown area (Erie, Pennsylvania) had a lot of snow the last few days, possibly 2 ft. of the white fluffy wonder.  Son Brian texted us the other night that the Buffalo Bills game was moved to Detroit—and Buffalo ended up with about 72 inches. Lake Effect—Lake Erie was still quite warm, and this is what happened. I am glad we missed the snow, but we want our family and friends to be safe.  Today is Football Sunday at son Brian’s and son Randy was at hunting camp—stay safe, everyone!

 

Goodbye, beautiful Ajaccio, Corsica, France

Gibraltar, here we come--Tuesday!!

TK’s Takes:  He wasn't happy that not much was going on.  Shops and many restaurants were closed.  He said he enjoyed our quick trip to the buffet just now for a fresh crepe stuffed with cherry filling and fresh strawberries and some cream.   The ship is sure rocking and rolling tonight.

 

TK’s steps: 11,000

Janie’s steps: 10,700