Month: May 2023

My daughter invited us to stay with her and her family in Corsica for a week. Because my wife and I are retired, we chose to extend our trip there to be able to see more of this lovely French Island in the Mediterranean. I did a little research and decided it would be best for us to meet them at their apartment in Paris (partly because we wanted to have the Eurostar under the English Channel experience, but mostly because we had not seen the grandchildren in five months) and then fly on to meet them again in Corsica. They were driving and taking the overnight car ferry from Toulon in the south of France. Since it was May we were ahead of the prime season in Corsica and things were less expensive and less crowded. We rented an economy car at the airport in Figari which is in the southern part of the island. The car was practically brand new and well suited for the narrow winding roads. Though we drove for something close to 20 hours while we were there, we spent less than 120 Euros on gas. 

Since we arrived a few days earlier than the rest of the family, we spent some time visiting the citadel and port of Bonifacio, Napoleon Bonaparte’s birth city of Ajaccio, and a day hiking and taking in the natural beauty of the south central highlands around the Village de San Gavino di Carbini. We stayed at three different B&B’s all of which were charming but in different ways. We stayed the first two nights at Chambre d’hotes Caseddu Di Poggiale, one night in Villa Alba Rosula and one night in Auberge U n’Antru Versu. The only regret was that we didn’t have enough time at any of these wonderful places. That is the problem with trying to see it all. 

The highlight of the trip was spending a week with family while we were at a coastal villa near Figa in the southeast of the island. It had a heated pool, beautiful views, and easy access to beaches. The water at the beaches was still a little cold for me and my wife, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. We also went on an all day catamaran cruise with them to the idyllic islands of Lavezzi and Cavallo off the southeast coast of Corsica. After a week we said goodbye to family as they headed back on their return trip to Paris. We stayed three more days in Corsica covering ground we had not visited yet. We had planned to take a full-day boat trip from Galeria to the UNESCO Natural Reserve of Scandola (formally known in English as, Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve) but the trip was canceled by our tour operator the night before it was scheduled to occur because of weather. (I suspect it was because there were not enough people signed up to make the trip profitable. It wasn’t sunny, but the seas were calm and there was not much wind.) As plan B, my wife chose to relax at our B&B, Résidence Casa Toga, while I chose to hike to the reserve to see what I could see. I am glad I did because it was good exercise, but the long scenic drive back to Figari the next day along the coast was even more scenic.

If you like good food, friendly people, a slower pace of life, and a fair amount of diversity of activities, then Corsica is a good choice. I highly recommend every place we stayed. They were all clean and comfortable with hosts that were kind and helpful. The breakfasts were great and we got good information about the local area from our hosts at each of the B&Bs. We cannot carry on a conversation in French, but with a little help from Google translate and a lot of help from our patient hosts we had a good time and felt welcome everywhere we went.

For photos from the first part of the trip click here. For photos from the region around the villa click here, for photos from the last part of the trip click here and for family photos (sign in required) of our May adventure click here. 

When I travel I like to get as much as I can for every dollar I spend. For this trip, I was price shopping for airline tickets to Paris (where we have family living for a few more months) and found the ticket prices to be high for our selected dates. I looked for alternative European destinations that would allow us to see something new and yet make our way to Paris and then on to Corsica with family. My search led me to a promotional flight with Virgin Atlantic to London that was less than half the price of direct flights into Paris. Since I had only spent a few days there fifteen years ago, and my wife had never been, I decided to book round-trip tickets to London. What I didn’t realize was that we would be in London at the time of the coronation of King Charles, the first coronation in the UK in my lifetime. When my wife (a follower of news about the Royal Family and at the same time a person who generally tries to avoid crowds) asked me whether our time in London coincided with the coronation, I checked. It did, and I hadn’t planned for this. Rather than change flight reservations, I decided to stay out of central London until things cleared a bit. We would try to make the best of it.

As you may know if you have read many of my posts, I like to try to see UNESCO World Heritage sites. After landing in Heathrow in the morning we went straight to the rental car agency and picked up our car. This time I chose an electric vehicle. The agent talked me into upgrading to a Tesla because it had a longer range. It was my first experience driving a fully electric vehicle and the upgrade was probably a good choice. For some reason renting an electric car was less expensive than a conventional car in England for the days we were going to be there and maybe always. I knew we would stay out of London with the vehicle. I wasn’t about to try driving on the other side of the road in a crowded city made even more challenging during the once-in-a-lifetime coronation. Our first planned stop was Windsor Castle, which is near the airport. If it was too crowded we would keep heading west. It wasn’t. We arrived before it was open and spent a couple of hours there. For photos from Windsor Castle click here. It is not a UNESCO site, but it certainly was worth the visit.

We were off to the first World Heritage site of the trip, Bath; a drive of couple hours in the Tesla from the Castle. Fortunately, the car knew the best way to the first hotel we stayed at; which I booked because it was outside of the old city and it had a charging station. The Bailbrook House Hotel also had a fine dining restaurant that was part of a package deal offer that looked interesting when I booked it. After an afternoon in Bath, taking photos and visiting the Roman Baths (You can’t swim there, but there is another modern swimming /bathing place in town.) we returned to the hotel. Dinner was excellent, and a good way to end our first day in England. Breakfast the next morning was outstanding too. Click here, for photos of Bath including some photos of our fine dining experience.

After breakfast, we departed on our drive for the day, scheduled to include two UNESCO sites: Fish and Chips and a pint in the historic naval city of Portsmouth, and sunset at the Seven Sisters Cliffs (part of the Sussex Heritage Coast). The weather looked iffy when we left Bath, but it turned out to be a beautiful day for photography. We packed a little too much into the day, but the drive was without traffic most of the time and the perfect time of the year to see the country roads of the south of England. Click here for photos from this beautiful day with some additional commentary.

The next day we got up early to return the Tesla to Heathrow and we met with our driver for the day who navigated us to and around London. It was the Sunday after the coronation. It was a rainy day and I knew we would have to be flexible. After a brief discussion with our driver, we headed towards The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; arriving just a few minutes before they opened. It is also a UNESCO site. I think because of the weather and the coronation, it was not crowded. After a few hours at the gardens, we headed towards city center. Much of the city was closed to cars, but we were able to make our way with the expert help of our driver to the Tower of London; another UNESCO site (which deserves far more time than we were able to give it). We tried to walk to Buckingham Palace but the streets were just too crowded and the time with our driver was limited, so we had him drop us off at our hotel, The Gyle, located near the train station. We would spend the rest of the time in London on foot. The photo above was taken on Monday and as you can tell, it was still a day of festivities with many people hopeful that they would catch a glimpse of somebody famous. We had a good time and I got a few good photos (especially of unusual flowers at Kew). To see the photos from our time in London, click here.

I think we did make the best of our time, but I think I have convinced my wife it is worth another trip at a slower pace. Maybe next time with her sister (my website editor) and her husband. I know I would enjoy it!