Monday - Tuesday, October 7-8th - Days 27 and 28 - Travel to Serra di Ferro, Corsica and First Day There
After spending a comfortable night in the Residhome Aeroport hotel in Nice, we repacked our suitcases after adjusting to make the weight limitation (23 kgs) enforced by Air Corsica. We had to leave a couple food items in the room for that reason. We walked the 10-15 minutes to the tramway - unfortunately a light rain was falling so that wasn't especiallly pleasant. However, the tram to Terminal 2 at the airport saves about 15 minutes of walking and is free, so that is a bonus. We were among the first in the check-in line and got through security pretty efficiently. We then headed to the Priority Pass club (Infinity) in the terminal to have some food and drinks before boarding our plane at 12:30pm The flight over was pleasant enough - had a coffee/glass of water and read for a bit.
The approach to Ajjacio airport, flying along the gorgeous Corsican coast and over its coastal mountains, was among the most spectacular we've had - very reminiscent of arriving on some Caribbean islands. Fortunately, the rains of Nice were not present here - and you could feel the warmer temperatures and smell the fragmented air as you exited the aircraft. The Napoleon Bonaparte International airport is a nice little one and we didn't have to wait long for our bags to arrive. We got the rental car without delay and set off to find our next 'home' on the road, iin Serra di Ferro. Before doing so, though, we each changed into shorts and sandals - a welcome sign that we were in the south of Corsica - about even with Rome in terms of latitude.
It turns out that our spot is about 30 kms south of Ajaccio (pronounced a-jax-io) but Google Maps suggests that it takaes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to make the trip. We stopped at a U Supermarket in Porticcio, and fortunately found a tourist information office on the nice beach there. We got lots of good information and maps on things to do on the Island, and the woman gave us a CD of traditional Corsican music (polyphonic songs - a cross between barbershop harmonizng and Gregorian chants). They are doing amazing things to protect the island's musical heritage and there was a concert Wednesday night right here in the little church in Serra di Ferro. Unfortunately, we thought it was scheduled for Friday night so we missed it. We considered going back to Ajaccio either today or tomorrow for concerts but that would consume another whole day and we have decided against that. A rare missed opportunity for us.
The roads here are narrow and almost anywhere you go involves navigating serious switch-backs to cope with the rugged terraine. Thank goodness for Android Auto - it has served us very well in Ireland, mainland France, and now here in Corsica We found out about the terrain and rough road surfaces as we climbed out Porticcio - at least virtually all of the roads are two-lane, if narrow. You just slow down a bit and get as close to the edge of the road as possible when you meet a car. Better driving, on the whole, than in most of the west of Ireland and in the hill towns around Nice.
Serra di Ferro is a very small hilltop town - a couple of bars/restaurants, a campsite, and about 25-30 homes. There is a resort of some kind just below our driveway - a nice communal pool and some detached condo-like units. A church and school complete the picture!
We had a moment of alarm when we drove up to the Airbnb (the directions and Google Maps led us straight here - something of a miracle as we are at the end of a small and very rough track that doesn't even have a name!). The apartment appeared to be inhabited by someone already! I opened the sliding glass door and found clothing, food items, etc., all around. So we quickly called our host Marcu, who unfortunately speaks less English than we do French (a rarity in our travels!). But we made ourselves understood and we sent him a picture of the place we were looking at using WhatsApp. While getting this done Munroe noticed a terrace to the right of the apartment we had mistakenly entered - and lo and behold this was our spot! Whew!
And here is a view from our deck - the Corsican ferry making its way to France at sunset
Tuesday, October 8th
Unfortunately, the sun and warmth that met us upon arrival in Corsica were not to last. It was rainy and breezy when we woke up after our first night in Serra di Ferro. Nonetheless, we set off in search of a cafe for Deb to get her daily croissant and cappuchino fix - Munroe has been enjoying cafe o laits - and of course croissants!
From there we headed to nearby Porto Pollo, a nice coastal village (larger than Serra di Ferro) has a Spar grocery store and - to Munroe's delight - a Poissonarie!! He got a wonderfully fresh "Pagres" - a local fish caught in the immediate area - and had it cleaned and descaled. Guess what we had for dinner? The town also has a nice marina, a bunch of restaurants and hotels, and a gas station. That is our nearest shopping point. Apart from the poissonarie, the meat selection in the area is pretty thin and not very inspiring, but the veggies all were quite good. In particular, from our experience with our first dinner, we've found the Corsican tomatoes to be absolutely delicious, so we've been stocking up and using them at every opportunity!
Fortunately, the weather improved during the afternoon and we were able to enjoy a cocktail on the terrace as the sun set. We're viewing Corsica as a restorative stop on our long trip - we've been keeping a pretty steady pace during the earlier stops, so a time to collect ourselves for the Japan leg is welcome. Then we'll have a week on the north island of New Zealand to recover from what will likely be a frantic 10 days of exploring in Japan. Then we finish off with a blast on the South Island, with a number of one to three night stays consequetively. We'll be ready to rest by the time we get on the return flight home from Auckland!
