Corsica - off the grid, sunshine and saltwater

We disembark the ferry in the dark and drive aimlessly for 15 mins looking for a cafe that is open, with parking nearby - it is raining, not a particularly inspiring start to our 'sunny island' holiday, especially after two, less than average, nights sleep. Success at last - after a long reverse up the one way street that was designated for deliveries only. Cest la vie! Coffee and petit dejeuner hit the spot by which time it was almost daylight and we got a much better sense of direction. Found some mobile service and called Jo for a catchup on her USA trip and then headed into the underground carpark at the Bastia Museum and Citadel.
This was in the old town so we killed some time with another coffee before wandering the pretty streets with artisan shops and cafes. The museum itself was interesting, and had a diverse display of artefacts and artwork with some valuable information on the history of Bastia, and indeed Corsica.

We still had a couple of hours to kill before our unit was available so we stopped of for some supplies at E.Leclerc and then seeking further sustenance, since breakfast was soooo early, I headed east to the coast, where I had researched a beachfront restaurant, La Plage. It was a pretty primitive beach track to reach the restaurant which sat right on top of the sand dunes, and was remarkably well set up, with a significant staff on hand and several patrons.

There was one word of caution in the reviews, noting that either side of the restaurant were two naturist beaches so patrons should not be surprised or indeed distracted by the passing parade. Naturally, this only served to alert Roger who duly noted the beach folk walking by, but he was a little disappointed since they were all as old as him and just as portly, which in his opinion does not present the best naked human form for serious appreciation.

Our lunch was filling and flavoursome, with most attentive service from the young waitstaff and there was good WIFI. Little did we know, it was to be the last reasonable communication we would have for a week.

Our AirBnB accomodation was in a reasonably large resort but it was located right up at the end of a close, tucked up against the hillside. It was very quiet and we wondered if we might be the only ones here. A 10 minute walk to the nearby beach confirmed that all the holiday makers, were in fact, comfortably residing under a multitude of different coloured beach umbrellas or bobbing about in the beautiful warm mediterranean sea. We walked along the beach and just around the corner, we found Chez Babba, beach bar. Perched up on the hill, overlooking the long stretch of Maria Bravone beach with a good old fashioned camping ground straddling the sand, it was the perfect welcome to Corsica, or Corse as the locals say. We toasted our safe arrival with a local spritz and wine before adjourning to our apartment for a long overdue Nana nap.

The next day dawned with the realisation that the brand new modem in our apartment, was in fact useless because it had no internet connection. It also became apparent that the mobile service in the area was very hit and miss as is the case over most of the island.

So accepting the 'off the grid' status, we adjourned to the beach and staked our claim for the morning, joining the rest of the holidaymakers in and out of the water. A random mobile network enabled us to advise family and friends of our 'off line' status, hopefully alleviating any concerns.

And this set the scene for the next five days. Basically, sun, sand, salty seawater, hot coffee, wine, GnTs, Aperol Spritz and plenty of sleeping. When the wind picked up in the afternoon we adjourned to our resort pool, where we were joined by the gaggle of girls, Italian mama's in fact, who didnt draw breath for 30 mins.

You see, Corse has a very interesting history and was once held by the Italian dynasty from Genoa. When France came to the local Italians rescue, and subsequently added Corse to its Republic, it promised the Italians positions of power and authority in return. This has resulted in a very Italian influence, and we've observed alot more Italian spoken than french. There's a pizza 'pop up' on every corner, and gelati in the cafes. You could be forgiven for thinking you are actually in Italy. And just to remind us of Australia, there are huge gum trees dotted around the little seaside village we are in.Read more