Pétanque & Pastis

Heading to the West Coast of Corsica

After a relaxing beach day yesterday at the nearby Plage Palombaggia, and hanging out in lively Porto-Vecchio for one more day and night, we headed out this morning with a goal of seeing the west coast of Corsica, just north of the historical city of Ajaccio, which we spent some time visiting on our last trip to the island.

Our first stop was in familiar territory in beautiful Bonifacio, where we stopped for an alfresco lunch at a restaurant called Vista Da Rocca, overlooking the bright white cliffs and the recognizable Grain de Sable against the azure Mediterranean Sea. 

Invitation for a Swim in Bonifacio

After lunch we took an impromptu dip into the irresistible crystalline water before heading back to our car by way of the colorful harbor, where, much to our surprise, we spotted Paradigm ! 

Paradigm in Bonifacio

  

Beach on the route des îles Sanguinaires

We made it to our hotel on the route des îles Sanguinaires in plenty of time to explore the beach, take a short swim, and to watch the sunset over the rocky red islands, the largest of which (the Grande Sanguinaire) is home to an 1840 lighthouse and the ruins of a Genovese tower.

Les Îles Sanguinaires 

Corsica – Playground of the Rich and Famous

Labor Day weekend found us making a return trip to Corsica.  A four-hour ferry trip, with our car in tow, got us into Ajaccio around 11:30am.  Our first order of business was to deliver my cousin, Rick, and his lovely wife, Joslyn, to Porto Vecchio to meet up with Joslyn’s sister and brother-in-law, Arline and Ted, for a week-long tour around the island aboard their amazing 115-foot Benetti-built luxury yacht, named Paradigm.  In addition to the four of them, and the captain and crew of 6, they will be joined by two other lucky couples.  Since they were not planning to meet up until tomorrow, we were able to take our time getting to Porto Vecchio, with plenty of stops for swimming, picnicking, and sight-seeing on the way.

After we settled into the Hôtel Alcyon, we spent some time wandering around the colorful streets of Old Porto Vecchio.  We came across the Bastion di A Funtana Vechju, which houses an art gallery with lovely views overlooking the harbor, and here is where we got our first glimpse of Paradigm, the largest boat in the port.

We decided to head down to the port to say hello to Arline and Ted.  They were gracious enough to invite us aboard for wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a private tour of their amazing yacht.  Dave and I were exceptionally nice and polite – we tried not to be ourselves – just in case one of the other couples had to cancel out for their week-long cruise, and they might need us to substitute for them.  Alas, our good manners went for naught, but we still really enjoyed hanging out like the rich and famous for a short while.