We arrived in Corsica (an island that is part of France) by ferry from Nice to Bastia. We stayed just outside Bastia in the small coastal town of Erbalunga. This was one of my favorites of the places we stayed in Corsica. The hotel had nice gardens, the ocean was close by, and there was a patisserie (bakery) across the street.
The first morning I looked out the window and saw there was a nice sunrise, but by the time we got going it was ending. The next two mornings I got out earlier to catch it. Of course, that meant I took a ton of sunrise photos!
The morning light was also nice on the old buildings.
As usual, I loved the details of light and color and pattern.
The stone tiled roofs (common) must be heavy, but the shingles wouldn't wear out!
We spent a scenic day driving around Cap Corse, the peninsula on the north west end of Corsica.
The Genoans (who ruled Corsica from 1284 to 1755) built a lot of round towers all over Corsica to defend against North African (Barbary) pirates. The new wind turbines made an interesting contrast with the old towers.
We even managed to find a few wineries to visit :-) One of the common grapes is Neilluccio, which is either indigenous to Corsica or else identical to Sangiovese from Italy. (you'd think DNA would tell?) Regardless, they make some nice wines with it. Most of the wine is red or rose, not much white. The rose were a beautiful orange / peach color.
There were lots of small hillside villages, each with at least one church, and often with cemeteries with elaborate mausoleums.
We even spotted paragliders in several places, including these ones near Saint Florent. They launched from the ridge behind them on the right and landed on the beach.
Saint Florent had an impressive citadel.
See all 49 photos as a slideshow or overview
The first morning I looked out the window and saw there was a nice sunrise, but by the time we got going it was ending. The next two mornings I got out earlier to catch it. Of course, that meant I took a ton of sunrise photos!
The morning light was also nice on the old buildings.
As usual, I loved the details of light and color and pattern.
The stone tiled roofs (common) must be heavy, but the shingles wouldn't wear out!
We spent a scenic day driving around Cap Corse, the peninsula on the north west end of Corsica.
The Genoans (who ruled Corsica from 1284 to 1755) built a lot of round towers all over Corsica to defend against North African (Barbary) pirates. The new wind turbines made an interesting contrast with the old towers.
We even managed to find a few wineries to visit :-) One of the common grapes is Neilluccio, which is either indigenous to Corsica or else identical to Sangiovese from Italy. (you'd think DNA would tell?) Regardless, they make some nice wines with it. Most of the wine is red or rose, not much white. The rose were a beautiful orange / peach color.
There were lots of small hillside villages, each with at least one church, and often with cemeteries with elaborate mausoleums.
We even spotted paragliders in several places, including these ones near Saint Florent. They launched from the ridge behind them on the right and landed on the beach.
Saint Florent had an impressive citadel.
See all 49 photos as a slideshow or overview
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