April 14, 2012 – Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Day 99
Another place we have never been before, about which we are quite curious. Corsica is a large island, which is French. It is just north of another large island, Sardinia, which is Italian. Corsica is most famous as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. Our port is in Ajaccio, the town in which he was born.
The weather seems a little threatening, but definitely not as bad as Naples – so we charge ahead. About a block from the ship, is the weekly market in the main square of town. So before exploring we spent some time in the market and the post office.
Everywhere we have traveled, these markets seem to be the preferred means of buying fresh foods. I wonder why they disappeared in the US? They seem to be a good way of connecting local producers with local consumers.
Adjacent to the market there is a small train for sightseeing, so we decided to give it a try.
Naturally the first stop was Napoleon’s Monument.
I guess I wasn’t aware of how young he was when he died – just 52 or 53 years old. In such a short life, he left a huge impact on the world.
Our little train continued its journey, through town, past Napoleon’s family home, and the city hall.
We caught sight of these guys returning from a parade we must have missed.
The Corsican shoreline
This island, a few miles off the coast was used as a quarantine location in times past.
This modernistic statue seemed somewhat out of place among the architecture of Ajaccio.
I am always interested in the cars we encounter in different parts of the world, because many of them never make it to our markets. Cars like Citroen, Peugeot, Skoda, Alfa Romeo, etc. are seldom seen in the US, so I enjoy seeing their different models. I saw this car in Corsica – what is it? I can’t find out.
I also saw a car that I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture of called a “Pyong Sang” (or something like that) that I am trying to track down.
Update thanks to google. Pyeon Sang – produced by a North Korean car company – Pyeonghwa Motors. Who knew!!
And now, off to one of our favorite places to visit – Barcelona.
John & Sally,
I know you’re SO ready to be home and see loved ones, but at the same time not ready for this to end. It’s been amazing to follow you on this journey of a lifetime.
Regards, Bill