Restonica

On Friday afternoon Anna drove me to Corte, the main inland town of the island, set on a big rock with its ancient fortress and its church overlooking the merging of several mountainous vallies, and therefore surrounded by very high mountains. Politically dominated by the independantist party, Corte is also home to the University of Corsica, and one can see many graffitis on the walls about "resistance" against French "occupation."

She treated me to a Corsican specialty for lunch - wild boar, cooked in its very strong and tasty juice, which actually turned out to be an excellent preparation for meeting up afterwards with Antoine for hiking. We climbed (first with the car) through one of the famous vallies, the Restonica, starting right at the exit of Corte, on a narrow, steep, and curvy road, boarded by a bright green stream, which made natural pools here and there, and transformed steadily into a deep striking precipice. It was beautiful; plus the sun was just beginning to sink in the sky, making the hike cool and refreshing.

- Okay, I need to give Antoine credit and thanks for the lending of his excellent writing skills for those last two, very descriptive paragraphs :-) - Now for a few pictures.



(For some reason Anna wanted to take this picture of a girl we ran into.)



For the return trip, Antoine took me on his motorbike. We took a back road that winded through the mountains and lovely, undisturbed Corsican countryside. I found it interesting to observe the contrast in land within a one-hour drive. Once we descended from the forested mountains, we drove through smaller, mountainish hills that were covered with desert-like vegetation. Then just a little farther and we came to the sea. We stopped for a break at the quiant little sea town of Saint Florence. When we arrived back in Bastia, the sun was almost set and the sea calm and beautiful.



The huge crane in the left of this picture sort of ruins the effect, but you get the general idea. Actually, there is more to be said about this crane. It has been erected for the construction of a new parking garage, right next to Anna and Antoine's apartment building. Consequently, from time to time it looms directly over their terrace. The problem is that it doubles as a favorite roost for a group of pigeon-like birds... need I continue?