It's 114 miles long at longest, 52 miles wide at widest, has 620 miles of coastline, more than 200 beaches, and is very mountainous, with Monte Cinto as the highest peak at 8,878 feet, and around 120 other summits of more than 6,600 feet. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain, and believe me, absolutely gorgeous! Forests make up 20% of the island.
Corsica has a population of roughly 325,000. It's the least economically developed region in Metropolitan France and as you might guess, tourism plays a big part in the economy here. The island's climate, mountains, and coastlines make it very popular. This time of year, average high is about 75, average low 57. Today was no exception - our high was 78. The island hasn't had the same level of intensive development as other parts of the Mediterranean and is thus mainly unspoiled.
Interestingly, in 1584, the governor ordered all farmers and landowners to plant four trees yearly; a chestnut, olive, fig, and mulberry tree. Many communities owe their origin and former richness to the ensuing chestnut woods. Did you know chestnut bread keeps fresh for as long as two weeks? We didn't. Corsica also produces gourmet cheese, wine, sausages, and honey for mainland France and for export. We also learned that the main exports here are granite, marble, tannic acid, cork, cheese, wine, citrus fruit, olive oil and cigarettes.
The sail-in to Calvi was quite beautiful this morning, though it was still too dark to take any quality pictures. We could see the sillouette of the citadel, a well-recognized & historic landmark on the Med coast, but it wasn't until after the sun emerged over the top of the nearby mountains that we could really appreciate its beauty. Christopher Columbus was born there, but during a batle in 1794, it was reduced to rubble. Lots of charming architecture in Calvi, along with the narrow, winding streets & numerous shops. This was a 'tender' port for us and once ashore about 8:30am, we boarded a bus and headed for Saint Laurent...a beautiful, 90-minute drive through the mountains and along the coast. Not too many pictures today - much of the same variety as what we've seen in other ports.
Saint Laurent's another very charming community. We had just under two hours to explore the small city and like many ports we've visited over the past several days, it too boasts a nice harbor with dozens of sailboats and yahts, many sidewalk cafes, and interesting architecture. It only took us a few minutes to walk the prominade, and we then settled into a beautiful little cafe to sample some local wine & beer.
The huge negative for the day was our tour guide. We've run into similar situations far too many times in the past, and it runs like this: The guide, first of all, doesn't know how to use a microphone. She thinks the closer she holds it to her mouth, the better. She thinks the longer she talks, the larger her tip. She thinks the more she repeats herself, the more information she shares, the more we'll remember, the more we'll appreciate her vast knowledge. This lady talked constantly the entire trip down to Corsica. She talked in circles. She talked in squares. She tallked about the same thing frontward, backward, sideways, and ass-backward. By the time we arrived in Corsica, we were exhausted from listening...or being forced to listen. And we thought...well, that's it - we're done - it'll be a nice quiet drive back to Calvi. WRONG!
The return trip was even worse. She'd run out of anything revelant to share about the area & historical characters...so she starts talking about their respective families. Christopher Columbus had an uncle, who had a brother, who knew someone down the street, who had a daughter, that had a boyfriend who was inflicted with a unique disease. Just unbelievable! Cheryl brought our ear plugs 'just in case' because sometimes these tours can turn sour, but they didn't help. She was just too loud. There WAS a Holland America rep on the tour (as usual) and we complained to him when we got off the bus in Corsica and he agreed with us 100%, but it didn't help matters. And if he DID have conversation with the tour guide, it wasn't strong enough. This is one of the risks you run with a ship-sponsored tour - you just never know what you're gonna get - but more often than not, they're pretty darn good. We'd much prefer to explore on our own, but if you do so and don't make it back to the ship on time, they can and will leave without you. We thought Corsica was just too far for a private cab tour. But tomorrow in Monte Carlo, we're off on our own again!
With that aside, the scenery & cities were abolutely beautiful so in that respect, a very nice day! The residents were very helpful, very friendly, and still haven't experienced any outward hostility or resentment toward Americans. An overall language barrier yes...but I can still order wine, beer, Grey Goose, and find the bathroom. Often times, in just that order!
Dinner was very good, as usual, and while we normally turn-in around 7:30, we decided to go see the show tonight with our tablemates (Roger & Norma), and very glad we did. They were featuring a British comedy act and he was quite amusing. After a rather trying day, it was nice to end it with a little humor & fun!
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