It's been a while since the last post due to access issues...but we have finally arrived in Corte. I have been making entries by hqnd in my journal and will update the posts when I get a little more time.
In the meantime it is good to have arrived in Corte. Last night was spent in a ski lodge at one of Corsica's few ski resorts...if you can call it that. The three or four drag lifts were probably here in the 1930s when Grandad toured the island. The lodge had been built in the 1960s and the owner (now in his 80s I'd guess) sat in the bar chatting to the local forrestry workers and drinking eau de vie.
Yesterday was a very tough day climbing to the highest motorable pass on the island from sea level. The climb was a total of 36km and the col was at 1477m. We were both pretty much beat by the time we reached the summit and decided to call it a day rather than make the 34km descent to Calacuccia. In retrospect, it was exactly the right decision...
We had a very restful afternoon in the bar of the ski lodge and a great dinner in the restaurant. It was the Chef's choice and was a purely Corsican affair...Corsican noodle soup...Brocciu and mint ravioli in a wild boar sauce...and a pear dessert. We also had the benefit of fantastic sunshine for the descent this morning through the forest...even if it was a little chilly. After Calacuccia we went down through the Scala de Santa Maria gorge. The view reminded me of India last year. At the bottom of the gorge we had a final 7.5km climb to the pass into Corte. It was incredibly hot and humid but thankfully fairly short.
We are now installed in the HR Hotel (more of a hostel really) but nice and clean. We are going to take the day off tomorrow so I may have a chance to make some updates...
