Day 4 - Wednesday January 21, 2026 - Ajaccio Corsica, France

 

It was barely light this morning wheny excursion left at 8:55 am to the small Greek fishing village of Cargese.  Corsica is a series of ups and downs.  

There are switchbacks climbing into the mountains.  There was snow above the 9,000 ft high mark and a great deal of beautiful beaches and pretty shoreline at sea level.  We are about 110 nautical miles from Italy and on the same latitude as Rom, where we head tomorrow.

This excursion got me away from their biggest city, Ajaccio and I was able, through the bus window to see more of this island and how pretty it would be in summer and with the sun shining.  Corsica is the home of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Wayne’s tour stopped to see his monument.  Ours did not.  We rode straight out of town toward Cargese.  

It’s winter in the Mediterranean and definitely in this sleepy little village.   Almost everything was closed.  There was one bar open where we were all given a free drink of our choice.  And next door, the Boulangerie was open for those wanting a pastry.  Otherwise, nothing.  But that’s okay.  We all were able to see this little village for what it was.  

We made two stops, the first at the Greek Catholic Church of St. Spiridon.  It has some pretty frescoes  and the ceiling is a starry sky.  Almost directly across the street, if you don’t count the steep inclines and the steps to get there, is the other church, the Latin Catholic Church of Assumption.  It was really dark inside with just a small amount of stained glass and no windows.  

We had a real airhead of a tour guide.   Her instructions were inaccurate and approximate.  She changed the time for departure 4-5 times making them earlier each time as some of our group had an afternoon excursion as well.  Her descriptions of how to get back to the bus were lame and changed each time she tried.  She talked incessantly for four hours.  I still had a good time but she was a real dingbat.  I liked the drive and the little town, the tour guide was a hot mess!

Snow in the mountains at 9,000 ft.

Countryside on the way to Cargese

Views from one of the switchbacks heading up the mountain.

Just an ornament in someone’s yard

Pictures of our drive out of the port of Ajaccio on the way to Cargese.  This is their World War One monument 

The Greek Catholic Church.  Not much to look at from the outside, but very nice inside built between 1854 & 1872

The frescoes were redone by a group of Russians

Looking across from the Greek church at the Latin church built just a few years earlier between 1822 and 1828.  

Looks like Joan of Arc to me

Pictures from the parking lot at the very top of town.  One shows the Cross which is their World War Two memorial 

No place open to buy souvenirs but Wayne bought an extra magnet while on his tour so I got lucky and can remember I was here.

Dinner tonight is a the Italian specialty restaurant, Manfredi’s.  Wayne has to wear long pants and a collared shirt and he’s complaining.  

We sail tonight for Chitivecchia and tomorrow we drive into Rome for a tour.