As we headed up to the tip of the island we ran into a herd of sheep which blocked the road for a while. Welcome to Corsica. We were taking pictures and the natives who were not impressed were honking at us for not running the poor guys down.
We got a campsite on the beach which was great. We slept with the calming sound of the small waves. We had a nice pasta dinner and ate a ton of olives a la provencal. Yummy. We watched the sunset over the sea and could see the lights of Bastia, the capital of the island in the distance. After the kids went to bed, Janet and I went out for a night swim in the sea and a walk on the beach.
Mom loves the beach and the sea. She and Dad enjoyed walking along the beach at dusk.
On Sunday we started on an adventure to find the one LDS chapel on the island. The Church website provided very little help as the address listed the main road of the city. We drove down that road looking for something that resembled a chapel to no avail. We tried the phone number listed over and over and when we were ready give up, Dad insisted we keep trying. Then we got through to someone who gave us directions. The chapel was behind a store and nearly impossible to find without help.
When we arrived we found that there were only two members at church. They were happy to have some visitors and we all participated. Janet played piano and we all gave talks! Jaxon and Jonas hung out in the nursery and played with toys with no supervision, but had blast.
After church, Franc, one of the members invited us to his house for a wonderful meal from Cameroon. We also had an assortment of French patisseries.
You only live once...I'll take one of each please.
During our visit, Dad needed to use the restroom and was in there for a long time. We heard him fiddling with the door for a minute. We soon realized that the bathroom door in the apartment which must have been nearly 100 years old was jammed. The bathroom was the size of a stall with no air circulation and it was a hot day. I will always remember Franc asking Dad if he would like to come out and Dad's serious response in French, "Oui, j'aimerai sortir" (yes, I would like to come out).
Despite all our efforts, we could not open the door. Franc then said, "Richard, get in the shower away from the door." He started kicking the door harder and harder until finally the door broke and opened. We were all laughing the whole time.
When Dad was freed from his toilette prison his smile showed how happy he was to get out. After Dad's adventure and a great meal at Franc's, we went to walk around Bastia for a bit.
The old town was a labyrinth of narrow streets with peeling pastel colored walls.
We loved the walk around. As you can see we don't look at all like tourists and blended right in...
We loved the rough feel of Bastia which reminded us of Marseille. Who needs a dryer when you have windows?
We finished the afternoon at the old port. Nobody fell in the water...
Wait. There was Jaxon that mysteriously disappeared...
The next morning we were sad to say goodbye to Corsica after an amazing week, but the fact that our boat was scheduled to call in Nice in only a few hours lightened the blow. I found a nice Corsican pastry for Janet which she enjoyed while waiting for our delayed boat.
The drinking fountain which was a real fountain was a lot of fun and filled some time while we waited. Jaxon got a nice drink from 5 feet away. I got a nasal flush when I first decided to have a little "drink" from this thing.
A few steps back does the trick.
As we headed up to the tip of the island we ran into a herd of sheep which blocked the road for a while. Welcome to Corsica. We were taking pictures and the natives who were not impressed were honking at us for not running the poor guys down.
We got a campsite on the beach which was great. We slept with the calming sound of the small waves. We had a nice pasta dinner and ate a ton of olives a la provencal. Yummy. We watched the sunset over the sea and could see the lights of Bastia, the capital of the island in the distance. After the kids went to bed, Janet and I went out for a night swim in the sea and a walk on the beach.
Mom loves the beach and the sea. She and Dad enjoyed walking along the beach at dusk.
On Sunday we started on an adventure to find the one LDS chapel on the island. The Church website provided very little help as the address listed the main road of the city. We drove down that road looking for something that resembled a chapel to no avail. We tried the phone number listed over and over and when we were ready give up, Dad insisted we keep trying. Then we got through to someone who gave us directions. The chapel was behind a store and nearly impossible to find without help. 
When we arrived we found that there were only two members at church. They were happy to have some visitors and we all participated. Janet played piano and we all gave talks! Jaxon and Jonas hung out in the nursery and played with toys with no supervision, but had blast.
After church, Franc, one of the members invited us to his house for a wonderful meal from Cameroon. We also had an assortment of French patisseries.
You only live once...I'll take one of each please.
During our visit, Dad needed to use the restroom and was in there for a long time. We heard him fiddling with the door for a minute. We soon realized that the bathroom door in the apartment which must have been nearly 100 years old was jammed. The bathroom was the size of a stall with no air circulation and it was a hot day. I will always remember Franc asking Dad if he would like to come out and Dad's serious response in French, "Oui, j'aimerai sortir" (yes, I would like to come out).
Despite all our efforts, we could not open the door. Franc then said, "Richard, get in the shower away from the door." He started kicking the door harder and harder until finally the door broke and opened. We were all laughing the whole time.
When Dad was freed from his toilette prison his smile showed how happy he was to get out. After Dad's adventure and a great meal at Franc's, we went to walk around Bastia for a bit.
The old town was a labyrinth of narrow streets with peeling pastel colored walls.
We loved the walk around. As you can see we don't look at all like tourists and blended right in...
We loved the rough feel of Bastia which reminded us of Marseille. Who needs a dryer when you have windows?
We finished the afternoon at the old port. Nobody fell in the water...
Wait. There was Jaxon that mysteriously disappeared...
The next morning we were sad to say goodbye to Corsica after an amazing week, but the fact that our boat was scheduled to call in Nice in only a few hours lightened the blow. I found a nice Corsican pastry for Janet which she enjoyed while waiting for our delayed boat.
The drinking fountain which was a real fountain was a lot of fun and filled some time while we waited. Jaxon got a nice drink from 5 feet away. I got a nasal flush when I first decided to have a little "drink" from this thing.
A few steps back does the trick.
Good thing you guys went to church that day! They must have been praying for somebody--ANYBODY-- to join and provide their Sacrament Meeting! My mom and sister were in Florence a month ago for some class for her masters program (my mom went to babysit while my sister did her 2-week intense class), and they had a similar thing happen when they tried to find church. Stories like that make me feel like our branch here is huge!
RépondreSupprimerAlors ça y est, vous avez enfin pu visiter la Corse ! Je suis si contente pour vous ! Et surtout pour Janet : la Corse c'était son rêve ! Je vois que vous n'avez pas fait les choses à moitié, vous avez fait le sud et le nord. Vos photos sont magnifiques et vous aussi d'ailleurs. La photo du baiser sur la plage semble tout droit sortie d'un film ! Mais il me semble que vous n'avez pas fait les montagnes au centre, alors il n'y a plus qu'une chose à faire : y retourner !
RépondreSupprimerJe vous embrasse très fort mes Américains préférés et bonne rentrée aux enfants.
Aurélie