2019 Corsica & Sardinia

Wednesday 26 June 2019 Ironically, having revelled in the fact that we no longer need to go away during the school holidays and can therefore avoid higher prices, other people’s fractious children and the hottest months of the year, our trip to Corsica and Sardinia saw us heading for Paris in a positive heatwave. Temperatures […]

Friday 28th – Saturday 29th June 2019 Our overnight ferry from Toulon, originally scheduled to depart at 21:00, was delayed by several hours. We had hoped for a picturesque departure at sunset but it was already dark when we finally boarded at close to 23:00. The concierge proudly informed us that our cabin had a […]

Sunday 30th June – Monday 1st July 2019 Because of the tight corners needed to negotiate the gradient of the inland mountains, the Corsican trains run on narrow gauge track and they are some of the most scenic routes in Europe. In contrast to the Himalayan trains in India however, the rolling stock is modern […]

Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 July 2019 As the Calvi area is known for six kilometres of long white sandy beaches we decided to delay breakfast and start the day with a stroll along the bay and a refreshing swim. The beach is indeed sandy and slopes gently down so is ideal for children.  In […]

Thursday 4th July 2019 Matilda had read in the guide book about Filitosa: the most famous prehistoric site on Corsica with Neolithic anthropomorphic menhirs situated about 50 km/30miles from Ajaccio. She felt that this would make a change from citadels and it would be worth a visit to see these megalithic stones carved with ancient […]

Friday 5th July 2019 The original plan for the journey to Bonifacio was for us to make a three hour journey by bus, changing at Scopetto. However, the time spent rehydrating around marinas on this trip had proved inspirational for Robert and he had discovered we could catch a tourist boat to Bonifacio. This revised […]

Saturday 6th to Sunday 7th July 2019 Although we could hear the Friday night revelling from our hotel room, it was not as loud as we had feared when the receptionist warned us and happily neither of us had recourse to the earplugs which had been provided. As we walked back along the marina to […]

Monday 8th July 2019 The day started with what should have been a train journey from Alghero to Sassari, but no, we had another bus replacement service. I seems as though the narrow gauge railway is closed so that they can replace it with a tram service. Sassari is the second city – or as […]

Tuesday 9th to Wednesday 10th July 2010 From Sassari we travelled south by train almost the length of Sardinia to its capital city, Cagliari. Even though we have had to use buses for some of our trip, Robert was pleased to be greeted at the station by the sight of a stream train. We found […]

Thursday 11th July 2019 We were misinformed about Olbia as the books and on-line travel guides we consulted all said there was little to see. Consequently we stayed at our hotel and enjoyed the pool and the sunshine in the morning savouring a welcome moment of relaxation. However, when we did head down to the […]

13th July 2019 Genoa is the sixth largest city in Italy and is said to be the birthplace of pesto – that fantastic fusion of basil, pine nuts, garlic and hard Italian cheese which has become both a store cupboard staple and the basis of many delicious, impromptu meals in innumerable households across Europe and […]

Sunday 14th July 2019 We arrived at the Gare de Monaco in Monte Carlo which, given that space it as a premium in the small principality, is underground. Monte Carlo has built itself a reputation as being a playground for the conspicuously rich, and wealth is flaunted everywhere from the world-renowned casino to the luxury […]