Genoese Aiacciu

Ajaccio (week 34)

Starting in 1530, the Genoans built a series of 90 (!) defensive towers around the island of Corsica as part of their campaign against the Barbary pirates.  We could see two of them from the balcony of our hotel, which was located ~10 km west of Ajaccio on the coastal road.  The towers are in the Iles Sanguinaires nature preserve.  One of them - Torra di a Parata  - is on the mainland coast and is accessible in the winter.  The other - Torra di Castelluchju - is on an island in the nature preserve.  The path around the headland and up to the tower is the perfect distance for the boys, so we had a nice visit there.

Clockwise from top left: Tour Fautea (near Zonza), Tour de Parata, and the tourist info screen on Ajaccio's towers

The site of the current city of Ajaccio was first colonized by Genoa in 1492 and remained a Genoese stronghold through the period of Corsican independence, finally undergoing an orderly exchange of Genoese for French troops at the Citadel when the island changed hands by treaty (actually by sale to France) in 1768.  Previous to the Genoese town, there was a nearby Corsican town, being at one point large enough to have a cathedral.  That cathedral was replaced by the current Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption - built starting in 1577 - which is a small but cheery cathedral with some well-preserved (or restored) chapels.  When we first arrived a funeral was taking place, so we went for lunch.  Unfortunately, the waterfront is under extensive construction so what was normally a nice view of the harbour and marina from the restaurant patio (it was warm enough to eat outside) was instead a view of a corrugated steel barrier.

moat donkey!

Of the multiple other religious buildings in town, we could not find any open, so we had to content ourselves with reading the National Historic Site plaques mounted on their walls.  As for the Citadel, it is off-limits because it is still an active military installation with, for some reason, donkeys living in the moat.

Of beaches and snowstorms

Propriano

Porto-Vecchio (week 34)

Our route around Corsica took us along the south end of Corsica across the mountain roads from Ajaccio to Bonifacio, where we stayed overnight.  The trip back to Ajaccio took us up the east coast through Porto-Vecchio, stopping for a traditional Corsican lunch at Ghisonaccia (featuring the largest beans we've ever seen), then along a frightening but picturesque mountain road to Vivario where we joined the Corte-Ajaccio highway and thence back to Ajaccio.

Porto-Vecchio

As we went along we stopped at various beaches.  At Propriano there is a neat little pebble beach - your feet sink into the tiny pebbles and unlike the larger pebbles of the Riviera, it was not at all painful on the feet.  Craig dipped his feet in the water and declared it to be about the same temperature as Summerville water in August; the waves are perhaps not as large, but there were no jellyfish either, so it balances out.  Porto-Vecchio is one of the main resort areas on the east coast, and the next beach we checked out.  It has very soft sand and is sheltered (very small waves).  The beach stretches out around the bay and includes various rocky formations to play on, which the kids enjoyed.  It's a little hard to find, as the turnoff is only signposted if you are coming from the south (it is just before you reach Porto-Vecchio town).  Finally, we walked along the beach that runs in front of the seawall and Citadel in Ajaccio.  It also features some very nice and soft sand, although it is quite narrow and we suspect it is a zoo in the warm months.

Into the clouds near Vivario

As you go across the mountains, there is a very distinct drop in temperature, warming up just as distinctly as you go back down.  Unfortunately, it was an overcast and drizzly day on our trip across the waist of Corsica.  We passed a signpost for 920 m in elevation, and everything was fine.  We passed the old Napoleonic prison of Fortin de Pasciloa, now a ruin, and stretched our legs.  Shortly thereafter, we climbed into the clouds, and a little while after that, at the Col de Vizzavona (the high point of the Corte-Ajaccio road), it started to snow.  Unfortunately for us, French drivers are not smart winter drivers, often stopping on the uphills (in the middle of the lane!) to ponder the situation.  Sometimes they got out to put on snow chains, blocking both lanes in places.  At its worst there was about 2 cm of frozen slush on the road, but a few kilometres further on we started coming back down and the snow quickly disappeared.

The southern end of France

Mega Smerelda in Ajaccio harbour

Bonifacio (week 34)

For the first part of the kids' school break, we decided to head to Corsica.  We took the overnight ferry from Toulon to Ajaccio, then directly from there to the far south end of the island.  The ferries are very much like cruise ships, with cabins to spend the night in.  The one pictured here (which we took home) had several restaurants.  It also had a dance bar, piano bar, pool, and spa - all but the last were closed, presumably because it's the off-season and the ferry is only 1/2 full.

Our first destination was Bonifacio, founded in 828 when Corsica was part of Tuscany (the Corsican language derives from Tuscan).  However, almost all the visible fortifications and landmarks are from the Genoese period (from 1284) or the French period (from 1769).  Unfortunately, a lot of restoration work still needs to be done - some is currently being carried out on the two Genoese churches in the Haute Ville (so they were closed, as was Torrione, the modern keep in the centre of the fortifications).  In fact, the tourist map encourages people to "pick up an interesting souvenir when walking the old walls"!  We did walk along the perimeter walls, even though the day became quite windy and cool.  We were further disappointed because the restored Bastion de l'étendard of the citadel was also closed, as was the Escalier du Roi d'Aragon, the cliffside stairway from the Mediterranean to the fort.

The highlight of the day was the nature walk along the sheltered cliffs north of the citadel.  This far south (~300 km south of the Riviera), the land was turning green and the rosemary was blooming; the air was scented with cedar.  Looking south you can see Sardinia, and the cliffs have all kinds of weird and wonderful shapes, because the sandstone is easily worn by the surf and storms.  There is also access to the small Plage de Sutta-Rocca.  After our touring, we had a dinner from a little hole-in-the-wall pizza place (open specially for the school break!).

Open 13

David and Yolanda watching Milos Raonic

Marseille (week 33)

Marseille's Palais des Sports is the site of the Open 13 ATP tennis tournament (the "13" refers to the département number of the Bouches du Rhône).  Three Canadians were in the tournament: Milos Raonic (seeded #1), Vasek Pospisil, and doubles player Adil Shamasdin.  The last made it to the semifinal (unseen by us) and Pospisil won his first match before losing a tight 3-set match to the #4 seeded Bautista Agut.  On Thursday we waved our flag and decked out in our hats (although it was too hot in the stadium for the boys to keep theirs on) and went to cheer for Raonic.  Unfortunately, our Canadian curse continued - any time the three male MacKinnons watch a Canadian play, he loses, in this case in the second round to world #53-ranked Simone Bolelli.  On Saturday, we took in the semifinals and the crowd left happy as the two Frenchmen (Simon and Monfils) both won setting up an all-France final.


As was the case in Paris, a number of extras were set up in the concourse, including a small tennis court (where David played for 15 minutes) and Xbox FIFA15 (which all three boys played).  The Massilia HC also had a booth, featuring their mascot - a hockey-playing Spartan (?) warrior - and floor hockey that David and Andrew played for 30 minutes.

Spring has sprung

La Dolce Italia on the Rue d'Italie in Aix

Aix-en-Provence and Puyloubier (week 32)

Since the boys are in the cantine on Fridays and Mondays, Yolanda and Craig took advantage for trips to Aix.  Friday we dined at Les Deux Garçons on the Cours Mirabeau as our Valentine's Day outing.  Craig had a traditional Provençal aïoli (a thick garlic white sauce served beside veggies and seafood), while Yolanda opted for the menu (salmon and mashed potatoes, with apple pie for dessert).

The weather was not great on Friday - overcast with sporadic sprinklings - so there was a big contrast to Monday's trip.  The sun was shining warmly and when we got to Aix, the promenaders were out in force and the cafés were bringing their sidewalk tables and chairs out. It was just the most recent sign that spring is here: the birds have been noticeably louder over the last week and the sun is finally high enough in the sky to shine in the 1st-floor windows (we are south-facing, but the combination of 3-story homes and narrow streets means the sun never reaches street level through the short days of winter). 

Monday's trip was precipitated because we have started to plan our trip home and we needed to buy an additional suitcase.  We also did some last-minute clothes shopping along the Cours Mirabeau and up the Rue d'Italie.  Now that's it: no more clothes shopping! (at least, until we get to Milan....)

Yersinia pestis

Marché place de la Mairie à Aix (J.G. Gagliardini)

Marseille (week 31)

A quick trip into town on a Wednesday afternoon to visit the Musée Regards de Provence, which is a local art museum.  By "local", we mean that the paintings were of local subjects, including fishermen and the port of Marseille, the various calanques around the area, three of Mont Ste.-Victoire, etc.

autoclave+film projected on water

The building is also a sort of memorial because it is housed in the last of the quarantine stations of the Port of Marseille.  Built just after WWII, it had a conveyor-belt efficiency, with clothes going into autoclaves while passengers took disinfecting showers and had their medical exams.  However, it only processed a few thousand visitors because it became redundant when the World Health Organization instituted a system of health certificates and vaccines became common (no vaccine record, no health certificate, no entry).  There is a fairly chilling film experience (it includes props, several screens, and running water) dedicated to the last pandemic-level outbreak of plague in western Europe in 1720.  The West had done well for the previous 140 years because after the outbreak of 1580, a quarantine system at the major European ports was created, which worked very well.  But in 1720, the Grand-Saint-Antoine arrived from the Levant with a cargo of silk and cotton and the city merchants pressured the Quarantine Board to lift the ship's quarantine, even though the captain reported 3 "suspicious deaths" en route.  As a result, 100,000 died in Provence, including roughly half of the population of Marseille.

Another part of the Via Aurelia

La Turbie (week 31)

On the trip out from Monaco, it was much easier to find the Corniche roads because right in front of the main train station on Blvd Princesse Charlotte (an easy street to remember since it is named after my niece) there are signs that say "Vers Nice, Basse Corniche" and "Vers Nice, Moyen Corniche".  We took the middle road as far as Èze-Village, then made our way up to La Turbie and the Grand Corniche.  Although we didn't see it, one of the roads between these two Corniches was where Princess Grace died.  The views over the Mediterranean and Cap d'Ail and Cap Ferrat are as impressive as advertised.

David looking down at Monaco-Ville (r) and Monte Carlo (l) from the lookoff at La Turbie

3 of the Trophée's remaining 4 pillars

We stopped in La Turbie to see the Trophée des Alpes, or, as it was known to its builders, the Tropaeum Alpium.  The Grand Corniche runs atop the old Via Aurelia (the Roman road linking Rome to Nice).  In 6 BC, Caesar Augustus commissioned a monument to be built along the road to commemorate his victories over the 45 Alpine tribes that brought the Alps region under Roman control.  We arrived only 45 minutes before closing, and the sun was starting to set so the temperature was quickly dropping.  Craig and David braved the chilly wind to climb up to the viewing deck (with views similar to, but higher than, the Jardin Exotique), and everyone spent some time in the small museum alongside.  It's hard to tell from this picture, but the height of the monument is 35 metres.  After 2000 years, it is showing its age somewhat (especially since France's Louis XIV ordered it destroyed because he was worried it would be used by Savoy as a fort during the War of the Spanish Succession), but some of the original columns are still in place.  Probably the best views are from the road coming into town, where it dominates the skyline of La Turbie.

It seems the Casino is closed Sunday morning....

Monte Carlo and Moneghetti (week 31)

We started our day with a walk past Monte Carlo's marina and towards the Casino.  Unfortunately, it wasn't open in the morning (and the kids would not be allowed in anyways), so all we could do was admire the architecture, gardens, and fancy cars parked at the Hôtel de Paris.  We then made our way back up the hill (after lunch across from a Ferrari-Jaguar dealership) to the Jardin Exotique.  It touts itself as a three-in-one site: a botanical garden devoted to succulents, an anthropological museum, and the link between the two, an extensive cave that was discovered upon excavation for the garden.  Inside the cave was evidence of habitation from prehistoric times, the artifacts ending up in the anthropological museum.


We toured through the gardens, and took in the tremendous variety of cacti, which was fascinating.  Because of its location clinging to a cliffside, you can also enjoy tremendous views looking down over Monaco-Ville and Fontvieille.  We then descended into the grotte with a group of ~15 - only guided tours are allowed in the cave.  The tour was conducted in French only, so we didn't get the full set of information, but it was interesting nonetheless.  It is a fissure in the limestone cliff, and as such has an extensive array of stalactites and stalagmites as well as smooth walls where the water has run along and created a melted-plastic look.  The cave was considerably warmer than the air outside, and is completely lit throughout.  Probably the WUSS (Waterloo Underground Speleological Society) cavers wouldn't think much of the luxuries, but I'm sure they would be impressed by the variety of formations in the cave.

Reefie 3

Monaco-Ville (week 31)

Don't be fooled by Yolanda's coat - it's +14C

We fled to the Riviera this weekend to escape the (relative) cold and snow of the Pays d'Aix.  With visions of Grace Kelly navigating cliff-top roads we set out for Monaco.  We had to settle on the visions of Grace Kelly, however, having completely failed to find any of the Corniche roads (there are three of them).  In fact, the highway numbers for the Corniches, which we looked up in the guide books, do not exist according to our car's GPS.  The boys didn't mind, since the toll highway goes through lots of tunnels, at a cost of €16 for a one-hour trip (Brignoles to Monaco).  We also had some difficulty finding our hotel, weaving in and out of the especially narrow one-way streets and, incidentally, weaving between Monaco and Beausoliel.  Eventually, we found the place and slept in Beausoleil, France, while the car was parked a block away in Moneghetti, Monaco.

Our first outing was to tour the main tourist area in Monaco-Ville.  We walked from our hotel, taking a quick look at the Saturday-morning marché in the Place d'Armes, then from there up the stairway (and along the fortifications) to the Palais Princier.  The palace is closed to tours for the winter, as is the Napoleon museum located therein.  Besides, the royal family has just celebrated the arrival of twins (now 1st and 2nd in line to the throne,), so they probably wouldn't want tourists traipsing through their home at naptime.  We watched the changing of the guard ceremony, then walked along the western cliff-top garden path to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame Immaculée, where we paid our respects to the aforementioned Grace Kelly, interred in the cathédrale as Gratia Patricia, Principis Ranierii III.

Continuing along the path, we arrived at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco.  Prince Albert I was an avid oceanographer and commissioned (and participated in) several oceanographic research expeditions with his personal laboratory-laden royal yachts.  It is clear from the building (and the staircases, chandeliers, etc.) that the museum opened in 1910 and was championed by a royal patron.  The exhibits are altogether modern, however, including a compact but very nice aquarium, a vast collection of harpoons, and a shark exhibit (that points out that <10 people a year die of shark attacks, as compared to 2000 from crocodiles and 800,000 from mosquitoes).  Andrew got re-re-acquainted with some reef sharks (only black-tipped this time), David enjoyed identifying the whale skeletons, and we all got the chance to pat a shark in the "interactive" pool.

Jour de neige!

Puyloubier (week 30)

Yes, this is how much snow needs to fall to cause school cancellation in Provence.  To be fair, the écoles maternelle and primaire were open, it was only the collège that was closed, because the high school is a consolidated school that the students have to drive/bus to.

Disappointingly, Craig couldn't interest the boys in a snowball fight.

Olympique de Marseille 1, Évian TG 0

The plain stone at bottom right is the Vielle Cathédrale

Marseille (week 30)

Into Marseille once again to check another site off our list: Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure.  It is a modern cathedral, having been completed in 1896, and it has been the seat of the Archdiocese only since 1948.  As a result, it is relatively plain, without large numbers of relics, paintings, or much in the way of stained glass.  What it does have is a beautiful view of the harbourfront, being located right next to Fort Saint-Jean, and an interesting banded exterior, as you can see in the picture.  Part of the old Cathedral still exists as a ruin next to the new one, but it is off-limits.

We then made our way to the marina where we picked up the tourist train.  Ubiquitous throughout France in the summer, these guided tours are cheap and a good introduction to the sites you might want to come back and have a longer look at.  And the kids like them.  Marseille's, at least, runs year-round and on this sunny (but brisk) Saturday ours was full.  It did the loop out along the corniche with nice views of the Vieux-Port and the Alcatraz-like island prison of Château d'If.  It eventually made its way up to the Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde, which is a hill-top church with commanding views of the city, and which is often wrongly thought to be the cathedral.

We didn't get the chance to look around Notre-Dame because David and Craig needed to make their way to the Stade Vélodrome to watch the Olympique de Marseille play.  They are in Ligue 1 (the top professional tier of football in France) and today were playing Évian Thonon Gaillard F.C. David wanted to see a professional football game while we were in Europe (having played FIFA 14 on the iPad), and the kickoff at 4:30 on Saturday was ideal for us.  Unfortunately for us, the club's organizational skills off the field would charitably be called "incompetent" by North American professional sports standards: the field is surrounded by construction with no signage.  When we arrived at the stadium, having bought our tickets online "for pickup at the billeterie", the ticket office could not find our tickets.  After some searching, they concluded they were at the "other" billeterie on the other side of the stadium.  Following 20 minutes of getting lost in the construction zone, a conversation with the gate ushers who assured us there was no such place (!), and having to circumnavigate a seemingly needless and endless fence, we found a building with 6-foot letters on it: Billeterie.  Success! ..... or not.  When we asked there for our tickets, the clerk looked at us in confusion and asked us why we were asking her about tickets, since this wasn't a ticket office.  No, instead of the building with 6' letters declaring itself the ticket office, the building we wanted was back around at the other end of the endless fence we had just traversed - unlabelled in a construction portable that blended in with all the other construction portables.


So, we entered the Stade at the 35-minute mark.  Fortunately, the on-field product was excellent, and OM dominated the play, coming away with a 1-0 victory.  There was only one booking (for a reckless challenge by an Evian TG midfielder in injury time when they were pressing for the equalizer), so it was a clean game with very little rolling-on-the-field shenanigans.  The concessions were limited by efficient, we easily managed to get our food and get back to our seats during the half-time break.  The seating in the stadium was similarly well-designed: the side seating was for people with families and the elderly who wanted to sit and watch a game.  The flag-waving, drum-beating, dancing and singing teens and singles were located at the two ends and were an entertainment in and of themselves!

Incidentally, for those that used to make fun of the CFL for having two Roughriders teams, Ligue 1 has two teams named Olympique - neither of which are in cities that have hosted the Olympics.