Last Minute Trip to Corsica

View from the Citadella.
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We were lucky to have caught our boat to the island of Corsica from the Nice Port.  The combination of the buses running very slowly at rush hour and the fact that we initially went to the wrong side of the port, turned even the earliest moments of our trip into an adventure.  They were closing the ramp after us as we ran onto the boat - unfortunately a few others weren't so lucky.  So we left behind a few of our Canadian friends who missed the boat, and were on our way to meet the others who had already been in Corsica for a night.

View from the Citadella: The port town of Calvi in Corsica, France.
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The three-hour ferry ride there was uneventful for the most part - we ate and slept basically.  That is we slept until woken up by some mildly annoying Italian men who were boistrously talking about my friend and trying to wake her up.... The return ride was definitely more interesting... The whole group came back together and we basically took over our area with our hair salon and massage parlour - in addition some french guys took an interest in some of the girls and became entertainment for most of the ride.  This ferry running from Nice to Calvi was aparently the express route (3hrs) - the others who arrived earlier took a ferry to a different port and it had a pool and different amenities on it - if you're going to Corsica from Nice, this larger ferry is probably the one to take.  While the larger boat was a longer ride, I think that it was actually cheaper.

The Citadel, old city fortress, is a castle-like structure that now sits overlooking the port, the city, and the ocean.
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While in Corsica we had dinner and breakfast outings and we even put together a homemade meal in one of our two sweet trailers at Camping des Castors.  Water park fun at the pool and in the ocean, drinking games that crossed the line of ridiculousness ... Our night out in Calvi was a bit too eventful... Lesson learned by our group: they frown upon being too drunk (and perhaps speaking engligh) there, and will deny you from entering the bar if they so please - also, ladies, do not walk alone at night (here or in any city in France for that matter).  The drama began with some french girls pushing around of of the Canadian girls on the dance floor of this club, then continued with a shouting match between a couple of the Canadian girls and the bouncer of the same club.  It goes on from there....Quite the evening.

Camping Des Castors - They have tenting and trailers available. We were living in luxury in the trailers.
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However, one of the highlights for me was the limbo contest.  I don't have many talents, but I had the opportunity to practice a couple of them on this trip - limbo and massage (on the boat you will remember).  While one of the guys drumed on the base of the parking lever, a few of us competed in an intense limbo battle of flexibility and strength :)  I did not come out on top - this time - but we are sure to have a rematch.

The last day was relaxing.  I was a bit freaked out when I became covered in little bugs that must have been at the pool.  Called No-see-ums by one of the girls, they seemed to be impossible to get rid of.  I even tried to shower to get rid of them, but my towel and other things were still covered! Finally, when outside the campground they began to dwindle.  After chillin' at the beach we sadly left our trailers and headed for the port.  We got some amazing pics from the Citadel - which is right above the port.  The structure of this castle-like fortress is amazing - and so is the view from its walls.  Before we got on the boat we had some delicious pizza at a restaurant along the main road that lines the port.

Not only is the beach beautiful, but the mountainous backdrop adds a touch of Corsica landscape.
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What I have seen of Corsica is beautiful - the town of Calvi.  In addition, the group that arrived before us began their visit in another city and had the opportunity to take the bus to Calvi - they said that the scenery was gorgeous along the way.  This island is a region of France, but is located just to the west of Italy and seems to have a lot of Italian influences and many Italian visitors.  Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Corsica, and legend has it that Christopher Columbus was from Calvi.  1000 km of coastline, 200 beaches and mountainous topography make this a beautiful place to visit (I love Wikipedia).  Alors, voila la Corse.