Wanderlust and Words

Food Waste Film Night, Nov. 8 A screening of Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story will be followed by a panel discussion about making sure that healthy food doesn’t go to waste in our community at 6:30 pm, Nov. 8. (Funding for the rights to show the film was provided through an EcoFriendly Action Grant .) Cider & Spanish, Nov. 15 Enjoy a glass of cider and learn some basic Spanish preparatory to your winter holiday during a two-week course at the Glen at Crossmount beginning Nov. 15. Gourmet Blood Drive Here’s an idea that might be fun to try in Saskatoon, maybe at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. The City of Tours, France, is holding a Collecte de Sang Gastronomique . Donate blood and 4 local chefs will provide a gourmet snack. Pralines, Racism and Emancipation New Orleans is famous for its pralines, which have an interesting history . “The praline itself is a French confection, named after César, duc de Choiseul, comte du Plessis-Praslin, who some believe had his cook ...

Bonifacio is at the southernmost tip of Corsica, just 12 miles across the sea from Sardinia. It's a startling place as the old town is a fortress on a cliff. Even more surprising is the fact that the old citadel is home to approximately 3,000 people as well as being a popular tourist destination. We went for a wild and windy boat ride in the morning to see the limestone cliffs and caves that surround Bonifacio. In the afternoon, we explored the old city. Stone towers were used to store grain in case of a siege and a long flight of stairs leads down to a water cistern. Among the streets full of tourist shops, there are signs of residential life. This seagull loves to be photographed. I think he's posed for every camera-toting tourist that passed through the citadel.

Two thirds of Corsica is mountains, and it’s fascinating to travel on the windy roads of the interior. You’ll spot a tiny village across the valley and minutes later will be driving through it. Continue driving and you’ll see it again below you. Far, far below is Bastia, the commercial centre of Corsica. The most recognizable feature of every village is its church and tower. Some small towns will have two churches. We had lunch in St. Florent, a popular tourist spot with a sheltered harbour. The citadel was built by the Genoese in 1440. The Corsican flag features a black Moor's head with a white bandana. I find it intriguing that they represent their country by an image of a historical enemy as the many Genoese towers were built to defend Corsica against Moorish pirates.

The northern tip of Corsica is narrow and rocky with one minor road going round the point connecting the scattered small communities. It's a fabulous seaside drive for cars and bicycles - but be forewarned, the roads are narrow and constantly curving. There were lots of cyclists out for the day when we drove the route on a Sunday. The east coast is fairly low, while the west coast rises up into steep cliffs. We took a very steep, narrow side road (our rule of thumb: don't take any road that is less than 1 1/2 lanes wide) down to the tiny coastal community of Barcaggio. One restaurant was still open and doing a bustling business in leisurely Sunday lunches. We disappointed the owner by not being able to eat a full course, let alone three courses. The rock around Barcaggio was astonishingly green.  Bell towers are often separate from the church in Corsica.

Our first stop in Corsica was in Erbalunga, a small town just up the east coast from Bastia. And it was magical! Erbalunga is now a tourist centre, but it was once one of Corsica’s major ports. The old town sits on a tiny peninsula jutting out from the coast and is a maze of tiny alleyways branching out from two small squares. At the end of the peninsula is a tower, one of many erected by the Genoans to defend their territory of Corsica from the barbarians. There are hundreds of them! The church has lost its roof and is now a balcony overlooking the sea. There are potted plants, old walls, and pastel-coloured walls. We were staying at Castel Brando , a lovely hotel in an old house surrounded by a garden. It was a wonderful place to stay with spacious rooms and pleasant staff. And – right across the street – was a boulangerie so that we could enjoy fresh pains au chocolat and bread for breakfast.

We took the ferry from Nice to Bastia, Corsica. It's normally a 6 1/2 hour trip. Ours was slightly longer for various reasons, including a large memorial ceremony in Nice which meant that our ferry left from a different dock. It had to back in around a very tight corner - a remarkable feat. Many people headed to the top deck to enjoy the sunshine and last views of Nice. We landed in Bastia after dark. Here's a shot of the ferry terminal taken from high up in the hills a few days later.

There was a massive thunderstorm on our second full day in Nice. Fortunately, the sun came out in the afternoon and we took a stroll along the Promenade du Paillon (a long, narrow park following the path of a former river), starting out at the Place Massena. There's a wonderful children's playground based on sea creatures. And there are tropical trees and flowers. Our next stop was Vieux Nice with its narrow, winding alleyways. And, of course, as soon as the sun came out, people headed to the beach. Finally, a few shots of the European architecture, which I love.