Lost in Europe 2012: 10/22/12

We completed our road trip from Corte, Corsica to Ajacco. It took the better part of the day since we do have stops along the way to check out the scenery and towns or anything that interest us. Having a 9 passenger van we have take it easy on the winding roads or everyone in the van will let you know. Their are very few guard rails on the road and the sides are very steep mountain cliffs.

We are in a very rural area of Corsica. When we left the hotel we drove way back in the montains . The only travelers were seriuos mountain hikers and rock climbers. The road back in was one lane and at times very intimidating and treacherous. The mountains are the highest in Corsica. The photos below do not do them justice. Absolutely beautiful on the back country. We went as far as the road would allow...of course.

This part of France is distinctly different, influenced by Italy but not Italian, the Corsicans have a language, culture, cuisine and way of life all of their own. When we arrived at the hotel we had dinner there and had a great time trying to interpret the menu and speak with the waitress. No luck with the language but the food was excellent. The last couple of days we have been eating food we never had before, wild bore, was one of my favorites. The salads and deserts were the best. The waitree was a partyer and we drank a lot during dinner....all fun.

The French emperor Napoléon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in the Corsican Ajaccio.
Corsica is one of the few regions of France that retains its own language in everyday usage: Corsican, which is more closely related to Italian than to French. It didn't matter to us since we spoke neither but had fun trying.