22-Nov-2024
I can't remember if Nigel first had the idea for Corsica, and then found out about U Trinichello, Corsica's little train, or whether it was the trains that caught his eye first.
Whichever, they're awesome. Truly, if you did absolutely nothing else in Corsica, the journey we did yesterday would justify your coming.
Here's one we took earlier
Anyway, let's start at the very beginning. We were up early yesterday morning, tidying the flat, dealing with our recycling (which France has made blissfully easy), and setting off in good time to get to the station before the 0740 departure.
Clear skies that morning. A herald of good views
Waiting at the station. No food or drinks available either here or on the train, so bring your own brekkie
The train bustles in, and HUNDREDS of people get off. This is no tourist train, but rather a functioning bit of commuterdom.
Comfortable interior, with plenty of room for luggage
And we're off. It's awesome from the get-go. You traverse and/or view so many different kinds of terrain: Forest; the scrubby vegetation called maquis; towering granite (you can see why Dorothy Carrington called her book Granite Island); that tufty terrain that I call carpet but others probably don't; and finally, the seaside. And our tiny train is utterly indomitable. He is unfazed by steep gradients and tight curves. These features make up most of the route, and he just eats them up. In fact, he'd be bored without them.
The whole journey takes just less than five hours, and it's breathtaking from start to finish.
So I'll stop talking, and just let you look at the pictures:
It's not always easy to take photos. The first section is very wooded (beautiful but not camera-friendly); and as the sun comes up you have to watch out for reflections
Not far from Ajaccio
Soon you're starting to see the biggies, some of which have a little snow
Getting increasingly dramatic
This is where the up- and down-trains pass
On again, the rising sun making sharp demarcations between light and shade
Here we're travelling over the Pont du Vecchio, a viaduct built by Gustave Eiffel
This is a biggish station. Many are just request stops
Stonework and buildings here and there
And dramatically perched villages
You have to change trains at Ponte Leccia
Traces of the route, which plunges into tunnels, snakes around the spurs, and helter-skelters up and down the valleys
And then you're at the sea!
Ile Rousse
Beachfront railway
That's Calvi across the bay
Having arrived in Calvi, buzzing from this amazing trip, we headed for our new abode, and were enthused all over again.
All our accommodation on this trip has been very good. No busts at all so far, and some highly memorable places. But this one is really fab. Huge entrance hall, huge kitchen, humongous lounge-diner, and a massive terrace whose glazing you can open or close as you will:
The outside. Left-hand building, first floor on the right
We also have the most stupendous views. From our front windows, you can see the vast expanse of the Bay of Calvi, the towering mountains (the highest tops out at 2,706 metres, which is twice the size of Ben Nevis), and Calvi's impressive citadel. Not to mention the cloudscapes, of course, which change by the minute:
This morning's sunrise version
We're going to be here for eight more nights. The first breather in what has felt like a bit of a breakneck trip (though highly enjoyable). We couldn't have chosen a better place to kick back for a while. Calvi is quiet in this season (I'm not sure we'd like it so much outside the winter period); there are lots of walking possibilities; there's a supermarket just up the road that carries loads of interesting Corsican products; and well, there's this awesome flat...
I feel rejuvenated already.