Calvi 1

The train left Ajaccio at 0741 arriving at Calvi just after midday. Again we had to pass through Ponte Leccia in the middle of Corsica. The B&B owner had kindly prepared a packed breakfast for me to eat on the train.

Wait, where's May 2? I checked into my Calvi hotel but before lunch it started bucketing down. So I stayed in my room and ate the remainder of my breakfast. By dinnertime it was still raining so I just stayed indoors and finished all the food with me.

So I have only 3 photos from May 2, all taken along the rail line or near Calvi station. I've decided to include them ahead of the photos for May 3 otherwise it will be a short post.

As you can see the sky was gloomy. But the photos later will make up for this. And there will be a lot, as Calvi is very photogenic. In fact I would say, if you want good scenery in Corsica, don't bother with Bastia or Ajaccio, go straight to Calvi and L'Île-Rousse.

My plan for the morning was to explore the old town and then walk along the water for as far as it looked interesting.

As my hotel was just steps away from the main street the first goal was easy. But the day before it had taken me a bit of searching to find the hotel entrance as the maps were inadequate.

The entrance was in fact up some stairs to the right of the Sainte Marie Church.

The harbour is a few steps downhill through a cross-lane. The port is east-facing and the long bay is north-facing.

It is lined with bars and restaurants as you would expect. But also dive shops. I saw quite a few people indulging in the sport. In the distance you can see the citadel.

A telephoto shot of the citadel.

Walking along the marina.

The morning was cool but it looked like it would warm up.

I took a fancy to these blossoms.

Some panoramas of the area.

At this point the marina becomes a car park. The Calvi train station is around here, but as the last km or so of track was under maintenance, we were set down at the previous station, Calvi Talle, and passengers walked the last km into town. Services would also depart from there for the foreseeable future.

A telephoto shot of the citadel.

What a great colour the water is.

A breakwater.

Looking at the beach from the breakwater.

It's a long and attractive beach.

There was snow on the distant peaks.

I reached the Calvi Talle station and looked back on the town.

A beach bar. I found a bench and ate my lunch. Some panoramas.

For lunch I went to a well-reviewed pizzeria and had an anchovy pizza.

Accompanied by a bottle of Pietra, a local beer. It contains chestnuts and the brewery is not as old as I thought, only since 1996.