2025 – Europe

A day of mind-boggling beauty! Rented a zodiac boat to cruise the Gulf of Orosei with birthday boy Tom serving as captain. Stunning coastline with many beautiful beaches in front of enormous cliffs. Lots of opportunities to anchor for a swim and picnic lunch. Very brisk, super clear water to swim in. Excellent dinner at…

Transitioned from the Italian island of Sardinia to the French island of Corsica by almost empty plane. Got our rental car and checked in to our lovely, secluded villa a short ways out of Bonifacio. LOTS of info from our hostess all in French – we were pleased to understand pretty much all of it.…

Nice breakfast at home then headed in to beautiful Bonifacio for the day. Our exploration involved many, many stairs – ancient, worn and unevenly sized (my watch gave me credit for 30 flights). Long walk along the city wall with many, many pictures taken. Late in the morning Tom ran afoul of a cement ledge…

Another day of dolce far niente. I had a full day of driving, sightseeing and hiking planned but after all the stair climbing and medical drama yesterday, we all agreed it was time for some R & R. Our beautiful rental house and its lovely swimming pool were just what the doctor ordered. Other than…

Beautiful drive transitioning from Bonifacio to Corte, called the “beating heart of Corsica”. We went the long way, meaning through Ajaccio, the capital city and birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. We arrived in time for a great lunch at l’Instant (super creative salads) and spent some time walking around the old town. Then, off to the…

A day of “if I see any more beauty my head will explode”! We started with a walk around the quaint city of Corte. Afterwards we took one of the most breathtaking drives I’ve ever been on from Corte to Piana on the west coast and on to Calvi in the northwest. Narrow roads, hairpin…

Spent part of the day exploring the town of Calvi – the Citadel and Old Town. It was really hot so we did some grocery shopping and had downtime in our well air conditioned room. Spent some time at the pool then a great dinner in the Old Town.

After an enormous egg, ham and veggie scramble at our rental we hopped back in the car and drove up into the mountains. It was another really hot day so I scaled back on the plans to allow for pool time in the afternoon. First stop was Sant’ Antonino, a very old hilltop town and…

Left our lovely Calvi rental for a rather awful Paris apartment while Tom and Cindy headed for their nearby hotel. Went for drinks then met back up for dinner at a good place T & C had enjoyed on a previous visit, Au 35. Went to an underground club called Caveau des Oubliettes and listened…

Another great lunch at Bouillon Pigalle which has become a big favorite of ours. As today was La Fête de la Musique we assumed there would be music all day long as there had been on past visits. But, we looked all over the city during the day and found very little. Maybe because it…