light as a feather
6.8.05
Ghosts at the col de la Cayolle
It's not all sunshine in the Alps. The last day of the trek we slept at a mountain refuge at 2400 meters. During the night it turned cold and rainy; a fog-laden wind swept over the pass. The donkeys spent the night in the field, soaked to the skin and shivering. Nico and I had planned to do a 3000 meter peak the following morning, but given the uncooperative weather we instead gathered the children and the donkeys and headed back down into the valley.
¶ 3:00 PM 
Beasts of the forest
We saw many animals, big and small, in the forests of Corsica and in the Alps. Many were too fast, distant or elusive to photograph. A few sat for the camera.
¶ 2:00 PM
More textures
If you have been following along, you know that I like textures. The world is as fascinating from close up as it is from far away. These are from Corsica and the the Alps
¶ 11:40 AM
A week with Hippolyte
Hippolyte is a little black donkey. He carried our bags for a week as we trekked accross the Parc National du Mercantour. Surefooted and stoic, stubborn, imperturbable, generous, Hippolyte was a fine traveling companion for a little boy.
¶ 11:30 AM
Balthazar in Corsica
Here is a collection for all you Balthazar fans. As the photos below attest, Balthazar had a sad little vacation. Please send money.
¶ 11:01 AM
Corsica unspoiled
We had a really great vacation in Corsica. We had an afternoon train on the 14th to Marseille which got in an hour late because of some suspicious package in the station so we didn’t get to do anything in Marseille but our overnight ferry left on time and we watched the gigantic thing pull out and the sun set over the Mediterranean before having dinner and then having a fine night in our room until they woke us up at about 6 am to get everyone to eat breakfast in their dining room. The boat was so big and the water so calm (took about 2000 cars plus a couple hundred walk ons) that you didn’t feel the trip but could enjoy the sights. We got off in Bastia and had breakfast in a local café right next to the car rental place which was already open so we were on our way early. We were headed to a little town called Nonza on the little northern finger of Corsica, but ended up not getting there until about 4 because we stopped at a beach. Corsica has almost no industry and as a result is somewhat “wild”. There are laws restricting beach development and so the beaches are beautiful and clean, free, and best of all not crowded. During the trip we must have gone to 7 or 8 different beaches. You just find a place that’s accessible and park. The water was unbelievably clear aquamarine and clean. Even for people like us who are not too interested in sunbathing on the beach all day it was irresistible. I couldn’t get over it. The first few days were hot but since there’s no humidity it didn’t really bother us. Nonza was beautiful, full of cacti and on a cliff overlooking the beach. We had an aperitif and dinner on a little square where all the locals were hanging out. The next day we headed to our gite in the middle of the southern part of the island. It took a while to get there since the roads are small and winding. It was in a village called Saint Lucie de Tallano up high, again a beautiful view. The place was ok although the garden they said was part of it turned out to be a burnt out yard in front of another house which was falling down. We didn’t use it but didn’t really need to as we were up early every day and gone most of the day. There was a small river about 15 minutes away that had a natural pool, again clear clean water that was just the right temperature. We did a couple of hikes along and in that river or maybe I should call it a stream. About the 3rd day we woke up and it was quite cool in the morning, about 16°C, then got up to 30 a few hours later. Brilliant sunshine everyday, not too hot. We alternated between hikes in the mountains where you could pretty much count on finding another sparkling stream to jump in and hikes and half day at the beach. One day we even went scuba diving.(see attached) A small operation with just a hut on a beach, they took about 15 people out on a boat with four or 5 instructors. A few people were experienced so 1 guy went off with them while the rest of us took turns going down so that each person had an instructor handling the equipment. Basically we had to concentrate on making sure we got our ears adjusted by blowing and holding our noses and breathing with our mouths which I found somewhat unsettling. We went down about 5 meters and the water was crystal clear. We saw different kinds of fish and plants but the most amazing was when Brian’s instructor caught a tiny octopus which I got to touch. We weren’t down that long but it was enough for me. Brian also said he had a similar reaction, you feel slightly anguished about being under water even though you can breath. I felt a bit like I might freak out but managed not to. It was pretty cool. Balthazar said he wasn’t concerned at all and I think he was telling the truth because another day he and Brian did something called “acrobranch” where they climbed around on ropes up in the trees and flew between them on pulleys. They both said they were terrified as they did the first launch. It cost 10€ for about an hour. I can’t imagine that in the US where the insurance would at least triple the cost. After the week at the gite we drove back to bastia over 2 days stopping the 1st day in a little village on the coast called Piana, where there are calenques (fjords) set in spectacular red granite cliffs. We stayed in a 1 star hotel that reminded me of Malaysia. It was a fabulous deal. Even came with breakfast in the guy’s personally tended garden. The next day we headed to Corte in the interior to a hotel where brian had stayed before on his bike trips. It was the base for a hike up to what’s called the roof of Corsica, I forget why, I don’t think it’s the highest point. It was a trail that went to 7 lakes, we only had 4 hours so only saw the 1st two but boy were they beautiful. Too cold for swimming but just gorgeous. Then we had to head back to get to the ferry. The things that surprised me the most were the “naturalness” of the place (makes you realize just how much we have polluted the planet) and the lack or paucity of tourists. I think they were there but there are so many streams and beaches and mountains that they’re so spread out you don’t seethem. Or maybe the hoards arrive in August? Anyway it was great, I’m ready to go back. We had some time on the way back to see a bit of Marseille but it seemed too much like Istanbul, Brian and I both had that reaction.
