9. Ajaccio

After the hustle and bustle of the big cities it was nice to reach the much quieter port of Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica and birthplace of Napoleon. Again, with no firm plans and our decision to try and avoid long coach journeys and keep away from big indoor crowds, we just went ashore for a wander around.

Having been here twice before there wasn’t really too much new to explore within easy reach of the capital. But we enjoyed looking at the various stores in the shopping district (many higher end ones reflecting Ajaccio’s importance on the cruise line itineraries). We also paid homage to Napoleon himself by visiting his house (now a bar) and walking up to his memorial statue….which also affords some good views over the town.

Also included in our own personal itinerary were walks around the two yacht marinas and the beachfront. It was a warm afternoon and the sea did look inviting but I daresay the water was colder than it looked.

There was a lovely nature moment just before we sailed away. A murmuration of thousands of birds, we think starlings, were swooping and weaving all over the sky as the sun dipped down behind the mountains. Both amazing and spectacular.

Overnight the weather has changed somewhat and it’s overcast with some threatening looking clouds around and the sea is moderate. As it’s a day at sea anyway it doesn’t matter and the forecast for Mallorca tomorrow is excellent.