Weekend Getaway Number 2

The past month has gone by in a whirlwind and my blog has fallen down to the bottom of my priorities but alas I’m here to rectify this!

***********************************************************************

The weekend after our first getaway to Bastia we ventured to the continent with our sights set on Nice. After a very early start (5:30am!), Ella and I headed to the airport and had some breakfast before the flight.

Ella and I being tourists!

Since we landed very early – the flight from Ajaccio only takes 45 minutes – and the weather was amazing, we decided to do a hop on/hop off bus tour to ensure we saw as much of Nice as possible.

 

 

That night Victoria arrived just in time to head to Monaco the next morning. Generally, we had mixed feelings about Monaco, sure it’s great if you have $$$$$$$$ to spend but your average tourist doesn’t. That being said it was a little surreal to see so many expensive boats. One thing that really made me laugh was that instead of home real estate advertised it was all for luxury yachts – to which I bought 5 (yeah, right!)

Boats, boats, boats!

The weather was pretty dull and rainy that day so we checked out the palace then headed to the aquarium which was situated right next to the palace.

I think it’s fair to say the aquarium was my favourite part of our trip to Monaco!

On Sunday, our flight didn’t leave until 9pm so we had a full day to kill. Unfortunately, the weather was even more miserable than the day before in Monaco. So we spent the day museum hopping – which is great if you’re a student as most museums are free in France for students, providing you have your student I.D!

I had a great time in Nice despite the weather not being the best. If you only have a short time to spend there, the hop on/hop off bus is well worth the 20 euro as you see a lot of sights you wouldn’t know existed if it weren’t for the bus. Monaco is worth a visit as it is only a 25 minute train journey away. The palace grounds are a must see as it is like it’s own little town and don’t forget to go and watch the changing of the guard which takes place at 11am everyday. If all else fails there’s a pretty awesome aquarium which gives student discount!

Advertisement

Weekend Getaway Number 1.

Last weekend, Ella, Victoria and I ventured up North to meet some other assistants and visit one of the main cities here in Corsica. It’s fair to say we packed a lot of stuff into our weekend!

Firstly, I had to take the bus from Sartene-Ajaccio (2 hours). Then we took the train from Ajaccio – Bastia (4 hours). After arriving late in Bastia, we decided to go for food and a few drinks with the Bastian assistants who were all very lovely!

(A picture I saw that night. It reads; Oscar Pistorius under house arrest. “Boss! I think that the electronic tag was a s**t idea”.)

The next day we strolled around the city to see what it had to offer. Bastia is very different from Ajaccio, for a start, you can only ever see the sunrise, not sunset due to its geographical position. However, on a clear day you can see Italy.
Bastia feels more like a city on the continent (mainland France) than Ajaccio does as it has a bit more of a modern feel to it. For example, the majority of restaurants etc. remain open in the winter unlike Ajaccio where a simple stroll along Rue Fesch on a Saturday night is akin to walking through a graveyard.

Bastia is divided into two parts, the new town and the old town. In the old town lies the citadel which is great for strolling around and visiting the museum. The port is also near to the citadel and along there you will find a lot of restaurants/bars.

One thing that is a must, is to take the train to Bastia. Although it is long in comparison to driving to Bastia – 4 hours by train, 2 hours by car from Ajaccio – you will be guaranteed an amazing view. As ever, people on the train are as friendly as ever and you will also meet some very interesting characters!

After being awestruck by Bastia (and secretly wishing we had all been placed there), we took the train back to Ajaccio. Once we had arrived in Ajaccio, our desires for being placed in Bastia soon disappeared. We realised that there is a great difference between the two cities as one is more metropolitan and the other is more desert like. When we stepped of the train, the weather was unusually really hot (around 20 degrees) and we soon remembered that actually we really do love Ajaccio and it does feel like home.

Ella and I made the most of the weather and visited the famous, îles sanguinares (bloody islands), to fully understand why it is called this you should watch the sunset there. Despite it only being a short 1 euro bus ride from Ajaccio, it feels so far away as you can hardly see the city from the islands and it is my new favourite place to go whilst visiting Ajaccio.

Les îles, just before sunset. 

It’s easy to see why they are called les îles sanguinaires. 

Next weekend will be Weekend Getaway Number 2 as we adventure to Nice and Monaco.

Time is ticking by.

It’s been over two whole months since my last post and lets just say that was down to technical difficulties*.

*Technical Difficulties – When one drops a laptop or electronic device on a tiled surface causing said device to cease functioning.

 

I have had a very busy and amazing 2 months. I’ve gained a housemate, cats, friends, experiences and memories.
Now that we are into the 2nd part of the year abroad, everyone is much more relaxed which means that there are more adventures to be had!
I feel so lucky to have made friends here who are similar and just as spontaneous and up for adventure as I am. Now that we are half-way through the year abroad process I want to get out there and see as much as I possibly can. Therefore, my friends and I have booked trips to Nice and soon Marseille!

Teaching wise everything is great, all the people here – staff and students – are super relaxed, helpful and enthusiastic. I’m beginning to be recognised for my progress in my French and I’m becoming more confident with each little bit of progress I make. It was lovely to be so warmly received by everyone after the Christmas holidays.

In fact, the Christmas holidays were amazing. It’s difficult to explain almost because on the one hand, Corsica/general year abroad shenanigans feel so far away when you are sat at home with your family and friends enjoying yourself. However, it is apparent that you easily fit back into your same routine when you go back home for holidays which makes you realise just how precious your time abroad is. Even though life in your chosen town also doesn’t change, you do. In a sense that, whilst enjoying said time with your friends and family you already start losing the progress you had worked so hard to make. Therefore, it is vital to always maintain your language skills.

Now, that the end of my year abroad doesn’t actually seem that far away. It is vital for me to learn and experience as much as I can and that is exactly what I plan on doing!