Day 14 Tuesday 18th October Ajaccio on Corsica
The voyage over from Civitavecchia overnight was on calm seas through the Bonifacio Straits which is between Corsica and Sardinia. We arrived in Ajaccio at about 7.30 am to a fine morning.
In the arrival announcement the ship’s deputy Captain told us that there was a rain storm expected later in the morning but fine dry weather was expected in the afternoon.
This was another country to visit as Corsica is part of France and is famous for having been the birthplace of Napoleon.
After breakfast in the restaurant the predicted rain storm came and the temperature dropped a few degrees. Oceana started doing crew drills and was joined by another cruise ship, Aida Blu, also busy doing exercises.
As we left the ship the rain started again and we walked out of the terminal area towards the square named after De Gaulle. To try and get away from the rain we walked up the Cours Napoleon until we came to an eclectic cafe that offered food as well as wi-fi.
After a lunch of ham baquettes with local beer the rain had stopped and we headed towards the road that runs along the beach.
There was a mural painted on one of the streets leading down to the beach.
We stopped at a cafe along the road and I had a local beer and sat and watched cars being parked in impossibly tight spaces.
Walking back to the ship we passed the Citadelle which is still manned by the French Army. In its moat were donkeys and goats as well beach balls and other items thrown over the wall into the restricted zone.
Past the Citadelle was the port area for fishing boats as well as for yachts and beyond that the open air cafes that were now opening for afternoon business.
The shuttle bus took us back to the harbour and after leaving the ‘duty free’ shops we walked back along the quayside to Oceana. Aida Blu was still moored next to Oceana.
Once back onboard we enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather and later went up on the Lido deck to watch the last sailaway of the cruise….
… and see Ajaccio
The concierge post from Ajaccio was £1 per postcard and left the ship at 3.30 pm.