Oh yes . . . the view. Yes, it is very nice . . .
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Where are we going?
Julien shows us the way . . . .
All you have to do is follow the red & white painted stripes on the rocks. . . which are everywhere.
And the piles of rocks. How could anyone get lost?
OK - so I only went the wrong way once . . . ok twice . . . but I would have found my way back. I kept asking "why are the stripes yellow and not red & white?". OK . . . maybe I was saying it to myself and not outloud. I was going to figure it out . . . eventually . . .
Animals along the GR20 . . .
No fences . . . no sign of anyone attending to the animals . . . just roaming around free. One day we stopped for lunch next to a little pond and the entire hour we were there, a cow was walking around, ringing his bell which was hanging around his neck. He never stopped moving. He must have been nuts!! How could he handle having that bell contstantly ringing, so close to his ears? I know it was driving all of us crazy and we wanted him to stop moving.
Lots of flies on the horses!! Weren't the flies bugging them??
Lots of flies on the horses!! Weren't the flies bugging them??
The GR 20 - Grand Randonne
The GR 20 (or fra li monti) is a GR footpath that crosses the Mediterranean island of Corsica running approximately north-south, described by the outdoor writer Paddy Dillon as "one of the top trails in the world".[1] The GR 20 is marked regularly with distinctive red and white waymarks, which in good weather are simple to follow, yet in the early and late season when the ground is usually still covered in snow, or when walking in cloud, the path may become harder to follow. In some of the more exposed scrambles, ladders and steel ropes have been fixed into the rock surface to aid walkers (though this is only for a very short section in the "Cirque de la Solitude"). Although the northern section of the route requires some moderate scrambling, the majority of the GR 20 is a well worn footpath and its main challenge comes not from its ruggedness, but from its length. Being at high altitude, some snow can come late and early in the year and fog can bring a bitter chill and make it difficult to find one's way also some of the ridges are prone to very high winds. Despite the main path being marked by waymarks and being well worn, there are also routes that lead down from the main path into villages, or up from the path to peaks. Walkers should be aware of these routes as they not only provide variation to the route, but also could prove vital in a survival situation where it is required to get an injured walker off the path for example.
The whole trail is about 180 km long, clearly waymarked throughout, the walk for most people takes around 15 days. The trail is usually considered as two parts: the northern part, between Calenzana and Vizzavona and the southern part, between Vizzavona and Conca.
Vizzavona is considered the middle as there is a train station, and therefore is an accessible point for walkers beginning or ending a walk consisting of half the route. From Vizzavona, the train can be taken to Bastia or Ajaccio as well as many smaller towns and villages such as Corte. The northern part is considered by some the more difficult part, because of the steep and rocky paths, though this could be an effect of many walkers beginning in the north and not being as fit for this section. The southern part of the trail is often considered easier though the lower altitude may give rise to higher temperatures in summer and so provide more difficult walking conditions.
Along the trail there are mountain huts described as "refuges" or gîtes. The standard and price of accommodations and food varies from refuge to refuge. One can sleep in tent nearby the refuge, but it is not permitted to pitch tents along the trail.
The GR 20 is an advanced trail. Of the less difficult but beautiful trails on the island two Mare e monti (from sea to mountain) and three Mare a mare (from sea to sea) trails are the best known.
The whole trail is about 180 km long, clearly waymarked throughout, the walk for most people takes around 15 days. The trail is usually considered as two parts: the northern part, between Calenzana and Vizzavona and the southern part, between Vizzavona and Conca.
Vizzavona is considered the middle as there is a train station, and therefore is an accessible point for walkers beginning or ending a walk consisting of half the route. From Vizzavona, the train can be taken to Bastia or Ajaccio as well as many smaller towns and villages such as Corte. The northern part is considered by some the more difficult part, because of the steep and rocky paths, though this could be an effect of many walkers beginning in the north and not being as fit for this section. The southern part of the trail is often considered easier though the lower altitude may give rise to higher temperatures in summer and so provide more difficult walking conditions.
Along the trail there are mountain huts described as "refuges" or gîtes. The standard and price of accommodations and food varies from refuge to refuge. One can sleep in tent nearby the refuge, but it is not permitted to pitch tents along the trail.
The GR 20 is an advanced trail. Of the less difficult but beautiful trails on the island two Mare e monti (from sea to mountain) and three Mare a mare (from sea to sea) trails are the best known.
Corsica - The Mountain in the Sea
Corsica . . . ."Une ile souvent conquise, jamais soumise."
"Often conquered . . . never subdued"
Where is Corsica?
Corsica (French: Corse, IPA: [kɔʁs]; Corsican: Corsica; Italian: Corsica) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia. It was once briefly an independent Corsican Republic, until being incorporated into France in 1769. Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio; where his ancestral home, Casa Buonaparte, is also located.
Corsica has been occupied continuously since the Mesolithic era. It acquired an indigenous population that was influential in the Mediterranean during its long prehistory. After a brief occupation by the Carthaginians, colonization by the ancient Greeks and an only slightly longer occupation by the Etruscans it was preempted by the Roman Republic and became with Sardinia a province of the Roman Empire. In the 5th century, the Roman Empire collapsed and the island was invaded by the Vandals, the Visigoths, the Saracens and the Lombards. Pepin the Short, king of the Franks and Charlemagne's father, expelled the invaders and granted Corsica to pope Stephen II through the exarchate of Ravenna (756), which was the starting point of the temporal power of the papacy.
The Genoese took possession of the island in 1347, and governed it until 1729 - interrupted only by a brief occupation by forces of a Franco-Ottoman alliance in the Invasion of Corsica (1553).
In Corsica, vendetta was a social code that required Corsicans to kill anyone who wronged the family honor. It has been estimated that between 1683 and 1715, nearly 30,000 out of 120,000 Corsicans lost their lives to vendetta,[2] and between 1821 and 1852, no less than 4,300 murders were perpetrated in Corsica.
The Genoese took possession of the island in 1347, and governed it until 1729 - interrupted only by a brief occupation by forces of a Franco-Ottoman alliance in the Invasion of Corsica (1553).
In Corsica, vendetta was a social code that required Corsicans to kill anyone who wronged the family honor. It has been estimated that between 1683 and 1715, nearly 30,000 out of 120,000 Corsicans lost their lives to vendetta,[2] and between 1821 and 1852, no less than 4,300 murders were perpetrated in Corsica.
Corsica was formed as an island through volcanic explosions. It is known as the most mountaineous island in the Mediterranean. Corsica is 183 kilometres (114 mi) long at longest, 83 kilometres (52 mi) wide at widest, has 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) of coastline, more than 200 beaches, and is very mountainous, with Monte Cinto as the highest peak at 2,706 metres (8,878 ft) and 20 other summits of more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain. Forest comprises 20% of the island.
Approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi) of the total surface area of 8,680 km2 (3,350 sq mi) is dedicated to nature reserves (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse), mainly in the interior.[4] Corsica contains the GR20, one of Europe's most notable hiking trails.
The island is 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Tuscany in Italy and 170 kilometres (110 mi) from the Côte d'Azur in France. It is separated from Sardinia to the south by the Strait of Bonifacio, a minimum of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) wide.[4]
Approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi) of the total surface area of 8,680 km2 (3,350 sq mi) is dedicated to nature reserves (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse), mainly in the interior.[4] Corsica contains the GR20, one of Europe's most notable hiking trails.
The island is 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Tuscany in Italy and 170 kilometres (110 mi) from the Côte d'Azur in France. It is separated from Sardinia to the south by the Strait of Bonifacio, a minimum of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) wide.[4]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)