Breaking Travel News!! France is not shit! Well, I am sure parts of it are. That said, there are shit parts of the UK, even, I am sure, Austria where I was once almost tutted out of the country for sleeping in a public space (I tried to take a nap in a services but the noise and sense of disgust was overwhelming).
Anyway, France. I never thought about France, at least on the way back. I did intense planning for the trip ‘Go to Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica and come back’ – like that. I never thought properly of the ‘come back ‘ bit. I just was going to blast through France, find somewhere to get my head down in the middle and motor for the ferry. In that sense, i guess I thought the thing would be done when I got off the boat in Toulon.
Then it actually came to that point and I found myself riding once again on the Autoroute Du Soleil. How cool is that for a name? The Highway of the Sun. Route 66? Meh. The Great North Road, zzzzz, Even Ruta 40 in Patagonia – which I have ridden I will have you know – is just a road number like M62. It was sunny too, 30 degrees, which meant the driving got a bit Italian. Strange fact, one of the things I have found out on this trip is that the Germans get highly pissed off by………the Swiss! Who’d have thought it? Apparently, the Swiss are so controlled at home , with massive fines for everything, that they go to neighbouring countries and drive like Italians. The Swiss are handy too given that all their roads look like one of those puzzles where you have to move the ring without setting off the buzzer.
Corsican’s must be the same. Corsica was a revelation. I have been to Sicily so had an idea what that was like, Sardinia I just thought of as beautiful beaches, it was more than that but it lived up to the idea so that was memorable. Thar, plus the food at my Agritourismo, a farm that hosts visitors snd showcases local food and wine. That was epic with four amazing courses and wine made on the farm. Plus an aperitif plus a digestif. 10 on 10 on Booking.Com from the stuffed, pissed, happy Englishman.
No idea though about Corsica, nothing booked, no accommodation, not even a ferry. I thought about going from the port local to the idyllic beach I found in the north of Sardinia but ended up going to Bonifacio and the most amazing ferry port I have ever sailed into with a medieval castle high over head. Bonifacio was lovely and I would have gladly stayed but I rode to Ajaccio, stopping every 10 minutes to take in the view as the coast road snaked past turquoise water and hidden coves. Ajaccio was ok, I had a lovely meal, my best western hotel room was extraordinary and the 40 minute night walk back from town along the bay, including the cognac sat outside a seedy cafe, was a memory I’ll keep a long time. I didn’t go to inside the Napoleon museum, I was too late and not that bothered. But, but, the ride from Ajaccio to Bastia the following day was – words fail me. I was in the Alps and this felt more mountainous. The road snaked up huge inclines and then, inevitably, down again in a way that invited you to join the dance.
One day, people will not be allowed to drive their own vehicles. Not as we do. All cars sold after 2022 in the EU have to have speed limiters built in by law – did you know that? The systems use Sat Nav and Sign Recognition to warn the driver that they are breaching limits. The systems are capable of actually limiting the speed but that element isn’t switched on – yet. But its coming. The autonomy of individuals is gradually diminishing and risk eliminated. I detest it and the arrogance of politicians who want to endlessly ‘do good’. But thats for another time. This road was beautiful, Corsica was beautiful. I want to go back.
Here’s the thing. I think one reason is because it’s French. Not proper french, the Corsican’s seen themselves as french in the same way that the Catalunyans think themselves as Spanish. Yet it is unmistakably french, you can see it in the supermarkets, the patisseries, the boulangeries, even the clothes in the shops. The Italians build beautiful cars, the French do style in everything.
Going back to the start, two of my trusted friends had declared France dead based on recent visits. The tabacs and cafes in the small towns gone post COVID and so on. Yet I rode the Autoroute du Soleil and saw all those brilliant signs they erect and was blown away. Signs for whole towns that were epicurean centres, Gorges, archeological sites, even a crocodile farm! Most of all though for wine. You would have been as stuck for choice as me. I don’t think France is changed. I think we rush past it as our Sat Navs, programmed to the fastest route, hustle us along, missing out on the endless opportunities for exploration that lie in this fascinating country.
Which is why I decided to take another day. I had to stop anyway, that head down thing I talked about, but I added a day to that to explore this area. This being the burgundy wine region. Explore is to big a word for what I did, I didn’t even touch the surface. I went to Nuit Saint George. I’d been before , 40 years before, then too poor to buy one of the bottles, pity, it would have paid for this trip if I had kept it. Now I can afford the bottle I have nowhere to carry it. Very frustrating but also very motivating. I have a new mission.
I’m not rushing back to Italy, or Switzerland or even probably Sardinia. I am going back to Corisca as soon as possible and I am taking my time coming back through France. I am going to explore this beautiful country and learn its language. I am going to know more about its food and its wine. I know a bit about its history, Fight the British, Lose, Repeat, but we can pass over that. France, you are definitely not shit, in fact, you’re just a little bit lovely.
peteryder2003 