Ajaccio to Porto (Part II)

We went to Corsica in the middle of March, which was unquestionably the off-season. The disadvantage of that is that lots of travel options have been unavailable: tourist activities shut down for the season, fewer trains running, restaurants closed. Porto, where we spent the night, goes from 10,000 people in the summer to just 100 in the winter. We were the only guests in the only open hotel in town, and there were only a few meal options at the one restaurant in town. When we showed up at the restaurant, around 6 pm, after a long day of driving, and asked if they were open, they said "yes." "Well, of course we're not open NOW." 

Similarly, throughout the trip, we keep discovering that restaurants are closed (either for the season, or until the normal dinner time of 8 pm) - even spots we were assured would be open, have been shuttered for the winter.

All that said, there is a major benefit to traveling in the off-season, which is that we have the place to ourselves! The roads are narrow and winding, with sheer cliffs into the ocean alongside, and the thought of sharing these roads with millions of French tourists is terrifying. As it was, the roads, trails and parking lots were completely empty. The weather has been wonderful too - overall, I'd much rather come to Corsica in March than July!







Fortunately the trails were open - according to our directions, the trail we were looking for this afternoon was either a few miles south of one hotel (Les Roches Rouges, pictured below), or a few miles south of another (Les Roches Bleues), further down the road. We made a number of stops before we finally found the trail, but when we did, we had a great hike!


Most of the rocks on this island look like they've been handled by giants at one time or another.




















Porto: the town was mostly empty, this time of year.