As you may remember from the previous Part, we are still on our way from Ajaccio to Calvi. I can’t say the hills of Corsica, I would not be exaggerating if I said mountains (because they always seemed quite high to me). High mountains that always seem to have clouds on their tops. The slopes are covered with green but there are still stunted trees. The climate gets even better towards the north of here. Corsican ports are also impressive with their castles.
Calvi Castle
Every morning after breakfast, the approach maneuvers to the port on the bridge was wonderful for me, of course… Full rudder to starboard! Fire Cannons from portside! Calvi is ours !…
In Calvi harbor, the ship anchored offshore. Offshore does not mean docking at a harbor, but rather anchoring a ship offshore. I must admit that in this Mediterranean climate, the further north you go, the more beautiful the nature becomes. Calvi is not a ketchup country, as its name suggests. Because it is spelled differently. From a distance, it looks like a settlement scattered around and inside a very handsome castle.
Route
As can be seen from the map, Calvi is located on the northwestern part of Corsica. When you consider how European trade routes are and the prevailing winds, the location and advantage of the western coast of Corsica becomes obvious. Draw a line from Marseille to Messina… here is the route…
Yes, we were saying “Offshore”. Ship vehicles operate from offshore to the coast. This ship also has two huge, sea bus-like vehicles. Catamaran hull. They go and come very quickly. The ship’s davits (cranes used to lower and raise vehicles) are used to launch (lower/raise) vehicles to/from the ship. However, when the sea is rough, jumping into the vehicle from the starboard port lower pan of the ship can unfortunately be a problem for elderly people.
In 4 of the 7 ports, the ship was out in the open, that is, offshore. And the way you can see the shore depends on your ability to get on the ship. Therefore, if you have such an intention, before you get too old, I would say don't postpone it. Everything is beautiful as long as you are healthy.
Going to shore by Tender from Ship
Unfortunately, I am a picky person, I can't easily say everything is as ok, oh how nice and pretty. It's not nice, of course, but believe me, I loved Calvi in first sight. If we ask why... I think, first of all, it's a very clean settlement. I really congratulate them.
Calvi
Another feature was its calm, peaceful and serene atmosphere. No noise, no shouting, no screaming. No signs or visual pollution anywhere. Nothing very different either. But it has a character that makes you feel its original atmosphere at first sight and sells it. I don't know what else to say.
View from Calvi Castle
If you had more time, it might make more sense to spend time in this city in Corsica instead of Ajaccio or Bonifacio. However, the ship also tries to satisfy its passengers by stopping at certain distances. Therefore, these ports in question are also important places of call according to the old times and the speed of the ships. Therefore, in fact, the ports visited have always been a beautiful "cruise menu" which baklava cannot be eaten always as is.
Calvi Streets
Although there are many beautiful beaches, we did not have time to visit them.
Calvi Streets
Did I tell you that the roads were also very clean? )) The babies walking barefoot were so comfortable. were The mother and father worried about their children getting their feet stuck in the city or cutting them. It was obvious that they were not worried. Yes, it was a port that I enjoyed expressing my appreciation at every opportunity. I congratulate the people of Calvi for making me talk like this. Hopefully, in our own country, we will have coastal towns that make tourists talk like this. No offense, but these are the facts. Unless it is visited and seen, and compared, there would be no such thing as competition and quality process management.
Night Sailing
Wait for us Portofino …
We will sail 109 nautical miles from Corsica to Portofino. And finally, some strong wind! Now we feel the power of the wind. That magnificent mass says I am going… We started to rock slightly. My wife was careful and swallowed a “dramamine” pill in time… I am glad I gave the pill to her. You know, the waves that rock us gently, may seem one size bigger for those who are not used to it. Indeed, pill helped. The next day, we continued on our way to arrive before noon. The ship did not rock as much after the morning as it did at night. Our activity after breakfast;
Exploring the Crow’s Nest ))) Nest Crow !
Climbing to Nest Crow
Climbing the mast was an exciting and very unique activity. Here too, "safety is essential" of course. They don't let you up unless you are tied to a lifeline from your waist)) First the mast of our ship... then the sails one by one... then the board of our ship... I'm sure the people from Portofino were very happy when they saw us after we got off the ship. The world is round !
Full Sails
As you approach the port from a distance, you say "there is no such place as Portofino". But its lighthouse is visible. This legendary dream town of the 1950s at the tip of the peninsula, 15-20 km southeast of the port of Genoa... Exactly it is dream !
Portofino
It turns out it was tiny. If you counted, we either had 4 hours, or we didn't. But we saw every inch of this wonderful port, every inch of it, seeing and seeing. Was it enough? It wasn't enough. not only want to see here, but also want to live here till forever. But, this was worth it. I have seen many places in the world, but I haven't seen many places that are unique in their own way, that make you say "yes! There is no other place like here ! " For example, Venice... is such a place. There is no other place like it either. This place is really like that. I think it is the peak of our trip.
What to do in Portofino? Of course, it also depends on the length of your stay.
The greenery is so well preserved that you can take long walks in the forest that starts right behind the buildings. Or you can rent a small boat and visit the surrounding bays. However, since your eye level is low from the sea, the beauties you can see will naturally be limited.
If you want to see a beautiful view, you will either go towards the “Portofino Lighthouse”… by following a sweet path… on the way you can visit the San Giorgio Church or the Castello Brown Castle, and you not enough satisfied with the view from here… or you will go in the opposite direction…
Portofino
When it is said as Portofino; it is truly the symbol of Italian-style life... I guess there are very few places on earth that are destined to be loved without being seen. How do we know Portofino? Either from a song or a movie... or from social media posts these days. With its sea that meets the deep blue sky, its well-kept tiny houses decorated with colorful flowers that have defied the years, its narrow streets, luxury yachts, magnificent mansions, magnificent lives and unforgettable loves, Portofino has become the symbol of Italian-style, quite bohemian life, love and music. There is no tourist who would not want to see this wonderfully charming tiny port at least once. First, we went to the Portofino Lighthouse and then returned;
In order to experience a different ambiance, we hurried to catch our reservation at the “Belmond Hotel Splendido Portofino” on the other side of this beautiful bay, with its magnificent view overlooking the Portofino harbour entrance, and also known in history, as the hotel where Richard Burton proposed to Elizabeth Taylor.
When we mentioned reservation, let’s say a table reservation, not a room)). Let’s accept that we are not yet in a position to stay in the room))
You know, the song that everyone is humming in some way, “I found my love in Portofino…” composed by Vittorio Paltrinieri in 1959. I found my love in Portofino… This song that we are used to hearing from Dalida’s soft voice is also the beginning of an era for Portofino. This small town, which is etched into the memories of many of us with a song, has also proven to us what songs can sometimes do. Accompanied by this romantic song, we returned to the harbor and waited for our tender to ship. A wonderful four hours ! Believe us, it was worth everything.
Portofino
Finally, as we approach our magnificent ship, one wonders whether to look at Portofino or this beautiful ship. The ship is available for now, I stared at Portofino.
The next port is Monaco. While we sail towards Monaco through the night, enjoying the sky after dinner with the moonlight, even if it is not full, is something else entirely.
As every morning, before breakfast, I go straight to the bridge and do a “position check” (I mean checking where we are).
Distance from the spor on the bridge to the bow and stern of the ship
As always, we see that we are 43 meters from the bow and 94 meters from the stern of our ship and we feel safe)) Position check is complete.)) This is professional deformation. In essence, we are approaching Monaco.
Approaching to Monaco
After completing our breakfast, we took our place on the bridge without missing the port entrance. How would this ship docking without me ! But we have a great captain and side propellers )) he definitely won’t play the violin. Our captain turns the ship around its own axis like a pinwheel at the entrance of the port, then “parks” our ship at the pier at the Monaco port breakwater with the automatic parking function.
I am sure everyone knows and has heard many things about Monaco. I can inform you here that there are very radical traffic rules, that you will not be held responsible when parking, the reason for which is very clear; the land is very valuable in this small country and there will be no reason for chaos in this regard. In other words, if you come by renting a car in the future, think five times how your car will get entangled in your leg. Apart from that, as you know, this place is also known as Monte Carlo. When you say Monte Carlo, this means its famous casino.
However, there are two different activities that interest me, known worldwide. The Grand Prix Formula 1 races are held here every year in May. Imagine, you have such an infrastructure, that is, smooth inner-city roads… racing cars can speed on these roads without hitting their bottoms to anything. In other words, roads where there is not even the slightest negative protrusion, let alone a bump. This also points to the exact opposite phenomenon in an interesting way. In other words, on roads where there are no bumps, where a lot of Ferrari are spinning again and again, there are no hooligans exceeding the speed limit. None! I mean. Of course you couldn’t imagine this in Turkey.
In fact, a similar cruise is made in the reverse route during the pleasant spring weather season, and this ship visits the port on the day of the qualifying rounds on the date of the Monaco Grand Prix (in May). If you choose such a timing, you will experience both Monaco and the Grand Prix atmosphere.
In addition to the Grand Prix, Monaco is the scene of the world-famous large sailing boat race (schooner type boats) under the name of “Monaco Classic Week – La Belle Class”.
For those who are curious.
Since it was our first time in Monaco, we naturally prioritized the well-known attractions. First, we headed to the Prince's Palace. We looked at how Monaco looked from Grace Kelly's window on a dominating hill.
Monaco
Then, following through the marina, to the square where the Monte Carlo casino is located. Not only the casino, but also the Cafe de Paris is one of the most popular places. According to the rumor, when you enter, you will definitely come across a world-famous star. Well, I am not familiar with all the world-famous people. It is not possible to understand this from the people with sunglasses that have lenses as big as the palm of your hand. Especially now, when there are celebrities wearing diamond-studded masks, the job becomes more difficult. Good thing our job is not being paparazzi. We would have been unemployed. Again, what I can say about this square is; when the richest segment of the world who play with money come out with their vehicles, they solve the problem with valet parking. However, there are so many luxury vehicles that believe me, the license plate of the “B” brand car, which I saw for the first time in my life, said modest (Humble) and made us smile. ))
Monaco
The city is certainly impressive, the city planning, landscape, architecture, beautiful houses, of course, rather than detached houses, high-rise apartments/residences due to the limited land. When you look at the city from afar, the entire region with high-rise residences; Monaco, the secluded areas behind are France. Naturally, you also feel the country's border with your eyes.
Monaco is the second country in the world with the smallest land area after the Vatican. Monaco has no territorial waters in the sea. All of them belong to France )) The Grimaldi family (Monaco), who have ruled this principality since 1297, have a special law with France. The Monegasques are called Monegasquen. The official language is French, but Monegasque is one of the 6 languages spoken here; French, Italian, English, Monegasque, Occitan and Provençal. Don't even ask about the last three. Are there any?
Monaco
Another piece of information, I don't know how true it is anymore, is that the real, native people of Monaco don't pay taxes for their own houses. There is no income tax. The income received from foreigners and the famous casino seems to be more than enough for all of them.
Also, the banking sector is considered a developed sector. Speaking about casino, they don't let everyone in that famous casino. First, you have to have money)) There is a certain dress code. You have to leave your mobile phone, camera, etc. and many other items in the cloakroom. Since we don't have any intersection, we didn't intend to go inside. On the right, Hotel de Paris, in the middle, Monte Carlo Casino, and on the left, Cafe de Paris.
Monte Carlo
The Botanical Garden, which has a more dominant view of Monaco, is also one of the places worth seeing. We couldn’t go there. You need to set aside a lot of time. It’s not a place you can really go out of your way to be honest. We enjoyed walking and wandering around the streets, which were a bit steep time to time. The restaurants and cafes on the sea side are enjoyable, as in every coastal town. However, we found it strange that even in mid-July, the place started to get quiet after 9 pm. Probably rush was at the casino.))
Monaco Marina
After getting an idea of Monaco, we return to our ship and continue the last night of our cruise as a wonderful summer evening.
Sailing under Full Moon
Yes, the next morning, after having our last breakfast on the ship, it was time to say goodbye to the ship that anchored in the port of Cannes, France. It was a bit of a Cinderella-like departure. Although it may have cost us two or three years of our vacation budget, we had a very enjoyable vacation that we will remember for years to come, and I think every moment was worth it.
Although the vacation theme "Summer Clipper" has come to an end on this occasion, after traveling so far, we did not pass by without visiting the city of "Nice" from Cannes. Naturally, since the airport of the region is Nice - Cote d'Azur, we were lucky enough to see the city of Nice. In my opinion, the only thing that distinguishes these two sister cities, whose coastlines are very similar, is; Cannes beach has a wonderful beach. Nice, on the other hand, has pebbles. Whichever you prefer.
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