Norway
“We’re in Olden, Norway, aboard Majestic Princess. Olden is a picturesque and idyllic small town with a dramatic landscape that includes fjords, mountains, waterfalls, glaciers and pristine valleys. During summer months, the town triples in population from tourists on cruise ships that the friendly residents welcome. Husband Jeff is also Retired, from LADWP, Engineering Geologist, 30 years of service.”
— Lourdes Owen, Retired, General Services
Letter From Ajaccio Cruise Ships, Fried Chicken, an Emperor
France has seen many popular military heroes in its past, from Charlemagne to Charles de Gaulle. Still, the most popular of all was Napoléon Bonaparte, who was not even French but was born to an Italian family of Tuscan nobility that had emigrated to Ajaccio, the island’s capital. So, imagine our surprise when, arriving at his hometown train station, we were greeted by a huge billboard of another popular military man, the American Col. Sanders. Ajaccio’s rich gastronomic past is shaped by the many cultures that have invaded the island, so I guess fried chicken will now be one of them.
Ajaccio is the perfect port of call for cruise ship passengers in need of some traditional home-cooked comfort food. The cruise ship pier (Quai l’Herminier) is near the Old Town’s pastel-colored buildings, making it easy to stroll down the narrow cobblestone streets to grab an espresso or a glass of Corsican rosé al fresco. It is also possible to take a quick boat tour from the marina to the four rugged, crimson-colored porphyry rocks of the Sanguinaires Island nature reserve, at the entrance to the Gulf of Ajaccio, to check out the rare bird life and watch the incredible sunsets. Or visit Capo di Feno, a rugged, beautiful beach, just a short bus ride northwest of the city known for its striking coastal scenery and beautiful, crystal-clear waters.
But there is no need to take an organized tour as most places of interest are within a five-to-ten minute walk, like the family-friendly Plage Trottel beach, only a short walk southwest along the coastline from the port, or the small, calm, white sandy beach of Plage Saint-François next to the beautiful palm tree lined promenade on Boulevard Lantivy, which is right beneath the walls of the Citadel.
The daily market at Place Campinchi is a great place to sample Corsican cheeses (like Brocciu), cured wild boar sausage, charcuterie, and wine. Stroll through Place Foch’s palm tree-lined main square to see the iconic lion fountain and statue of Napoléon, then visit his commemorative monument at Place d’Austerlitz. If you do want a guided overview without too much walking, hop on Le Petit Train at Place Foch. It offers narrated loops of the town and coastline.
Visit Maison Bonaparte, the sandy-hued ancestral home where Napoléon Bonaparte was born in 1769. Now a museum dedicated to his family’s heirlooms, it was here that Napoléon spent his childhood. He was raised by his father, Charles-Marie, mother Letizia, and his siblings until the family left for France in 1779, where, at 16, he was commissioned as an officer in the French Royal Army.
The baroque16th-century coral-hued Notre-Dame Cathedral is where the future emperor Napoléon was baptized in the marble font. There are also some interesting paintings by Delacroix and Tintoretto that are worth seeing. If you are an art lover, then you should visit the Palais Fesch (Musée des Beaux-Arts), which houses one of France’s largest collections of Italian Renaissance paintings outside the Louvre in Paris.
Also tucked away in this complex is the neo-Renaissance Impériale Chapel (also called the Palatine Chapel), a mausoleum with a crypt for several members of the Bonaparte family, offering a peaceful, more intimate experience of past grandeur.
Ajaccio is one of the few ports popular with cruise ships on the island, so if you are an independent traveler, it would be wise to avoid the port when thousands of passengers disembark for the day.
Voyagez en toute sécurité et souvent. -Le Capitaine
