Corsica - Sagone, Porto, Calvi (D81)

Na een relaxte overtocht kwamen we aan in Ajaccio. We gingen als een van de eersten van boord, maar het duurde ongeveer een uur voordat we de plaats uit waren.

Dopo una passaggio rilassante eravamo arrivati ad Ajaccio. Eravamo uno dei primi a partire dal traghetto, ma ci voleva almeno un'ora per uscire dal villaggio.

After a relaxing crossing we arrived in Ajaccio. We went off-board as one of the first, but it took at least an hour before we were out of the village.

 

 

Onze eerste indrukken waren al meteen goed. Prachtige wegen door adembenemende landschappen. De eerste stop was Sagone, een klein plaatsje waar niet zo veel te beleven is, maar met een mooi strand en een prachtig blauwe zee met behoorlijk woeste golven. Een paradijs voor surfers (maar dat zijn we niet), maar gewoon zwemmen was ook al heel bijzonder.

 

Le prime impressioni erano bene. Strade meravigliose attraverso paesaggi mozzafiato. La nostra prima tappa era Sagone, una cittadina dove non c'è tanto da fare, ma che ha una bella spiaggia e un splendido mare blu con le onde alte. Un paradiso per i surfisti (che non siamo), ma un tuffo normale era già anche speciale.

 

Our first impressions were already good. Wonderful roads through breathtaking landscapes. The first stop was Sagone, a small town with not a lot to do, but with a beautiful beach and stunning blue sea with fairly rough waves. A paradise for surfers (which we are not), but simply swimming was also very exciting.

 

 

 

Onze volgende bestemming was Porto. We hadden al gehoord dat de weg er naar toe heel mooi moest zijn, maar het overtrof onze stoutste verwachtingen. Het was echt de mooiste weg ooit!

 

La nostra prossima destinazione era Porto. Avevamo già sentito che la strada dovrebbe essere molto bella, ma la realtà era superiore alle nostre aspettative. È davvero la strada più bella mai percorsa!

 

Our next destination was Porto. People had already told us that it was a very beautiful route, but it exceeded our wildest expectations. It was really the best road ever!

 

Soms ontmoetten we ook andere weggebuikers.
Qualche volta incontravamo altri utenti della strada.
Every now and then we met other passers.

 

 

 

 

We bleven een nacht op een slechte camping in Porto. Jammer genoeg ontdekten we pas later dat er een prachtige camping naast lag. Het plaatsje zelf was wel leuk, hoewel er niet zo heel veel meer over was van de oorspronkelijke bebouwing.

Abbiamo passato una notte a Porto a un campeggio non molto buono. Purtroppo avevamo scoperto solo dopo che c'era un campeggio perfetto proprio accanto. La città in sé era divertente, anche se non ci restava molto delle case originali.

We stayed one night at a bad camp site in Porto. Unfortunately we found out later that there was a perfect camping right next to it. The village itself was nice, although there wasn't much left of the original buildings.

De dag daarna gingen we verder over de D81 en D81b, minstens even spectaculair. De foto's spreken voor zich.

 

Il giorno dopo abbiamo continuato sulla D81 e D81b che era altrettanto spettacolare. Le immagini parlano da sole.

 

The next day we continued our journey on the D81 ad D81b, which was just as spectacular. The pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...



Avignon en omgeving - Avignone e i dintorni - Avignon and surroundings

Even een bezoekje aan Eveline in Avignon. De bus paste precies in haar tuin.

Abbiamo fatto una visita a mia sorella ad Avignone. Il furgone stava proprio bene nel suo giardino.

We visited my sister in Avignon. The camper van fitted perfectly in her garden.

Verder hebben we wat rondgetoerd in de omgeving (Vaucluse en de Lubéron)
Poi abbiamo fatto un giro nei dintorni (Vaucluse e Lubéron)
We also did some touring in the area (Vaucluse and Lubéron)
L'Isle sur Sorgue, Roussillon, Oppède, Menerbes, Bonnieux

Bonnieux (if you look closely you can see the lavender fields in de background)

Roussillon

Preixan (Carcassonne)

De afgelopen dagen hebben we genoten van het gezelschap van Monique en Rolf (helaas niet tegelijkertijd) in hun prachtige huis.

Gli ultimi giorni abbiamo goduto della compagnia di Monique e Rolf (purtroppo non contemporaneamente) nella loro bellissima casa.

The last couple of days we've been enjoying the company of Monique and Rolf (unfortunately not at the same time) in their beautiful house.

 

 

Ook de bus wordt in de watten gelegd..

Anche il furgone è coccolato.

Also the bus gets some tender love and care.

 

 

 

's Ochtends gingen we vaak wandelen. Dit leidde nog weleens tot alternatieve routes, omdat de paden toch niet zo duidelijk waren als op Google Maps leek.

La mattina facevamo spesso una camminata, che talvolta portava a un percorso alternativo, perché i sentieri non erano così chiari come sembrava su Google Maps.

In the morning we often went for a walk, which sometimes led to alternative routes because the trails were not as clear as it seemed on Google Maps.

Maar daarna werden de inspanningen goedgemaakt door een heerlijke lunch.

Ma poi gli sforzi erano stati compensati da un delizioso pranzo.

But then the efforts were compensated by a delicious lunch.

Bedankt Rolf & Monique!!!

Genève, Valence en Preixan - Ginevra, Valenza e Preixan - Geneva, Valence and Preixan

We hadden de smaak te pakken van Zwitserland en besloten ook nog Genève te bezoeken. Dat viel toch een beetje tegen. Het oude centrum was wel leuk, maar verder was het er heel rommelig en druk en ook wel veel lelijke en kapotte gebouwen. Wat wel grappig was is dat de fietsroute naar het centrum vlak langs het vliegveld liep (dat vol stond met privéjets).

Avevamo preso gusto della Svizzera e così avevamo deciso di fare una visita anche a Ginevra, che però era un po' deludente. Il centro storico è abbastanza divertente, ma per il resto è una città caotica, affollata e piena di edifici brutti. La cosa buffa è che la pista ciclabile verso il centro proprio passa l'aeroporto (che è pieno di jet privati).

We got a taste of Switzerland and decided to visit Geneva as well. That however was a bit disappointing. The old town was fun, but otherwise it was very messy and crowded and full of ugly buildings. Funny thing was that the cycle path to the center just passes the airport (which is full of private jets). 

Onze volgende stop was Valence, een typisch Zuid-Frans stadje met straatjes, pleinen, muziekkoepel en draaimolen. Best leuk.

La nostra prossima tappa è stata Valenza, una tipica cittadina del sud della Francia, con stradine, piazze, una kiosque e una giostra. Abbastanza piacevole.

Our next stop was Valence, a typical southern French town with narrow streets, squares, a kiosque and a carousel. Not too bad altogether.

Nu is het tijd om even een paar dagen op één plek te blijven, namelijk bij Rolf en Monique in Preixan (bij Carcassonne). De bubbels stonden al klaar toen we aankwamen.

Ora è il momento di riposarci e di rimanere in un posto per qualche giorno, vale a dire dagli amici a Preixan (vicino a Carcassonne). Le bolle erano già pronte quando siamo arrivati.

Now it's time to stay in one place for a few days at our friend's house in Preixan (close to Carcassonne). We were welcomed with bubbles.