Ferry ride to the mainland, Toulon, France

Last city on Corsica, Ajaccio. Birthplace of the legend, Napoleon Bonaparte. Born 1769 right here in Ajaccio, Corsica’s capitol city. There are several monuments to Bonaparte throughout the city, including this one that depicts him as a Caesar on horseback. Since he was born here, we had to find his childhood home where he and his 7 siblings, Louis, Joseph, Lucien, Jerome, Pauline, Caroline, and Elisa romped.

Born on August 15, 1769 to Charles and Letizia Bonaparte, Napoleon I, as he was known later in his career, became Frances’ most successful general. He won numerous campaigns, lost a few also, but was seen by his fellow countrymen as a hero.

Napoleon was Emperor of France from 1804 to 1815 and is credited with reforming the educational system, developing a civil code (the Napoleonic Code) and negotiating the Concordat of 1801 that reconciled differences between the revolutionaries and the Catholics. This solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France.

As for the Napoleonic Code, it is still in force today, with some revisions.

A few pictures from around Ajaccio…

Off to the ferry! This is another large ferry ship so we’re planning on a few hundred cars and trucks to be there. Maybe the French have better organization then the Italians…

It was actually a fairly organized adventure. Much better than the ferry from Naples to Cagliari. We loaded line-by-line with someone directing you all the way. Once onboard, yeah, the parking situation was the same, get within 6 inches of the car next to you. I understand they want to maximize the space, get as many cars as possible in, but it really creates issues when you want people to get in their car and leave. The cars are so close together it is impossible for a person to get in. That means no one behind them can leave because they’re blocked. If you just leave space for a driver to enter, it would go much smoother.

Our ship departed Ajaccio at 8pm, right on time. Be in Toulon in 7 short hours! We were suppose to arrive at 7am, a little early for checking in, but instead we arrived at 6am, very early for checking in. What’s worse, we had planned to get up at 5:15am so we could shower and have breakfast. Not happening. The first PA announcement went off at 5am letting everyone know that we would be arriving 1hr early and to get down to the dining area for your breakfast.

Scrambled out of bed, freshened up, then made way to the dining area for breakfast. Not to plan, but it will work. Croissant, coffee, and an orange juice is breakfast. Now make our way down to the car.

As I said earlier, if they just left a little room for the driver. Nope. Once we weaved our way to our car (like one of those puzzles with an open square) Collette couldn’t get in her side so she had to climb over the console. Not that I haven’t done that a time or two during this trip. Worse part of this is arriving in a new city when its dark.

We decided to find a place to park the car and do a little walking and exploring. Things are starting to open so maybe find a bit more breakfast then stroll around. And one other added surprise, today is “All Saints Day”, most stores / museums are closed.

The Farmers Market certainly wasn’t closed. Located on Cours Lafayette street, the market has fruits, vegetables, clothing, spices, fresh meats, flowers, and some seafood. Its open every day except Monday. This is one of the largest open-air markets we’ve seen in Europe.

We also plan to go to the Musee National de la Marine (Maritime Museum) once it opens at 10am. The other museums on our list are closed today so we’ll have to circle back later this week.