Corsica

Holiday Aug 2014 145

Shirt: Mango | Shorts: Warehouse
Bikini (worn underneath): F&F | Sunglasses: F&F | Earrings: Miss Selfridge

So here’s the deal, if you want to visit a Caribbean Island, but you live on the wrong side of the Atlantic, got to Corsica instead.

If you’ve never heard of it before, it’s a French Island in the Mediterranean – just off the coast of Italy. There are various ferry services from France/Italy/Sardinia or if you can’t be faffed with all that (like me) EasyJet fly there. Once you reach the south of the island it really looks no different to Antigua. There are beautiful mountains that stretch all the way down to the white beaches and turquoise seas.

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Top: Rare (previously blogged about here)

We stayed in a villa near the tiny town of Propriano – where the food is to die for. (If there’s one benefit of this being a French island, it’s that everywhere you go you can get Crepes. Yum!) It’s also close to some of the best beaches on the island as well as some of the main tourist attractions, such as the medieval town of Sartene, or the prehistoric site of Filitosa.

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Propriano Harbour

If you asked me what my favourite part of the trip was though, I would have to say Bonifacio. The little town perched on the cliffs is one of the most famous images associated with Corsica, but the only way to see it properly is from the water – because it really does look like some parts are held up by magic. Boat trips aren’t expensive and car parking is included in the ticket price (if you can find the car park – it took us a while!).

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Bonifacio

It’s a steep climb up to the town, and I wouldn’t recommend doing it in the midday heat. (I also wouldn’t recommend attempting to do it in flip flops – my feet really didn’t thank me for that!) But it’s worth it to explore the gorgeous higgledy-piggledy town.

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The prettiest beach side restaurant (at Piantarella).

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Paris in Spring Time

If you haven’t been, everything you’ve heard is true: Paris is amazing.

When I was little we’d always have our family summer holidays in France, and we’d nearly always visit Paris on the way home. Paris has tonnes to offer, but you appreciate it so much more as a twenty-something than you do as a teenager. The one similarity on this trip? Once again I tagged along on my parents’ holiday…

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On the first day we went to the Sacre Coeur and I climbed all 300 steps to the top. The view was well worth it but it has to be said I lacked a bit of Parisian style the next day when I was hobbling around with sore muscles…

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After that my mum wanted to see the Moulin Rouge but I really wish I hadn’t tagged along on this one… because if there is one place you shouldn’t visit with your parents it’s the sex district.

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Whilst my Mum was at the Musee D’Orsay, I visited the Louvre with my Dad. He’s one of those tourists who likes to consult the guide book and rent the audio guides in museums… After about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to work this particular one (whoever thought a Nintendo DS console would make a good audio guide really hadn’t thought it through!) we were walking through one of the many vast rooms, everyone else admiring it in hushed tones, when from 10 paces back I heard ‘THIS IS AWESOME!’ … ‘Turn your volume down Dad.’

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If I could give you one tip for a visit to Paris it would be to take comfy shoes. The metro is great, but to really discover Paris it’s a good idea to leave a place in a different way to how you got there. The Louvre has it’s own metro station underneath, but after our visit we decided to walk to Place de la Concorde and catch the metro from there…

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On my last day in Paris I discovered Hotel Des Invalides on our way back to the hotel. Parisian history is full of kings and emperors who have all contributed something to the rich tapestry of buildings. Louis XIV created this beautiful complex as a home for unwell or retired soldiers. Today it still serves as a home for war veterans but  it is also a war/army museum and a resting place for many famous soldiers – including Napoleon. I wish I had more time to explore it properly… guess I’ll just have to go back!

Where we stayed: Novotel Tour Eiffel

Getting there: I flew FlyBe from Manchester to Charles De Gaulle

But I’d recommend getting the Eurostar from St Pancras. It’s a much simpler and cheaper option. (Not least because Charles De Gaulle is the most expansive and difficult-to-navigate airport that I’ve ever been inside!)

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