Susie and Margaret had remained in the port to make sure the car hire company stayed open and kept our car for us because there are not enough hire cars on the island in the summer.
It was nearly 6.00 pm by the time we were finally all huddled into our little "5 door" Renault (the boot is also counted as a door so we had a few jokes about who was going to use that entry). There are many beautiful villages in the hilly area called La Balagne, between Calvi and L'Ile Rousse, and the fact that there is also a route passing many establishments selling local artisans' crafts was an extra enticement for the shoppers (guess who).
It was only 8km to Montemaggiore, perched high over the bright blue water of the Golfe de Calvi and the cultivated plain between the base of the mountains and the Golfe. We wandered around the village, awe struck by the old stone church and multistorey dwellings, with enormous pinky-purple bougainvillia plants climbing up them, and the iron lamp posts with a design of olive tree leaves scrolling around them. Some residents were out and about for their early evening stroll to chat to each other, a group of elderly ladies were sitting around tables in a small plaza playing bingo (I don't know what they call it) and a group of men were lounging on bench seats in another small plaza just chatting. We felt like we were wandering in people's backyards, intruding in their private space, but everyone was extremely friendly - "bonjour madame", "bonsoir monsieur".
A further 1.5km up the hill we found a very special place as we entered the village of Lunghignano. It was U Fragnu, where olive oil is still made by squeezing the olives in an old olive press, with the grindstone turned by a donkey. We tasted bread pieces dipped into samples of the olive oils to decide which ones I would buy for the boat and I also selected some freshly made strawberry jam. Various local pottery pieces were purchased by Susie and Margaret so we all had our "shopping fix".
Our final destination for the evening was at a restaurant called A Flatta, at the head of a valley, about 3km along a dirt track out of Calenzana. Situated at the foot of sheer, jagged mountain peaks, with a panorama of the entire valley and out to the sea, A Flatta is also a 5 roomed hotel with a pool. It would have been lovely to stay the night but we were more than satisfied with our gourmet meal, seated on a wide terrace under a huge thatched umbrella. Two memorable treats were the Corsican aperitifs called Cap Corse (made from red wine and served over ice with a slice of orange - nearly as enjoyable as Lillet so where can we buy it in Australia??) and the dessert ordered by Greg and Terry but devoured by all, sliced nectarines in a clear nectarine "soup" and served with mango sorbet.
We all thanked Greg for being such a competent driver as he wound his way down the mountain road on a direct route back to Calvi and parked in the town car park near our dinghy. By the time Greg ferried us in the two trips back to the boat he was exhausted.
On Thursday morning Greg and I rose early to arrive at the car park to have a parking meter ticket on the front window ledge before the car could be towed away. The best part of that trip was buying the hot croissants and baguette for our breakfast on the boat, croissants served with the fresh strawberry jam and the sliced baguette with local cheeses and jambon (ham).
It seems that there is no way for 5 people on the boat to quickly be ready to depart, so it was well after 11.00 am before we tootled off in the car again. The breeze had dropped out completely and the sun was scorching when we reached our first village, Corbara, after following the coastal road with spectacular views overlooking a couple of smaller towns and long sandy beaches.
Corbara is renowned for pottery artists but we were content with just driving around the cobblestone lanes and admiring the stone walls and buildings.
At Pigna, further up the mountain, it is not possible to drive even a tiny car through the village, but we thoroughly enjoyed wandering up and down the hand-laid stone steps and lanes, snapping photos of doorways and windows. Susie found the perfect place for lunch at Casa Musicale, converted from an old olive press, and perched on the edge of the village so that the view from the terrace included the blue water of the Golfe of Calvi in the distance. Best of all was the mountain breeze.
We all loved our simple lunch of Corsican fare with various combinations of prisuttu (a local ham like Italian prosciutto), cheese with fig confiture, a foccacia type bread with grilled vegetables, curly leaf lettuce, plus Terry's fluffy omelette with grated courgettes (zucchini). Corsican hams are from free-ranging pigs which feed on chestnuts, acorns and fragrant wild plants, all giving the hams a distinctive flavor. Of course we had a Corsican rose.
We decided to visit one more village despite the hot day because it's essential to experience the inland villages of the Mediterranean islands in order to really know about the lifestyle beyond tourism.
Sant'Antonino sat on top of a 550 metres high hill, like a cap, with an incredible 360 degree panorama. Our cameras could not capture the vast rugged mountain range above us on one side nor the hills and plains leading down to the sea on the other. No cars again so we could have had a donkey ride up and down the cobbled paths of the village but we chose to walk around and around, trying to see every view possible. Some homes and cafes have cliff faces as part of their walls and we wondered if the village was actually designed with so many bends, dead-ends and arches or if it just grew like topsy and finished up that way. Our final treat was freshly squeezed lemon juice served over ice, with sugar provided to add as desired.
By that time we couldn't return to the boat fast enough to have a swim. Besides, we had to have the car back by 6.00 pm and we needed a quick supermarket stop on the way. There was no way we wanted to go off the boat for dinner. Toasted sandwiches was the order of the night.
When we eventually all plunged into that beautiful clear water I thought we would need to stay there all night to cool down. But a Lillet over ice beckoned the ladies and the men craved for a cold beer.