Hike to a Blue Water Mountaintop Lake under a Glacier on Corsica ("Corse" en français)

Pictures from the next day's hike.  This hike went to two lakes, one feeding down to the other.  This top one is fed by a glacier.  This was one of those hikes where you think you see the top about 10 times.  Each time you go a little higher you see another pseudo-peak.  It was great to sit and watch the wind on the water for a while.  We saw a few people jump in this icy water, and then scream from the cold. The blue-green tint to the water is real.  Probably from the fine stone dust ground up and deposited into the lake by the motion of the glacier.

We saw this from a distance.  It wasn't on the trail, but it looked so cool we decided we had to go check it out.  A pool formed by the streams flowing out of the lakes far above.

First Hike on Corsica (Corse in Francais)

The third day of the trip was a hike.  The book told us it was a four-hour hike with about a 2100' vertical climb.  The drive to the hike consisted of a series of hairpin turns with cliffs on one side and rock faces on the other.  There are no shoulders, occasional guard rails, and barely enough room for two cars to pass one another.  Actually, there are plenty of times when there really isn't enough room to pass one another and there's a sheer cliff and no rail on the outside.  We had to stop and back up several times on one drive, or the other driver did. You've just got to hope the other drivers are paying enough attention to realize you both can't fit!

So, it's thrilling, terrifying, beautiful, and exhausting all at once.  The biggest thrills come when you're executing a 200-degree turn (200 is not a typo), and a truck comes around the corner going the other way.  There were a few sharp intakes of breath and adrenaline rushes along the way.  I think it's worse when you're the passenger, because you're not in control.  The worst part of the driving is usually when you leave the secondary road for a back road that leads to the start of a hike.  Those roads often have only one lane.

So, after a much longer drive than we anticipated, we started off on what turned out to be a great hike.

Below is a view from the top.  That's the same lake and snow as in the previous pictures.  We could see the Mediterranean from up there.  I was amazed at how far it's possible to walk in a short time.  From down at the lake, the peak was clearly visible, marked with a cross.  It looked so far away, and so high above, yet we were there 45 minutes later.  I didn't want to leave the ever-changing, awe-inspiring, 360-degree view.  Unfortunately, a big thunderhead was approaching, so we grudgingly started heading back down the mountain.

A wider view of the lake.  We ate a tasty lunch before the peak, and a scrumptious peach tart after coming back down from the peak.  We got the lunch and dessert from a bakery in a small, sleepy mountain town we stopped at on the way out.  The peak we visited is the high point of the mountains on the left.

The Barge and I

Had a weird run this morning.  It was a bit cooler than the really hot days we've been having, so I ventured out from under the shade of the trees along the sides of the Champ de Mars, and crossed the street to run beside the Seine.  When I reached the river, I was looking at the boats at the docks and on the river.  I noticed this barge, about 100 feet long, was named Bjorn.  And then I noticed that I was still looking at the same barge after running another minute.  The barge and I were traveling at the same speed.  At first, I was near the back of the barge.  After a while I was near the front of it, but we stayed together for about 10 minutes.  There I was, chugging along with Bjorn the barge.  I ran way past where I was supposed to turn around just because it was kind of fun to have the sound of Bjorn's bow wave for company.  Wish I could have seen the captain and waved to him, but never did see him.  I saw a couple of firemen doing their obligatory morning run in their blue shorts and red shirts that say "Sapeurs Pompiers."  As I passed them, I told them in French I was running with the barge.  They laughed.

Les Paris Plages - Beaches in Paris?

Last Saturday afternoon, we went to the beach in Paris.  As you can see below, the city sets up a "beach" along the Seine; with sand, chairs, umbrellas, misting stations, ice cream stands, and games.  People actually put on their bathing suits and go there to tan, while others walk along the path in front and enjoy the ambiance.  It was 95 degrees that afternoon.  

Paris was the first to do this sort of thing, but it's spreading.  Tokyo has an even bigger one now.  

Julliet 14 - Paris Fireworks for Bastille Day

A few more from Julliet 14 (July 14) - La Féte Nationale - Catorze Julliet - France's biggest fireworks celebration of the year.  Everyone outside of France calls it Bastille Day, but not here.

Corsica Coastal Road Views and a Giant Wild Pig

On the second day of our Corsica trip, we drove up the western coast.  Long stretches of the road are carved into cliffs.  The Tour de France had biked this road only a few days before.  They held the first couple of days on Corsica since Corsica is a part of France and because they wanted to do something special for the 100th Anniversary of the Tour.  We arrived in Corsica just as the Tour returned to the mainland.

The picture below doesn't do it justice, but you can see the road from the side here - that unnaturally straight line on the side of the hill.

None of the Tour de France riders fell hundreds of feet into the ocean, so we thought it would be safe to drive.  I had a hard time sleeping the night before the drive after having seen them ride along the rock face with nothing but a 1' stone wall between them and a long fall off a cliff.  I have a tendency to want to go as fast as possible on curvy roads, especially if an impatient driver is tailgating me.  I overcame my fear by deciding I would keep it slow this time. You won't fly off the side of the cliff if you're barely moving, right?

Here's a bit of what we saw.

On Corsica, they have wild pigs running around in the national parks.  They make a few types of local prosciutto out of them.  Below, an uninvited guest at a picnic.  That thing is a huge as it looks.

Cick here to see cool photos of our first hike to a glacier on Corsica.

Click here to see our first hike to a mountaintop lake a glacier on Corsica.

Julliet 14 2013 - Paris - Bastille Day - July 14th Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower

July 14th is the big summer fireworks holiday here and we live practically next door to them.  They have to have them at 11PM because it's still light until after 10PM.  We had dinner, then walked over and watched the fireworks with 800,000 other Parisians.  Our neighborhood is one of the paths to and from the whole thing, so we had thousands of people streaming by with their picnics in hand all evening, then thousands walking down the middles of the streets afterwards.  .

Had the tripod set up an hour before the fireworks, but still had tall people, people holding up iPhones, and people with kids on their shoulders blocking my view at times.  Jennifer stood on one side of the tripod to try to block people from kicking it over.  People were packed so tightly that some stood between the legs of my tripod, bumping now and again.  Oy, I barely have the patience, but it was all worth it.  

Even more spectacular Paris France Bastille Day Eiffel Tower fireworks photos can be see in these posts:  the second 2013 Paris July 14th Eiffel Tower fireworks post, the 2014 July 14th Eiffel Tower fireworks preview, and in 2014 Paris Bastille Day Eiffel Tower Fireworks Part 1.