Good news and bad news...

So first the bad news: our outbound ferry was cancelled tomorrow, so for the time being we're stranded in Corsica.

The good news: we're stranded on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean!! I mean, it's hard to be upset about that. Look at this place:

So let's backtrack... it's been a day of surprises. We left our hotel in Bastia this morning intending on taking the train to Corte - a scenic student town in the heart of Corsica. We soon found out that the regular train was out of service; we'd be taking a bus.

The trip took about two hours and consisted mainly of a trip through the wilderness of Corsica; endless jagged peaks and lush vegetation, punctuated by the occasional village along the way. We lucked out with the weather; it rained for most of the trip, but cleared up just as we were arriving.

From the moment we arrived at the train station at the foot of Corte, our eyes were fixed on the citadel immediately visible high above the town. And of course, we had to climb up to see it. :) But first, lunch...

We enjoyed a nice wild-boar lasagna, and again got lucky with the weather; it rained most of the time while we were inside eating, but cleared up just as we finished lunch.

So after a bite to eat, we headed off to climb this...

...or at least, we tried. As it turns out, the citadel can only be accessed via a museum, and that museum is closed every Monday! Not to worry though; we found another lookout, and made the best of it.

Mid-afternoon we took a break for a beer near the center of town. As it turns out, this was very fortunate because

a) it had free wireless internet

b) Leslie discovered (via said wireless internet) that our ferry to Italy tomorrow was cancelled

So, thanks to the wonders of iPhones, wireless internet, and Skype, Leslie got on the phone with the ferry company and tuned them up. Who cancels a ferry with less than 24 hours notice?? Still, nothing could be done. More on that later.

After an afternoon of wandering the town we headed back to the train station. There, the were informed that it would indeed be a bus taking us back to Bastia. Then a train showed up. Then we were told we were taking a train back to Bastia. Ok then!

The train trip back was fun... there were a couple spots where we went over rickety old train bridges that had us both holding our breath and thinking "whoa..." :)

So anyways, now we're back at our hotel, and wondering what tomorrow has in store for us. From what we're able to find out on the news, it seems that the dock workers here in Bastia are continuing their strike tomorrow and for the foreseeable future. So we're tentatively thinking that we're going to be heading across the island to Ile Rousse (about an hour away by bus), and hopefully catching the ferry from there the next morning. We'll see I guess!

-Brad