We used the Villa Ndio visit of my daughter Kristina and her husband Julian as a ready excuse to spend a few days, for the first time, in Corsica. We planned a three-day trip to include sailing on a car ferry leaving Nice and arriving in Bastia at the northern end of the island, but returning from Ajaccio to the south, over to Toulon. We stayed two nights at a bed and breakfast not far from Bastia. The third night was aboard the ferry to Toulon. Here is part one of a short description of our experience. A gallery of photographs is included at the end. Continue reading “A Visit to Corsica — Part One”
A Visit to Corsica — Part One
I serve on the Board of Directors for the International School of Bangkok (ISB) Network Foundation, an organization comprised of members who are devoted to serving the International School of Bangkok, its alumni and students, and the Kingdom of Thailand. We are dedicated to bringing ISB alumni together to maintain and support the unique relationships and experiences that tie us together and keep us connected to our time at ISB and in the beautiful Kingdom of Thailand. Visit the ISB Network website 
After marvelling at the roses blooming as if overnight in our own Villa Ndio garden we went to the much anticipated annual Rose Expo in Grasse, which occurs each year in mid-May. The event features beautiful flowers mostly roses of course, and lots of lovely people. Highlights included photo ops with the past and current Miss Grasse (the latter crowned a week before the Expo), and their entourage of Rose Expo princesses. We also met up with the mayor. 
It had been years since I had last visited Eze. A recent visitor to Villa Ndio passed through there and reminded me of the incredible views from its sky high jardin exotique. So early in September Kathy and I took some old friends there. It was less than a hour’s drive in two cars for the eight of us. We exited the autoroute ramp shared by Eze and Monaco and found the public parking lot at the base of Eze Village some 3 kilometres later. 
A stone’s throw from Villa Ndio, the Huilerie Sainte Anne is a picture of technology in transition. There you will find the relics of ancient methods of extracting oil from olives; the mix of old and new technology and methods currently in use; and a brand new building full of shiny new machines and control panels for modern techniques. Tucked in off the Route de Draguignan, the main road running west out of Grasse, this milling operation is housed partly in buildings hundreds of years old, and one brand new one.
