Corsica, France

We arrived on the northwest corner of the French island of Corsica after a sweet, smooth, moonlit crossing. Our first port was the town of Calvi with it's old walled citadel perched high on the cliffs.
We anchored outside of the harbor under the old walls and took the dinghy in for pastries, french bread and pan de chocolate. Oh la la....the pastries alone with their abundance of cream and butter made the voyage over worth it !!!


Our second night and last night here in Calvi there was a Festival of the Virgin Mary. At 11:00pm beautiful opera music began with a light show off of the walls of the old city, followed by spectacular fireworks raining down on us from the citadel. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. They truly know how to use fireworks over here in Europe with all of the plentiful celebrations and festivals.

We move on around the north side of Corsica to the small port of Saint Florent and anchored just outside of the port. Huge, spectacular mountains are the backdrop for the picturesque little town. The pictures are of the town, the hang-gliders jumping off of the hills, wine being sold out of barrels for 2 euros/liter, and the old men playing some sort of bowling game in the square. What a beautiful village.

Next we moved on up the Cap Corse (the 20 mile peninsula at the north end of Corsica) to a little village of Centuri. A very old and small port where we had a very expensive lobster meal overlooking the bay at the supposedly best restaurant on Corsica. It was delicious, but a little too rich for our systems as we felt it the next day !


We moved on around the Cap Corse and anchored at Bastia on the east coast. Bastia is described as "Shabby-Chic" but we just found it shabby and so failed to take any pictures. Our time on Corsica has been lovely and the French have been warm and friendly, plus we have made several new friends along the way. But now it is time to journey on to the Italian island of Elba.

Journey to the Moon

We are almost always anchored out in a quiet, secluded cove to experience the wonder of the
Full Moon every month. But this was the first time that we scheduled an ocean crossing at the
time of the full moon. Crossing over from Mallorca to the island of Corsica there was nothing but
ocean and light from the Mother. Two full nights of magic and surreal light dancing and playing on the waves. An awesome journey within itself.....

The pictures of Mother Moon rising out of Yemaya did not work as the moisture of the atmosphere was just too intense. So you will just have to use your imagination ! Sunset is always awesome out on the open ocean and those pictures did come out. So sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moon set all magical and intensely powerful.

Born of water
cleansing, powerful
healing, changing
I am.............

The Fish Spa

The Fish Spa.....Sounds like a place where little fish come to get pampered and massaged, doesn't it ? Wrong. Quite the contrary. This was one of the last crazy, new experiences we decided to try before sailing away from Palma. It is a place where one goes and sticks his or her feet in a little tank full of little guppie-type fish and they have a blast nibbling, eating and exfoliating the dead skin on your feet. Talk about a pedicure!!!!!

It is supposed to be relaxing, but Willow got a little "wigged out" when they nibbled on the underside of her toes, but Richard was having such a good time that she stuck it out. So the question is....are our feet clean, soft and free of dead skin? Maybe a little, but more that anything it was a new experience. Oh yeah, we could have just gone in for the everyday pedicure but sometimes you just have to experience the weird unknown .....

It's time to move on and out of our wonderful, comfortable island of Mallorca. We find ourselves teetering between the realms of "easy and comfortable" and "new and expanding". Just like the Fish Spa, do we stay within what we know or move into new territory where we will be pushing against the comfort zone to grow and expand with the new experience. It is a fine balance and one that we are always experimenting with. We intend to live in the "ease band" but that is not a place of sameness or easiness. It is a place of ease and comfort "within", while experiencing the new, unknown or even uncomfortable "without."
So.....here we go, crossing over to the French Island of Corsica to experience the new. New country, new culture, new language, new harbors, new cell phones and internet, and a two day/ night ocean voyage to get there. And yes, we both acknowledge that we notice a little anxiety as we cast off. So here we go to once again step outside of the familiar and expand our boundaries and see if there is growth and magical expansion in France.

Playing in the Mud !!!!!

Guess who? Yes, we know it is hard to believe it is us....but, when was the last time you played in the mud?

We anchored off of one of our favorite little islands called Espalmador just south of Ibiza. We were here 3 years ago and enjoyed watching people walk to the center of the island and come out all mudded and after letting it dry, washing it all off in the ocean. We read about the natural mud pit and altho, it stinks like sulphur there really aren't any known health benefits. Willow, with her supernatural smelling nose said "no way".
Well, never say "never". This year after watching the "mudders" coming and going for several days we decided to check it out. After walking inland we looked at the big mud pit, said oh what the hell, stripped down (after all this is Ibiza and why ruin a good bathing suit in stinky mud) and jumped in. It really was great fun slathering mud on each other and well, all covered in mud we could deceive ourselves into believing we were covered up and began our trek back to the beach to sit like fudgesicles until it dried. And well, the pictures tell it all and it really was such fun getting so dirty !!!!





Back anchored off of the south side of Ibiza we just had to clean ourselves up and go salsa dancing at the very loud and busy beach nightclub. No one can deny our flexibility and zest for "variety being the spice of our life".

In fact, it was so much fun that we went back another night.....




We spent one day going to the "Hippie Market" to shop for gypsy, hippie goddess clothing for "you know who". You know, Ibiza is where all the old hippies of the world come to dwell. Also, new hippies. Just lots of hippies and we felt right at home. Ibiza is intriging in that there is an edginess to it within the reality of non-conformity. And that in itself challenges to check within and explore our own uniqueness.

We love the old walled citadel around Ibiza City and the cobblestone streets....



Also, the sand art along the beaches....



But as always, we tire quickly of so much "doing" activity and long for the quiet coves and clear water to drop anchor in until it is time to sail into the sunset once again.....




Last years season seemed to have the theme of "fear and danger" whereas this year it feels like "ease, fun and creativity". Both playgrounds are valid, worthy and capable of great teachings and opportunities for growth. We honor both and realize that the contrast is needed to balance one another and give us greater clarity in what we "do" want--Thus providing the chance to intend and create deliberately. And yes, we are having great fun and growing with ease into greater creative endeavors, at least in this moment of now.