Oosterdam European Adventure, Ajaccio, Corscia, Italy...

I was out for my usual sail in photos…Not too early today as we had a later arrival.  The sail in was very picturesque, just as I remembered it on my last visit 12 years ago...  We were off the ship for a walking tour of the old city.  Ajaccio is all about Napoleon Bonaparte, it’s most famous alumnus who was born here in 1769…the same year that Corsica came under France.  The Sunday city market was in full swing just outside the port gate.  After touring the market, we headed to Foch Square passing the City Hall…unfortunately the marble statue of Napoleon was under restoration.  We followed the water to the Citadel and visited the Citadel, however, the majority of the grounds were closed for restoration…I did climb up to a viewpoint.  At the end of the Citadel is Ajaccio’s iconic watchtower overlooking St. Francis beach.  Next, we stopped at the St. Erasme Church also called the Seaman’s Church…services were underway, so we were not allowed inside.  Nearby, we stopped at the Cathedral of the Assumption, the cathedral, where Napoleon was baptized…Sunday mass was ongoing, so we moved on to De Galle Square to see a statue of Napoleon with his 4 brothers…we found this by chance as the entire square is under construction with the exception of one path was closed to the public.  Moving along we passed the former Grand Hotel currently home to the Regional Assembly.  On the next corner was the pretty 19th century Anglican Church.  Following this grand boulevard, we arrived at the Napoleon Grotto, where the Memorial and Statue of Napoleon Bonaparte with its inclined podium engraved with his major victories and achievements…quite an impressive monument!  We returned to the center of town to visit the home of Napoleon, but this attraction was closed till after lunch…we saved some money and had gelato instead.    Before returning to the ship, we stopped at the harbor. A nice day spent in Ajaccio.