Bastia is located on the northeast part of the island of Corsica.
Since Bastia is on the side of a mountain there are tons of steep narrow alleyways and convenient staircases leading from one part of town to another such as this.
Saint-Nicolas Square represents the city's main plaza and the heart of the town.
A view of the Old Port from above. It was originally the hub of the city's development, but as the ships became bigger and the technology more modern it was no longer suitable as the main port.
The Old Port is now mainly used by sailboats and fishermen, and its aesthetic charm and cafe-lined harbor is still a draw for locals and tourists for dinner and nights out.
The lonely fisherman.
The Old Port had a walk way leading out to the lighthouse.
The lighthouses and the Old Port as a whole have become a sort of emblem of the city.
I came across an intense game of lawn bowling...there was almost as much debate during this game as there is during the pickup basketball games on Venice Beach.
The convenient staircases that fill Bastia's streets help pedestrians get up and down the steep hills and streets of the city. It's easy to get lost in the maze of walkways and streets, but they all end up leading to more or less the same area.
I walked up into the neighborhoods to capture a shot of the city from above.
During my daytime walk I came across a fun string of restaurants along the Old Port or “Vieux Port" and I decided to head back there for dinner. I had been craving Asian food for some reason so I popped into a place called Di-Vino which was serving Thai food and sushi. After I finished dinner the waitress and I got to talking and she directed me to a couple fun bars in the area. On my way to the recommended bars I heard some live music coming from a nearby plaza so I went to investigate and I stumbled upon a once-a-month Thursday night concert in the plaza. The band consisted of two acoustic guitar players, a bass player, a drummer and a saxophonist and they were phenomenal. Maybe it was the beautiful island night, maybe it was the couple glasses of wine I had at dinner, or maybe it was because they were signing in French and it sounded amazing, but I really enjoyed it and to happen upon this concert was great luck.
The Bastia Citadel that overlooks the Old Port.
I satisfied my Asian-food craving with some pad thai and a couple sushi rolls at Di-Vino.
After dinner I set off to find some fun bars...
...instead I came across a once-a-month concert in the Plaza. The band sang mostly in French, but they did a few songs in Spanish and they closed out their set with an energetic rendition of U2's "With or Without You."
There was a crowd of maybe 60-70 people all sitting at tables around the plaza enjoying wine, beer, and the music.
Friday was a beach day, but I didn’t go to the local beach. Instead I made a bit of a hike out of it and went to a beach called Plage de L’Arinella, which is about two miles south of the city center. I had to hop on a short train to get there and then hike over the train tracks to get down to the water.
My day started with a delightful breakfast down the street from my hotel at a hole in the wall crepe and sandwich spot.
It is literally a hole in the wall. The kitchen takes up the entire inside, so it's only outdoor seating. I went with the jamon and fromage (ham and cheese) crepe.
After breakast I grabbed the train to Plage de L'Arinella, which was about a 10 minute train ride. This is the view when I got off the train.
I had to walk through a tunnel (I liked how the circular shape of the tunnel framed the bright red graffiti)...
...and over the train tracks...
...and then I finally arrived at the sand.
It was a quiet beach with not much activity, which was totally fine by me.
I hung at the beach for a few hours and then headed back to town, but instead of taking the train back I opted to walk. It was only a couple miles and the views were great.
Bastia is located on the sea's edge, but it is also backed by a gorgeous mountain range. Lots of visitors come to hike the hills and camp in the mountain side.
Another one of Bastia's staircases. I liked this one because of the series of archs.
A view from the cliffside park next to the old Bastia fortress.
For dinner I walked the alleys of Bastia in search of a good spot and came across Casa Mea. I read their menu and decided to give it a try.
The inside of Casa Mea was pretty small. They had two large groups when I was in there, which basically filled the place.
Beignets de Fromage - fried cheese balls. It's basically a more fancy mozzarella stick...much more fancy.
I sort of ordered my main entree blindly...I ordered the Escalope de Casa Mea. I knew escalope was meat, but I wasn't sure in what form...what I got was a nice cut of beef topped with bacon and covered in cheese. Obviously, it was delicious, but it is definitely not at the top of the heart healthy list.
Exploring Bastia has been a lot more fun than I originally thought. When I got off the ferry on Wednesday I felt three full days in Bastia is going to be a lot but I haven't found any trouble filling my time. Saturday is another relaxing day, but Saturday night is the big Paris-Saint Germain v. SC Bastia match. I don't have a ticket yet, but I am going to head down to the stadium Saturday afternoon (kickoff is 5pm) to see if I can figure it out. If not, I'll hang at a bar and watch it with the locals.
I wanted to share U2’s “With or Without You” because this song seems to come up in one way or another when I’m on vacation. It hasn’t happened every trip, but I’d say at least four times such as in Thailand when I heard it as a mashup with Eminem's "Without Me," and during Karaoke in Sydney. It popped up again this trip when the live band played a great rendition of the song at the concert in the plaza.
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