Fifty shades of Corsican blue
A love letter to the sea that shapes my days
One thing I love about Substack is how it not only allows me to share my writing but also introduces me to writers whose words deeply resonate with me. Reading others' work often serves as a mirror, revealing thoughts I hadn't fully articulated myself. This happened yesterday when I came across
’s post ‘Beyond The Tide.’
Ever since, I’ve found myself interrogating my own relationship with the sea.
For those of you who are new here, I was born in Lyon (France) so I grew up far from the sea.
Yet, I always felt drawn to it, be it the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea. As a child, I enjoyed the summer holidays spent in various coastal places in France, with a special love for the colors of the French Riviera and the wilderness of the Landes department and the Basque coast.
This interest never left me as I grew up — I remember how much I enjoyed a trip to San Francisco years ago, partly because of the Bay Area — but my move to Corsica in 2017 intensified the bond.
Being on a relatively small island means the sea is never very far. Besides Corsica has an incredible variety of seascapes. The wild coast of the Cap Corse — one of my all-time favorites —, the contrasting colors of the West Coast, the turquoise waters of the South…
Over time, the sea has taken on a magnetic power over me — almost as if it's calling me. Strangely, it's not so much about swimming — though I enjoy being in the water — but about never getting tired of observing and capturing it with my camera.
While browsing my photos and videos yesterday, I realized the sea had dominated my camera roll since I moved to Corsica — 50 shades of blue style. The different shades in my pictures reflect the seasons or the time of the day, as much as my moods when capturing the moment.
I’m fascinated by the sea’s movement, colors, vastness, peacefulness or wilderness depending on the weather…
It’s no wonder I used a picture of the sea to illustrate my first article here.
The sea holds the secret power to soothe me when my mind is restless or my emotions are overwhelming, energize me when I feel tired, and inspire me anytime I feel stuck.
Just this past weekend, walking on L’Aldilonda and watching the waves crash against the rocks helped me clear my mind and release some emotions I'd been struggling with — parenting stuff, you know.
In our first apartment, I could spend hours watching the spectacle of the Tyrrhenian sea changing depending on the time, the weather, the light… I took so many pictures!
Since moving to another apartment in the center of Bastia, I no longer have that breathtaking sea view every day — and I realized yesterday how much I was missing it. But on the bright side, the sea is closer to me so I can more easily walk near the port and sit by the sea.
One of the things I also particularly enjoy in living on a relatively small island is that I enjoy coastal rides all the time. Since I’m rarely the one driving, it gives me plenty of opportunity to capture the view as can be seen on my Instagram account.
Looking at the sea through my camera lens, I realize that often, I’m trying to capture how watching it makes me feel. But some things can’t truly be captured, only experienced.
No matter where I go on the island, the sea is never far from my eyes. And it is so deeply anchored in my heart now that I can’t imagine living far from it anymore.
I may never fully capture the sea’s beauty, but I’ll never stop trying. Each shade of blue tells a different story, and I feel grateful to be a part of them all.
I wonder — what places have anchored themselves into your heart, the way the sea has in mine?
Looking forward to reading your words.
Maïlys
I love the ocean and the mountains and the forest. I live on the Canadian side of the pacific northwest and love our boreal rainforest. I could capture cedar trees all day, everyday.
The Aegean and Balearic Seas are my favorites - thus the settings for my historical fiction books. I feel like my characters on Menorca would have visited Corsica, too!