Ucciani - Ajaccio - Bonifacio, Bonifacio and Bonifacio - Castelsardo (days 6, 7 and 8 )

With breakfast behind us and our suitcases packed and loaded into the car, we drove to Ajaccio this morning. This is the capital of Corsica and birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.

In Ajaccio we went to Napoleon's birth home, which we saw from the outside. We then bought souvenirs at the neighbors of the house where Napoleon was born. Then we walked further to the roofed market hall where local products (cheese, fish, meat, jam / honey etc.). Diagonally opposite the market hall we sat on a terrace to drink coffee. After the coffee break we walked further to the burial church where Napoleon's parents and relatives are buried (Napoleon himself is buried in Paris), which we also only saw from the outside. After seeing this we walked back to the car and drove to Filitosa. This is an open-air museum where archaeological finds from prehistoric times have been found. At this location you can find stone structures that date from the first settlement here, about 6000 years BC, to the later settlements around 1200 BC. There is also an olive tree from 1200 BC here. There is also a museum on this site where you can find more information about these finds. Finally, we drove to our next place of residence, Bonifacio. At least, a campsite about 5 km from Bonifacio. Once we had checked in and put everything in the chalet, we first went to the receptionist to arrange some things (including extending our stay by one night, this was no problem). We then drove to Bonifacio where we ate pizza at the marina (where all the luxurious and beautiful yachts and sailboats are moored). After dinner we went for a walk along the boulevard (and therefore along the beautiful yachts). Finally we walked back to the car and (in the dark) drove back to the campsite 

Bonifacio (day 7)

Today we weren't in such a hurry, so we didn't really have to get up early. This allowed us to take it easy. Moreover, the wind was blowing hard and we had to deal with the first bit of rain this holiday (later on the day it would clear up and the sun would shine, which would eventually make it warm). Once we had breakfast and prepared the packed lunches, we drove to nearby Bonifacio, where we first did some groceries (we left these in the cool box in the car), then we visited the citadel and the bastion located within it.
 
Entrance to the bastion turned out to be free on weekends (today is Saturday). So we were lucky with that! This bastion and citadel date from the 15th century and are built on a cliff (made of chalkstone) at the entrance to the (marina) harbour. We sat and ate our lunch on the wall of the bastion, with a view over the sea and the cliffs (from here we could see Sardinia on the horizon!). After lunch we left the bastion to walk through the citadel, where we went to a café for a drink. We then walked to a viewpoint opposite the citadel (which we looked out over earlier during lunch). Now we had a beautiful view over the citadel and bastion! Finally, we walked back to the car and drove back to the campsite. Once back at the campsite, I took a siesta and then did some puzzling in a puzzle book. We ended up cooking dinner and having dinner. After dinner, continued doing puzzles and do nothing, so it's a quiet evening. Tomorrow we leave Corsica and take the ferry boat to the Italian island of Sardinia, so more about that tomorrow!
 

Bonifacio - Castelsardo (day 8)

Today is the last day on the French island of Corsica, today we go to the Italian island of Sardinia. But not before we had breakfast, prepared a packed lunch and packed the suitcases and loaded them into the car.
 
We then drove from the campsite to Bonifacio to catch the ferry, where we were early and had to wait another 1.5 hours before we were allowed to queue to board the boat. Finally we parked the car and went for coffee in the (marina) harbor. Once in the queue we also had to wait more than half an hour before we could drive onto the boat. Once on board we had to wait for departure from the port, where we had a beautiful view of the citadel and the chalkstone cliffs hanging above the sea. The crossing took about an hour. With feet (or rather wheels) on Italian (island) soil we drove to Capo Testa. This is a peninsula / rocky outcrop that overlooks the sea. Here you can see special rock formations. We then drove on to Castelsardo where our next stay is, an apartment (with balcony) and a view over the sea (Corsica can be seen on the horizon!). Once checked in, we brought our suitcases in, did some laundry, went grocery shopping and got ready-made food that we just had to heat up in the oven. After dinner we sat on the balcony to enjoy the view and the weather. Tomorrow we will explore this part of Sardinia, more about that tomorrow of course!

Day 5

Travel overview

Day 9