The 11.30am ferry from Sassari in Sardinia to Bonifacio in Corsica took just on an hour, all of which we gained back by putting our watches back that same amount on arrival. I joined up on the trip with the German couple who had helped me with my currency problem Michael and Heidrun, as well as their friends Norbert and Jutta, for a number of drinks (in both countries) and was fortunate to then get a lift for the 140kms into Ajaccio in their car. The crossing was calm, and Bonifacio was a magnificent sight - tall, stone terraced houses perched precariously on the brink of sheer cliffs of stratified limestone – surely another National Geographic specialty!
The road through Corsica was very mountainous and windy, with only a few villages scattered amongst the much greener scrub and trees. Once again, there were some really picturesque stone houses in some of the villages. The whole trip took around 5 hours, including a stop for a fish and wine lunch. Yet again, I had hassles in Ajaccio – the best available being a pretty crummy hotel for 30FF (over 6 bucks). Still, I figured that I might as well
sit back and enjoy it because I found out that the next boat out of there was not scheduled to leave for three more days. I took a stroll around town, getting info on the Cote dAzur from an English couple, but I was a bit concerned because costs werent encouraging. Later that evening, I witnessed a savage demonstration by a large group of farmers against some government tariff policy. The town centre became a mass of smoke bombs, and it took some 4 hours to be quelled by the riot squad in gas masks – it gave me some idea of the likely atmosphere in Northern Ireland at that time, with streets blocked, riot police etc. After the eyes had recovered from the smoke, I ate a good, but expensive meal with the others downtown.
I slept in late on the Sunday morning before going out for breakfast and acquiring a newspaper to read about the previous days ‘manifestations. I went to the hotel to pick up the other four around 11am and we all made it down to la plage Tahiti, some 5kms away. It was a pleasant day, not too hot, with the water clean and
warm. I was back about 6pm for a good clean up before wandering back into town to pick up some info on ferries. I took in a big meal of a brochette (grilled meat in a roll), a crepe sucre, and a pint of milk at the local stalls, but there was nothing doing on a Sunday night.
First stop next day was down to the bank underneath the Casino to pick up beaucoup de Francs, then down to the ferry office to book the ferry for Nice. I was really pissed off at the hour wait while they frigged around at the booking office. I returned the money lent to me by the Hotel Albion and at the same time checked out the Napoleon monument. After a drink at Chez Yvonne (and an unsuccessful wait for a French friend I had met briefly on the ferry), I made it back to the local beach for the afternoon. I ran into Heidrun on the way back around 4.30pm and we had a quick drink together before I returned to the hotel for a nap. Dinner was a great way to see out my time in Ajaccio. We dined at
my German friends regular restaurant, having a meal (or for me, 7 courses, as they were not big eaters!) and wine for a very modest tariff. The festivities of the night were heightened by the appearance of owner Gilbert (of course, pronounced ‘jilbear!), who appeared first with 5 Pastis and later with 5 Schnapps. Sleep was pretty easy that night!
Another fruit breakfast was on the menu next morning before checking out of the Modern Hotel at 10am and making it down to the wharf. Fourth class on a French ship turned out to be just that – we were packed in like sardines, with the situation not helped by the presence of a large group of French schoolkids. The boat sailed at midday in magnificent weather on a sea of glass.
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