Corsica: Bonifacio

From Ajaccio, we continued south to Bonifacio at the southern end of Corsica where we took the ferry to Corsica. Even if it were not for the ferry, we would have visited Bonifacio for its dramatic setting; perched on white limestone cliffs by the sea.

As our luck would have it, all ferries for our planned crossing day were canceled due to high wind, and the half day before and after as well. We had to put our heads together and make some quick decisions. We cut our Bonifacio visit short, and crossed on the second to the last ferry.

During our 20-hour visit, we walked the Phare de Pertusato trail, then scurried to the sunset point. We had a morning sunrise stroll, and we even stumbled upon polyphony singing practice (maybe?) in preparation for Easter.

In the end, the 20km crossing was rather calm. We spent the whole 50 minutes on the deck, enjoying the sea (1st below). I realized 15 years after our near Titanic moment on the Navimag I can finally feel ease again on a boat.



The buses from Ajaccio to Bonifacio were uneventful even though we had to stop for sheep.


Our first sighting of Bonifacio. Wow!


And then the walk up to our hotel at literally the second highest point in the city.


The walk to Phare de Pertusato starts with some beautiful views of the town citadel, the harbor, the limestone cliffs, and the sea.








And the views get better as we get closer to the lighthouse. Eventually there is nothing between us and the coast of Sardinia except the sea.










Sunset.








The streetlights come on as we turn for home, and approach Saint-Dominique Church with their Palm Sunday images on display (2nd below is the 6th Station of the Cross). And a choir is practicing - maybe Sardinian Chanting.








The Citadel walls are flood lit with purple lights. Hmmmm.


The Bell Tower of the Église Sainte-Marie-Majeure with the half-moon in the sky behind it.


Before catching the 9:00 ferry, we headed out to catch some just-after-sunrise views of the Citadel.