Dining in Bonifacio, Corsica

Dining in Bonifacio focuses on the local seafood and we enjoy every bit of it.  For lunch, we seem to be drawn to moule frite (mussels & fries), first in the marina, then up in the old town at a restaurant that only serves mussels.  In the old town, we choose moules mariniere and moules Bonifacio.

 Moules frites in the marina

The Minute Moule restaurant in the old town serves only moules frites and has only one way to order, a four step process:  pick a size (S, M, L), pick a sauce (basic or special), pick a drink (soda, beer, or wine), and house frites are included.

Formula moules

Minute Moule restaurant in the old town

For our dinners, we find places in the marina that we really enjoy and return to (especially after I discover fish soup!).  Our first dinner includes moules frites also (can't have too much of this), followed by two pizzas:  four seasons and fruitti di mare (of the sea).

 Moules frite (again)

 Pizza 4 seasons, fruitti di mare

The next night, we start with an antipasti platter of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and gorgonzola, then pizza Bonifacio (mozorella, goat cheese, coppa ham) and fish soup.  Wow, I could rave on for days about the fish soup.  We watch another table to learn the proper assembly technique:  place toasted bread slices in the bowl,  top with mustard, then cheese, add the broth.  Wow, again!

 Antipasti platter

 Pizza Bonifacio

 Fish soup assembly instructions

The next night, we return for another fish soup, this time accompanied by a stuffed eggplant starter and pizza 4 seasons.

 Enjoying it all

And, as a special treat, the sunset is beautiful in the marina and, after the sun is down, the castle walls light up to give us a delightful post-dinner show.

 Sunset in the marina

 Castle lighting

We've had another great experience in yet another location.  We need to return here sometime also (so many places, so little time).

Hiking Up the Coast from Bonifacio

We see some of the beautiful Corsican coast in our exploration of the old town and want to experience more of this beautiful place.  Our hotel tells us that we can start down a path toward town,  turn right in a few hundred meters, away from town, and head along the coast.  We're on our way a few minutes later.

 Heading down the path from the hotel

 Emerging at the channel, opposite Bonifacio's old town

 We continue along the water and pass the entrance to the Bonifacio harbor.

 Continuing along the ridge

Bonifacio fades from sight and the views of the coast ahead get even more spectacular, with the inland mountains visible on our right.

Along the coast

 Inland mountains

As we reach a small, sheltered channel, the path turns inland and descends to a protected cove with a beautiful beach.  There is a small sailing school in the cove and several groups of people who hiked in from town (about an hour and a half walk) are unpacking and setting up on the beach for a day of fun and relaxation.

 Sheltered cove, private beach

We, however, had no idea that our hike would arrive at such a beautiful, inviting beach and wish we had known to bring our swimming suits (as did the locals hiking in).  But, we pause and enjoy the view and the beach experience before heading back up into the hills for the walk back along the inland route.

 Return path

We return to the edge of the channel (on the other side from yesterday) and stroll back up toward our hotel.

 Back at the channel

What a beautiful coastline!