Heading Back to Bastia to Catch the Ferry

We depart Bonifacio for the four hour drive up the coast to Bastia, intending to explore a little more of the area that we whizzed by on our way down.  As we leave Hotel Cala Di Greco, we take a few more pictures of this magical place.

 Hotel Cala Di Greco

Heading up the coast, we drive by a number of beautiful beaches and, after passing one too many tempting locations, make a U-turn, park and walk in to enjoy the view and have a Diet Coke.

 Stop at a small beach along the road

Enjoying our Diet Cokes

We're not ready for lunch, but we admire the fish cooking on the wood-fired grill and the pizzas in the wood-burning pizza oven at the small restaurant where we have our beverage and hope we'll do as well when we are hungry.

Beach restaurant, lunch in process

Later, we're ready for lunch and stop in at a Boulangerie/Patisserie in a small town, sharing sandwiches and a glass of wine.  Ok, it's not fish from the grill, but it's fresh, wonderful-tasting, and just the right amount.

 Lunch

We roll into Bastia, check back into Hotel Port Toga, across from the ferry terminal, and head back to the old port for dinner, returning to Restaurant Cote Marine.  They remember us from a few days ago, give us great seats, and ask us if we enjoyed our trip south.  We rave on about our stay in Bonifacio and share two Formula meals:  antipasti (zucchini, bell pepper, arugula, parmesan, crostini, olive tapenade), Corsican pizza (olives, mushrooms, ham, cheese), and profiteroles for desert; and octopus/calamari salad, penne with langostino and mussels, and a cheese plate.   While we're dining, a group serenades us from outside the restaurant.  Ok, we're coming back here again also!

 Corsican pizza, penne with langostino and mussels

Cheese plate, profiteroles, music to dine by

We walk back through the quiet streets of Bastia, full, content, and ready to relax before the next stage of our journey.  We meet a  group of runners heading the other way, getting a little exercise and having a great time in the fresh evening air.

Strolling back through Bastia

Corsica has it all, great people, wonderful sights, incredible food.  We're thinking that we should come back to both Corsica and Sardinia in a few years, combining these two great islands.