Saturday 7.10.23
This morning it is bright and warm again and I have a wander around Sartené taking some photographs of the town – it is very steep to get out of the hotel but once at the higher level it is reasonably flat around the town centre and there are some welcoming restaurants around the square – very pleasant all the way round. Our coach has to leave the hotel with some careful navigation the wrong way along a one-way road – one of the hotel staff stands at the far end of the one-way stretch and prevents vehicles coming the other way as we exit.
We proceed through the southern part of the island to the port at Bonifacio, which like Calvi and Ajaccio has a string of restaurants along the water’s edge and we choose one for lunch. The weather remains unseasonably warm and it is very pleasant to be able to eat outdoors so often.
An inter-island and international ferry, M/F Ichnusa, provides the transport between France and Italy, With experience from our earlier ferry journey this time we secure our cases and carrying important items we are able to secure the cases in the facility at the rear of the ferry – no attempt to hoik them up numerous staircases this time. Leaving Bonifacio the cliffs are an outstanding feature which is duly recorded and we then head to Sardinia. Approach Teresa Gallura it is somewhat surprising when we reverse onto the berth. The ferry is a little unusual in that it is not a normal ro-ro – the vehicles do indeed roll on and off – but always at the stern as there is no ability to open at the bow end.
A new coach collects us to move us across to Palau where we are in a hotel for the next couple of nights. The hotel is approached by quite a steep slope and stairs making it memorable for the wrong reasons!
Once booked in and clothes slightly re-ordered as we are here for a couple of nights we wander down the hill to the town. There appears to be a variety of restaurants and we make our choice before having to face the climb back – it seems much further uphill!