At Sea, Bonifacio
The first sun’s ray found us at sea, east of Sardinia and Bonifacio. Slowly, but inexorably, we narrowed that distance, and by midday were already in the channel that separates both islands, Corsica to the north, and Sardinia to the south. The day was marvelous, the waves tame.
Slowly we approached Corsica and the white cliffs of Bonifacio, with the town precariously balanced at the sea side. After a wait of a few minutes, the ferry came out of the narrow gorge that leads to the dock, and we entered it, with its marvelous cliffs and views of the small city.
After docking, we embarked on a series of different walks, from photograph walks to more informed walks centering on history and those few plants available in the town. We learned of the origin of man on the island (the oldest human remains are around 8,000 years old), and of the archaic history, as well as the more modern history, up to the Second World War. We also learned that the city has always been well fortified, but also always under the scourge of the “pirates,” who raided the city and took children to be sold in the slave markets in the East.
Modern Bonifacio depends on tourism today for its survival. A good number of ships arrive every summer, and disgorge a good number of tourists from Central and Northern Europe, to spend well-awaited Euros in the so many shops of the town.
