Let the adventure continue

We depart Bonifacio with some intrepidation. We're not sure if the scan of our 'free hotel pass' would have actually registered since we'd already taken a car park entry card. There were some optimists and some pessimists in our party of two! Well, I'm pleased to say the optimists won and a swipe of the 'free card' saw us exit the carpark at no cost.
However, in our excitement I took the wrong road at the roundabout so we ended up having to do a full circuit through the tunnel and back around to the hotel to drop of the carpark swipe card.

Finally we were on the road
to Ajaccio which is on the western coast of Corsica and the departure point for our return overnight ferry to the mainland. Located an average coffee stop/boulangerie at Propriano before tackling the coastal road to Ajaccio. Luckily as a Kiwi from wayback, I had good experience with hairpin bends and steep turns, because this road was a combination of the Kuranda range and Gillies range on steroids but it went for 62kms! It was sealed and in good condition with the occasional new bridge thrown in, but there was barely a straight stretch to be seen. Two hours later, we rolled into Ajaccio somewhat shattered but still smiling, just very thirsty. We had 4 hrs to kill before boarding the ferry so we found a carpark, right beside the marina with another confusing system. It was a one way road with two gates at either end so only one car could enter at a time! We parked right beside La terrasse la port restaurant, overlooking the Marina and Port where a large Jolland America cruise ship, was docked. And the aperol spritz was one of the best. The middle aged waitress had Roger sussed as well. He had a white wine and rose so then she asked if he'd like a red. LOL. She'd obviously met him before.

Ajaccio was a much larger town than we were expecting and it has all the hallmarks of Mediterranean seaside architecture the creamy yellow buildings with bright blue external blinds. We had a long stroll along the foreshore and through the town which was humming with the influx of cruise ship passengers and featured more tourist shops than anything else, but it had a nice feel about it and in the off season would probably be quite a nice vibe. Ajaccio was the birthplace of Napoleon, and his house still remains, not far from the port. It has been restored as a museum and we'd looked forward to a visit, but typically, it was closed on Monday's. So we settled on a crepe suzette instead and watched the cruise crowd all rushing back to board before their 5pm departure. Then we similarly joined the queue waiting to drive onto our ferry for Toulon.

Another smooth crossing in a noisy cabin right at the back of the ferry but we did enjoy a GnT at the front bar and witnessed a couple of fiery Italian women having a heated discussion about the younger women's desire to secure her 'free bed' for the night, by leaving her sleeping bag strewn across the 4 seater banquette. Intervention from a couple of mature males, saw the situation somewhat resolved, and the 'entitled' young lady storm off to sulk.

We docked in Toulon at sunrise, and hit the motorway heading for our overnight stop at Cahors. A coffee stop provided the chance to review the map as there were a couple of options and we opted for the A75 from Montpelier, which took us across the multispan cable-stayed bridge Millau Viaduct. Another of the 2024 'stars' crossed of the map list and every bit as spectacular as promised. It was designed by French engineer, Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster and built in three years by a team of 3000 workers. Completed ahead of schedule in 2004, it spans a length of 2460m across the across the Tarn river gorge. Not without it's dissenters initially, the French government issued a 75 year contract to the private company Effiage and the bridge was underway.

We drove through the Lot valley, and arrived at the quaint Terminus Hotel in the late afternoon. Naturally the small boutique hotel was near the railway station and indeed to get to the river, we had to cross under the railway lines through a well decorated subway. The graffiti was one element but the odour was next level. Luckily it was daylight the subway was short and in no time, we were standing beside the historic Pont Valentre, a medieval cobbled stone pedestrian bridge which crosses the Lot River. We took the essential photos, but not nearly as many as the 'influencer' who was there with her very patient partner. In fact we'd found a nearby wine bar and enjoyed a glass of wine, and a plate of smoked salmon - on the house- because the charming owner had some leftovers, and 45 minutes later, the 'influencer' was still chasing her ultimate shot.

We meandered into the old town, found a square and a strange bar that eventually served us a GnT, before finally settling on a nearby restaurant for something light for dinner. We chatted to a delightful woman from Germany who spoke excellent English, and also discovered that the tall goodlooking waiter, Ran was in fact a Kiwi who went to Dilworth College in Auckland. We are reminded of just how small the world is. Sleep came quickly in our large almost opulent bedroom up the red carpeted timber staircase with brass rods on each stair tread.Read more