22-07-2015     Serra-di-Scopamène → Bonifacio  93+6 km
      for route click here

Breakfast shortly before 7 a.m. (last night Annie withdrew her promise of 6:30), starting with some of our own fruit, today apricots. The others join much later; the Monti et Mare is obviously of a less caliber than the GR20. We had hoped to leave at 7:30, to arrive at Domaine de Foresta (the last location I booked from Holland) before 2 o'clock, to enjoy the swimming pool and have enough time to look around in Bonifacio which according to our tourist guide "one shouldn't miss". Bad idea, this time schedule, but we leave only five minutes later than planned. Serra-di-S. was our fourth choice from where to reach the southernmost point. Although all in all we will go down some 700 m in 90 km, this distance is obviously quite long for such an early arrival. Beforehand I counted only one (long) climb, the Col de Bacinu.

First we go down from Serra

Down to a dam

The first two km from Serra are chilly and quick − no wonder it took some effort at the end of yesterday's stage. We turn right/south at Sorbollano, expecting to go up according to the map, but in reality to go down. DOWN, during (at least) half of the 11 km till Zoza, ending descending around 300 m above sea level. That's quite bad. For the next 13 km the road is mostly up. We pass Sainte-Lucie-de-Tallano (our first choice to go to from Ghisoni), and for a while I fear we will go up the whole way till Levie (which, in retrospect, would have been quite a long étape from Ghisoni!), but this time Michelin has got the arrow right (only I misread it). However, it lasts and it lasts. Which proves again: avoid cycling with a tight schedule!

Nice mountain village (Zoza??)

Village in front of the Bavella Range

Only 3 km before Levie (highest point ca. 720 m) we can stop pedalling and freewheel to Levie. The local bakery offers not much choice in pastry: a tarte au citron for Enya, a chausson au pomme for me. The frighteningly thin girl behind the counter keeps crossing the road to chat up to 'our' bar keeper and to smoke a fag. Her business is quite good: we don't see her finish any of these fags. We play another game of 'toepen', and Enya wins. And we see a backpack girl arrive, looking dazed, and obviously in pain as well; blisters? We make a small detour in search a Spar or one of its competitors (if not, where else for the next 30 km?), and indeed we succeed to buy some food and drinks. Again Michelin has put an arrow in the wrong direction: we start the climb of the col de Bacinu with a descent of at least 4 km, losing 300 m of altitude!

	Chausson aux pommes and tarte au citron in Levie		First down before the climb to the Bacinu starts
	Quite a lot		down!   Terrific road!
	And up again		. . . .

	Terrific landscape! (Levie in the mountains)		Terrific
	Summer in Corsica!		Terrific!
	Almost at the top		At the top

From the lowest point the climb, some 500 km up in 11 km (with a 1 km descent near the end) goes quite okay. It's not so hot yet, the environment is green, the road is not too busy, it's GORGEOUS!   We only take a short break at a water source in the hamlet Orone. Around 11:30 we pass the pass. From there it's 45 km till Bonifacio, first a 12 km descent, and then 30 flat kms, I gather. The descent is TERRIFIC. Nice road, beautiful views, back up, through the mountains to the sea, down to Porto-Vecchio. I register that the descent goes in two stages, with 3 relatively flat km in between; good to know for tomorrow.

	Down from the top		Lovely, SUNNY descent
	Whoopie!		Sea view

When we arrive in Sota, where it is really hot, I decide it's better not to hurry and call to the Domaine de Foresta that we will arrive later. We have quite a long break with cold coca cola and a baguette-sandwich, and with reading. The thermometer on the handlebar in the sun indicates more than 45° C, and when I put it on the ground, in the sun, the score goes up to 55° C!!

Daily sin

Temperature record

Sounds like India

Stiff intermezzo

Stiff descent

To avoid N-roads we choose the tiny 'interesting' D959/D59 via Saparelli, crossing a last mountain range till the sea. The only altitude given on the map is 103 m, and I assume that is the highest point. Eh, well, it isn't: another unforeseen (yesterday evening) climb forces us to the utmost. Good move that we relaxed our time scheme! First we go down (to 50 m, I know now), and then, in quite a short stretch (± 3 km), up to 280 m, and it is really, really hot! The descent down to the N198 (< 40 m) is something to keep in mind for tomorrow too. The rest of the trip is HORRIBLE: busy road, wind in our faces, an unwanted climb (Bocca de Focade Lera, 90 m).

	Approaching the N196		(Late) Arrival at busy Bonifacio
	Bonifacio has all a tourist needs (or doesn't!)		Nice coast line!
	Way up along the cliff		Enya recovering from the cars and the heat

At the big roundabout (junction with the N196 to Ajaccio) we leave the N-road for the bumpy, busy last kms of the N198, to reach an even busier Bonifacio. I think I know the whereabouts of our B&B, but appear to be mistaken. No, as for navigation this is certainly not a top day. We end up down at the foot of the citadel, where we have hardly any energy left to enjoy the great views down to the cliffs, and to Sardinia. Enya waits downstairs while I mount the stairs to the citadel, where, like in Corte, the tourist info is situated. Alas, I learn that 3 km before Bonifacio we passed our place for tonight by a few hundred meters. (This accounts for the +6 in the distance of today.) Damn!

Bonifacio marina

Our bikes, the sea, and Sardinia

Again, up over the bumpy road, and another 2 km back along the annoying N198. And then finally, finally, around 5 p.m. we get to the very kitschy Domaine de Foresta. A Swiss family with two very bronzed, very bored-looking girls of about Enya's age are hanging around the swimming pool, a swimming pool that offers hardly any refreshment. It's mostly in the sun, and the temperature of the water must be at least 30 degrees. Okay, we can at least/last sit in the shade and relax. When two hours later (in fact, much too late) we go into town, we are requested to hand in a passport: apart from asking quite a bit of money, the people here are not very trustful. We don't feel welcome, and the room is a mess: too much furniture, and a much too large flat screen television. (And quite a small two-persons bed.)   Luckily, in the evening Bonifacio is quite okay.

	Domaine de Foresta		'Back' in Bonifacio
	Woww		Up to the citadel

We put our bikes on the pavement in front of a laundromat at the beginning of the port, in the lower part of Bonifacio, and have a look around in clothes' shops and souvenir shops (and in a pharmacie). We walk up to the citadel (with quite empty stomachs) and start looking for a table there too late. However, down at the marina there's a choice of restaurants, and we enjoy a good meal: something with aubergine for Enya, something with sanglier for the semi-vegitarian. This we top off 25 m further with delicious icecream (safran-clementine). Around 11 p.m. (fortunately both our bikes have lights) we are back at a place that certainly does NOT feel like home.

Meat for Dad