Sample text from Under the Olive Tree. A day on the Boat - Going North.
Today there is little wind, the forcast is good, so we decide to head north and see how far towards Corsica and the southern most town of Bonifacio we can get. Bonifacio itself is a must see, perched like a white pie crust on top of the cliffs, which drop 100 metres to the sea. The entrance to its port is a narrow gap in these cliffs, no more than 50 metres wide.
In perilous times of old, chains were slung across the gap to stop raids by corsairs -- or were the Bonifacians themselves the pirates and this their lair? Probably both are true. On a day trip you cross the gastronomic boarder to Southern French food, leaving the proscuitto, parmigiano and mozzarella behind for the delights of omelette du jour and soupe de poisson. On a day like these we like to go to a number of spots, have a swim and then move on.
Perhaps the most spectacular place to drop anchor is the relatively shallow lagoon between the islands of Budelli and Santa Maria. Because it is shallow the white sandy sea bottom turns the water from Mediterranean blue to an expanse of almost tropical emerald...
