The plane touched down at 2:15pm local time. My bike bag and suitcase appeared on the carousel, apparently unscathed, which is always a bonus. A 1/2 hour taxi ride and I arrive at my 'base camp'; Madame Vignon's chambre d'hôte in the city of Bastia. Madame Vignon is charming, kind, 85 years young and a perfect host. She insists that I put my bike in the bedroom rather than chain it up in one of her outbuildings!
I immediately set about assembling the bike and loading the panniers. I had spoken to Madame Vignon, at the time of booking the room, to ask if it would be possible to store my empty suitcase and bike case at her house until my return in three weeks. She assured me that would not be a problem. So once the bike was ready to go, I placed the cases on top of the large wardrobe. I thought, "The next time I touch them, my journey will be over." After a little DIY for Madame Vignon (I had noticed the lock on the front door was very stiff and difficult for her to open - a quick squirt of GT85 soon had that problem solved), I showered then walked down to the old port of Bastia - about a 10 minute stroll. The afternoon was very pleasant - sunny and around 23°C. The long-range forecast was sunny with the temperature gradually increasing throughout the week. Perfect!
The old port is very pleasant indeed with restaurants, predominantly selling fish (quelle surprise), lining the quayside. Being not particularly hungry and still only early evening, I decided to explore more of the city. Bastia was once the capital, but in 1811 Napoleon had other ideas and declared the city of Ajaccio the capital of Corsica. It must have been quite strange living in Bastia at the time - the capital city one day and not the next?
After an hour of walking around the main areas, I headed back towards my accommodation - grabbing a pasta snack en route. Back at Madame Vignon's, I sat outside watching the sunset on my first day in Corsica. Tomorrow my journey would begin, but for now a few quiet moments to reflect on the day. "I am finally living my dream!", I thought as the sun dipped behind behind the hills that surround this Northern port. Tomorrow...I will at last begin exploring the Island. I headed for bed around 10:00pm. While lying there, listening to the continuous cacophony of car horns from the city below (Nicolas Sarkozy was declared the 23rd President of the French Republic tonight), I was thankful for not choosing a hotel room near the harbour!