June 22, 2023
Bastia to a big boat
Mornings have been so much more peaceful the last few days since Tobias has been sleeping until after 6. Not just because it's a slightly more reasonable time to wake up, but I think he is happier too. We added some extra insulation under his sleeping mat so we can tell ourselves that that helps. Inspired by yesterday's croque monsieur we grilled our leftover emergency peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast. It wasn't as good, but was not bad either.
James took Tobias to the beach so I could deal with the task of packing our stuff in a different configuration. After 2 months it's pretty well sorted exactly what goes in which pannier, but because we are on the boat tonight we need to have the things we need for one night easily accessible and carry-able. It was stinking hot and I also wanted to be at the beach, but this was definitely the more efficient option. I finished in time to join them for a swim before we had to check out at 12. We abused the facilities a little longer and had lunch in one of the public areas before heading off with Tobias in the trailer.
We were able to plan a slightly better route back into Bastia after our experience 3 days ago. This time we had just a short section on the highway. We did have to merge across a lane from the roundabout into busy 70km/h traffic, but we both just floored it and managed to get in and over the section and off again before catching our breath. According to Strava we ever going 40km/h for this part which is much faster than our usual pace. From there it was back again on the nice but under construction cycle/walking route into town.
We reached Bastia around 2 and the ferry didn't depart until 6pm so we parked up near a playground and Tobias and James went off for snacks while I did some admin. We headed to the boat at about 4pm since we weren't sure if we would have the same issues with the trailer. I went into the ticket office to check and they laughed and said "no no no of course that's fine" and gave Tobias a new pair of sunglasses, so a much better experience than with the Corsica ferries people. It was a long wait until boarding and pretty hot too. They had the motorbikes and us under the shade, but it was still very muggy. This time motorbikes boarded near the end and Tobias was very much over it by that point. When all the bikes started up though he was enthralled and started clapping and cheering for the noisy motorbikes. There was only one other cyclist and although the staff looked very competent at strapping in the motorbikes with cushions inbetween we thought they were putting a bit much faith in our kickstands. James stayed to help get the bikes settled which I got Tobias to our room so he could move.
The boat again has a kids play area so after a shower we joined all the other parents for a beer and some chips while the overstimulated kids ran around throwing blocks at each other knowing it would probably come back to bite us later. After a picnic dinner we got a very tired Tobias off to bed. Now we're trapped outside the room in the corridor drinking wine from camping mugs while he sleeps. The beds felt pretty comfortable so I'm not going to be far out of it.
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Today's ride: 13 km (8 miles)
Total: 1,715 km (1,065 miles)
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