The Finish Line

Just so you don't think we did nothing but swim and laze on the beach all month, below are some photos of a few of the hundreds of artifacts in a family museum of sorts we drove to for some local history. The wine press here is made entirely of wood:

The olive press that donkeys were yolked to...and the grandson/multilingual tour guide of the farmer who once lived here:

 The shepherd's hut, constructed of juniper wood:

Now mind you, if we had known the condition of the road we had to travel to get there, we would have passed up the cultural opportunity. It was a ridiculously narrow concrete road with a series of steep 180 degree switchbacks. In a matter of 5-6 km (about 3-1/2 miles), we went from the sea level town to at least 1500 feet. The guardrail was sometimes in tact. I was somehow able to stop shaking and snap a couple pictures on the way down, though they don't really do it justice.

Note to our children - PLEASE don't do what your parents did!
And then in the midst of all this, appears a goat grazing at the edge of the cliff

Up until this drive, we thought the roads in Sardegna were pretty good, compared to some in Sicily.
After that, we needed a calm, relaxing day at the town beach.

Not to be deterred by the earlier road terror, we decided to visit Dorgali, one of the nearby mountain villages we had passed through on our way across the island (we knew this road was a piece of cake). It was a Sunday, so it was really quiet - until we tried to muscle our way into the local Rosticceria for some food to go. In typical fashion, the locals showed their manners and we never got past the pranza (lunch) crowd at the door.

And, because it NEVER rains in Sardegna in June, we had two days of off and on thunderstorms, which made for some beautiful skies from our apartment balcony.

It's been fun writing about our trip, thanks for following along. We are home now, so until next time:

(Go where the pizza takes you)

Ciao - Peggy and John

Beaches, Cliffs, Caves and Sea

The hardest part of this posting, now that I have the technical difficulties resolved, is deciding which photos to share without boring those of you still checking this out. By the way, if you weren’t able to post a comment before, the settings are now fixed, thanks to Carlos. The summer heat has arrived so we did the one thing you must do on the Golfo di Orosei - spend the day seeing it all by water. Other than the first beach you’ll see with the umbrellas and loungers, water is the only way to reach them, unless you are a rugged mountaineer. There are pine forests, then sheer limestone cliffs and rock formations, more forests, cliffs, caves and down to the beaches.

The first breathtaking event was jumping off the ladder of the 16 person yacht and swimming in the bluest, clearest water I’ve ever seen (no pics since we were both in the water). They ferried us in to

2 different beaches where we swam for an hour or two. The boat traffic and crowds must be unbearable in July and August. This is also a place for serious divers, spelunkers, and climbers. Our Bend family will appreciate climber at the very top of the 500 foot “needle” rock (if you can zoom in enough to see him/her).

 “ “

And to end the trip the captain asked if anyone wanted to swim in a cave. Maybe it was the Mirto digestiva that gave me courage, but John made sure this would be in the archives. That’s the dingy going into the cave where we swam for about 15 minutes. Unfortunately I didn’t have snorkel or mask like everyone else, but it was still other worldly.

West to East

I cannot decide if it’s better to get car sick on a bus and not be able to see the road in front of you, or to be a wreck because you CAN see the road ahead...and below. John is a safe driver, it’s the vehicles coming the other way that are most terrifying. The mountains in Sardegna are more rugged and bigger than we expected. Here’s a photo from a small mountain town at the top (Dorgali) just before we went through a little tunnel.

And here is the view when we came out on the other side, looking down on the small seaside resort of Cala Gonone where we are spending the last 6 nights of our tour..

Our sweet studio apartment is on the main street through the town and directly across from a modest beach. We are loving not have to dodge cars for the first time as we walk around. You will be blown away by the pictures from our day on a sailing yacht, in a separate posting coming soon!

Bosa and Beaches

The roads in Sardegna so far have been a bit easier to navigate than in Sicilia, though I’m not the one driving. The coastal road from Alghero south to Bosa was spectacular and sometimes reminiscent of the Northern California coast. There are swimming beaches everywhere, however.

Bosa is one of those ridiculously picturesque medieval villages, though there’s not much left of their castle high up on the hill. We didn’t start out today planning to walk all the way up the flights of steps to the top... We found another way back down which meandered through one level of streets after another so we really got to see all that is here. The river Temo is the only navigable river in Sardegna and runs through the town.

We’re deciding which beach to spend the day at tomorrow, but don’t think either of us is wanting to go south, up and down, up and down, up and down...you get the picture. Besides, the beach we went to the other day, a few miles north, has parking in the shade, showers and a beach bar.

 A little beach town we found along the road for a cold drink and pizza...

We’re having a wonderful trip. 

Our first selfie, up at the castle...town, river and the open sea behind us.

p.s. the wines are fantastic

Giovanna and Gavino, the owners of our apartment here in Alghero, are already an unforgettable part of our trip. A couple of retired teachers who live on the floor below us, they could not be more genuine or generous. Yes they both speak English quite well, but appreciate and encourage our attempts with Italian and are very patient...and naturally good teachers as well. On Tuesday, Gavino took us on a tour of the area outside of town, let us go for a swim (it was too chilly for him) at his favorite beach, showed us some of the Nuraghic ruins, and drove us up to Cappo Caccia. The famous Grotto di Nettuno- extensive caves that can only be reached by boat or by walking down some 650 steps- are here. Now you know I did NOT do the steps, but here is a view of what we could see from the top. Pretty spectacular by itself.

 

We seem to bring some rain with us wherever we go, and even though we’re told it never rains here in June, we had a hell of a downpour again yesterday. A good day for the Red Coral Museum, storm watching from our terrace windows and cooking at home. A few scenes from our walks in town,  along the bastion, the promenade and to the end of the town beaches today. 

Tomorrow, a new adventure. We are getting a car and John will be driving us to Bosa, our next destination south of here. The drivers are a bit more sane in these parts than in Sicily- and certainly than the mainland. You can still send good thoughts our way ...there are always buses to avoid.