Author: terracedale

Cagliari is the capital city of Sardinia. It’s known for the hilltop Castello, a medieval walled quarter situated high over the rest of the town which is where we are staying for the next three nights. Architectural highlights include the 13th-century Cagliari Cathedral.

Our drive followed the coastline for quite some time and was rather mountainous with the speed limit being predominantly 50kph. The sea was so beautiful and calm and went as far as the eye could see.

Eventually the road widened up and went inland, still very dry. A large flat area of completely barren land had been farmed in some form but really it’s hard to know what would grow. It all looks such a struggle with rough farm buildings and fences.

Lunch was at a truck stop along the way. You could buy most things there and so much was super sized. Fascinating.

Closer to the city we could drive at 110kph on a three laned highway. There were extensive areas of burnt land alongside. Apparently wild fires happen every year, and we could see smoke in the distance.

The roads were crazy when we arrived here. The drivers are aggressive and inconsiderate with a lot of horn tooting. Mostly at us I think! It was a relief to drop the car off after first delivering our luggage to our hotel via a very narrow road and some historic walled arches. Poor Graeme had to leave me and find a space to let those behind us pass. And then we had to find each other! A small challenge.

The Hotel concept is interesting. At reception in a foyer was a small desk, but our building is about a 5 minute walk from this. They have three buildings. Breakfast is pre ordered via an app and is delivered to our room at a time chosen by us. We can visit reception or just chat to them via text, as we did in Olbia and Alghero. The modern world!

We are on the second floor and have entered the large building via codes and scanning a card. Then we enter the main corridor before our room at the end.

The priest was sitting in the confessional box waiting for sinners.

Our walk this morning before it got too hot discovered these little houses for cats. They were quite tame. Nice to know they are being looked after.

Neptune’s grotto is one of the largest marine caves in Italy and apparently one of the most captivating gems of nature in the Mediterranean. The grotto was formed about two million years ago. Inside are rooms with spectacular karst formations, a white sandy beach and a huge underground lake. The Coves de Neptú (in Catalan language) was discovered by a fisherman in the 18th century and soon became a tourist attraction. It extends horizontally for about four kilometres on the same level as the surface of the sea. 

It is accessible via a 654 steep carved staircase after a 24 km drive – (Built in 1954). Quite thrilling I believe, with an overhanging wall. Maybe next time. We opted for the 50 minute boat ride to the entrance at the bottom of the cliff. Too hot today.

A fairly loose set of rules applies in Italy. Bags, food and water came with us. A couple of signs not to touch, but people did. Of course. But it really was a wonderful place to visit being so relaxed. A large group but at your own pace walked the pathway up about 14 metres above sea level. A live commentary with speakers along the way, in Italian, French and English was interesting.

Due to thousands of candles being lit inside over the years there is evidence of smoke staining. Many gatherings were held including orchestral concerts due to the wonderful acoustics, along with dancing on the small beach they boated inside to. How cool. Today of course, more care is taken.

Amazing. Then back in the boat for an easy trip home.

The photos are great for our memory but don’t do it justice at all. We spent siesta in the laundromat. Even with snippets of English us oldies were lucky to be helped by a local! Oh man! Technology!

Dinner was overlooking the waterfront followed by coffee at a place we found last night. Stand at the counter and enjoy your two sips of espresso for €1.30. Was €1 in 2017 so that’s not too bad. We put our coins into a machine at the counter. Easy for staff not to have to handle cash.

An organ recital was being held in this Roman Catholic church.

Close to midnight we sat on the rooftop in a very comfortable 22 degrees watching the satellites speed across the night sky.

Tomorrow we drive 3 hours south to Cagliari at the bottom of Sardinia. It’s been really lovely here.

Our staff got a little excited this morning as a few rain spots appeared as we were leaving Cannigione. Apparently northern Italy has had quite a storm with large hail stones and they wanted some of the rain here. It is bone dry, as was our 2 1/2 hour trip to Alghero, a city on the northwest coast of Sardinia. I really feel for the animals, along with the farmers trying to grow their produce. We noticed a paddock with two irrigation guns and another with sprinklers on poles. Not an easy life.

The drive was quite hilly and the road quality varied from almost single lane to two way and then dual as we approached the city and at times was quite rough. Maybe NZ isn’t so bad after all. We stopped in a small town and bought poke bowls for lunch. An interesting task, as we chose the contents ticking tiny pictures on a menu using my translate App. They were delicious.

Entry to our guest house is via code. It’s very old and four rooms are on the segregated 3rd floor, with many stairs to carry your bag. Breakfast is self help between specific hours with fresh produce appearing overnight. We’ve only seen four other guests.

Encircled by ancient walls, Alghero is known for its cobblestoned old centre. Its Catalan Gothic buildings include the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, with an imposing bell tower,

The nearby Chiesa San Michele has a colorful tiled dome.

The city walls are impressive and have been well restored.

Alghero is how I imagined Cannigione would have been and whilst it was good, it was smaller and had less happening, but our chill time beside the pool, along with the beaches was perfect. I love the Old Town here with its historical buildings.

After sunset, people morphed out of the woodwork like worms. They must have been at the beaches all day. The restaurants were booming and as per Italian style your plate disappeared almost before you put your fork down. It’s all about bums on seats $$$. Gelato shops had long queues. It was so crowded and dripping hot. We spoke to a waiter who said he’d never experienced such heat in the evenings – usually the temperatures reduce a bit.

Well this was a fab day.

The La Maddalena Archipelago is a group of islands in the strait of Bonifacio between Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy). Created in 1994, the first in Sardinia, this national park covers more than 20,000 hectares of sea and land. It embraces 180 kilometres of coast and includes more than 60 islands big and small, of granite and schist, sculpted by wind and currents. 

We arrived with plenty of time as I was anxious not to be late. And no one was there. Eeeekk!! Well, even the Staff Coordinator was late. Definitely in Italian time. Despite this, the boat with our maximum 12 people left early. An eight member extended Polish family, two Italians and us kiwis. Our captain Marco and ‘mate’ Flávio took wonderful care of us. Lovely Mediterranean food and of course Prosecco!

We island hopped and stopped for hour long periods whilst we were fed and watered. Very well I might add. It was amazing to dive off the boat and literally float on the water, being so salty. Very easy to swim to shore, some sandy, some a little grainy. The colour of the water was a lovely reminder of the Maldives. Where it is azure blue, there is sand and dark is sea weed types. Beautifully warm, but still refreshing water.

All in all, another special day. A bit pinker than planned. An early night after a long day in the sun.

Of heat. Even the staff say it’s hot. Each day begins hot and gets hotter. At times the car said 39 and 40 degrees but my watch sat on mid 30’s. The air is thick. But we are so lucky to know that each day will be a goodie.

We took a test drive to our location tomorrow of Palau, for our catamaran trip around the archipelago of Maddenla Island. It was good to see the coastline and area without the anxiety of needing to be there on time – 8am. Sounds easy except for the traffic and 30 and 50 km speed limits to travel only 13 kms but GPS allows 25 minutes and that’s how long it took!! Then to find a park. Nothing is free, and there are many narrow and one way roads that weren’t made for cars. So we kind of have an idea now.

But the bonus was a little beach where a car was parking on the roadside. We followed them down a steep rocky track to a sweet little beach. Maximum number was 10 whilst we were there. Lovely and refreshing.

Further along was a larger beach with large boats and a camping ground in the distance. Camping in this heat would be challenging.

The landscape is hilly, rocky and mountainous, reminding us of Malta and Spain. Quite barren and burnt off in places but still green with olives, native bush and floral plants.

Picnic lunch on our balcony before another swim and lounge beside the pool waiting for the day to cool off for 5 o’clocks in town at 7! Still busy with people queuing at restaurants at 10pm.

This little town was once a quiet 19th-century fishing settlement, and is now a bustling tourism hub renowned for its marina, crystal-clear beaches, and boat excursions to the La Maddalena Archipelago.  Only a half hour drive from Olbia we came along some fairly narrow and ordinary roads. The speed limit varied between 30 and 50 kph. Not Ferrari speed, but we did see two.

Our little adults only hotel has 27 rooms. We are not the eldest but there’s a lot of young 30 somethings enjoying the peace. About a km from town but a nice view of the sea. Out of the shade was very hot. Three dips in the pool since we arrived this afternoon. We ate a takeaway salad in the park beside the beach as we were a tad early to check in.

We struggled to find somewhere for dinner as there is such a fish culture in this town – didn’t cross my mind. Always pizza available of course. As the night went on the people appeared from everywhere including children sleeping in pushchairs. It was certainly cooler by 10pm – about 30 degrees lol.

A craft style market popped up at 9pm and became busy quickly. Such a different way of life. Families out and about until late.

A nice easy day.

Good morning from Sardinia.

We landed after a bumpy approach and a few gasps as we lost altitude and then rose, due to the hot air – even a sideways fall. Yikes! – to 37 degrees.

Olbia old town is a lively area and as the night approached became more busy. So warm. Of course we couldn’t come to Italy without partaking in the obligatory Campari Spritz which came with the complimentary food. Almost enough for dinner.

Lots of piazzas and little streets lined with tables. Only one night here as we head further north about 30 minutes away to the beaches.

Dinner was an authentic Margherita pizza and a carafe of wine as is the common way. We enjoyed lots of people watching and soaking up the atmosphere. A great first night.

Our entry to Bristol was over this magnificent suspension bridge. Completed in 1864 traffic access is controlled via a gate system to preserve it, so a £1 toll is applied.

Pedestrians and cyclists are free

We’ve had a lovely time with Alison and David – they have been great hosts and walking tour guides. We were also lucky or perhaps unlucky to watch the football with them. Sadly it didn’t go England’s way. Naturally, the locals were gutted. 2-1 to Argentina.

Bristol sits on the River Avon after it has meandered past Bath and out to the River Severn and the Bristol Channel. It is very tidal but has a gate structure to keep the harbour boats afloat. With a rich history of maritime and engineering Bristol has a population of around 500,000.

The Houses live in the lovely village suburb of Clifton and our hotel was just around the corner. We had an easy walk into the city and past some magnificent Georgian and Victorian buildings before heading back to Clifton and enjoyed lunch at The Ivy, a brasserie restaurant in a former bank. Stunning. Even the toilets were pretty.

It’s so lovely with the harbour right in the city centre.

What a great visit, albeit short.

Today marks the end of our English stint. We are staying at Gatwick and have only 100 metres walk to the baggage drop area without stepping outside. No stress necessary.

We walked some of the Coastal Path again this morning. After the sea being a bit choppy yesterday the surfers were back out. The waves drag up the red sand from underneath and stain the water.

Our travels took us further up the Jurassic Coast, firstly to a beautiful village with such pretty houses named Otterton Mill where the working mill still practices the tradition of flour milling, bread making and cafe/gift shop etc.

Only 20 odd minutes along was Budleigh Salterton with its 2 mile stony beach. Many shops were charity – ie Hospice, and a few little boutiques. This is where we enjoyed our Devonshire cream tea in Devon. Jam before the cream. The cream was a little different but all in all, a scone is a scone.

Next town Sidmouth was charming and bustling. By this time it was 30 degrees and the challenge was on to find a shady spot to have lunch. This area also has a long stony beach churning up ‘red’ water. Doesn’t seem to bother the swimmers.

Lastly we had a quick look around Topsham, again sweet narrow streets and very close to Exmouth, against the Exe River on the opposite side. A ferry shuttles people across when the tide suits.

This is our last day in England’s South. It’s been amazing and the weather better than we could have hoped for. Last year the summer was cold for us despite being in August. This year I brought some warm clothes with me and they are a pain in my suitcase. One can never plan for all outcomes.

Tomorrow we head to Bristol for a night to see David and Alison who we’ve kept in touch with since our French cruise last year. They also visited us in Oxford after our Cotswolds cycle so it will be good to see them again. There is also an English Football semifinal game vs Argentina to enjoy or endure! Let’s hope it goes England’s way ahah.

Exeter is another ancient city on the River Exe (same as Exmouth) Dating back to the Roman era, the Exeter City Walls surround its centre and Gothic Exeter Cathedral. Population approximately 138,000.

Exeter Castle, a Norman landmark, overlooks Northernhay and Rougemont Gardens which are 414 years old!

It has some vaulted, medieval Underground Passages snaking beneath the city which sadly are only open Thursday to Sunday. Damn!

The Cathedral is renowned for the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world and its gothic architecture and history of over 1000 years.

The city walls span nearly 2000 years of history with about 70% of the original Roman and medieval circuit still visible albeit with some repairs.

The quay area has had a makeover. Many residential conversions and restaurants.

A very nice city. It has been amazing to leave the house for numerous consecutive days without a jersey. Especially given we are in England!

Dinner tonight courtesy of Tescos!