1222-1223:  An Our Next Visitor Arrives!

Wednesday 10th – Thursday 11th July 2019 

We are getting to know Olbia airport rather well, and the nearby Auchan supermarket.  We’ve collected and returned the Aged P’s and a hire car.  Today, it was collecting my daughter, Maddy Munchkin. We slid by the supermarket to stop up on things she likes to eat … but no ice cream given the freezer is struggling and my recent unpleasant experience, necessitating not moving far from the facilities!

Knowing Maddy would not be acclimatised (and we are still not), I’d booked a campsite on the east coast with a pool and adjacent to a beach.  We did manage to walk to the local hamlet of Santa Lucia for a coffee, and then that evening, for a fish supper.  Sadly dinner was the worst meal we have had in Sardinia … poor service, badly filleted fish, watery sauce, chewy calamari and poor service … and this was supposedly the best in town!  None had good reviews on TripAdvisor, which I do only use as a loose guide, but the website is good to be able to pass on our own experience / get revenge!!!

Maddy and I basked and swam by turns, mostly leaving J with the dogs, his book and some peace and quiet.

The trip across Sardinia to the airport … hay harvested and hills.

In search of caffeine … and the beach.

Santa Lucia really was not much more than a few restaurants and a tower, but every coastal Sardinian town has one of those.

We’d bought hand held fans … this is the hands free version.

 how much wine should we drink before they take our food order? 

My over cooked fish being mascerated; never before have I been served it with full skin, bones and a few fins for good measure!

1224-1225:  Air Con Calling

 Friday 12th – Saturday 13th July

We drove south, coffee stop at Orosei, which had nothing to remark on, despite its entry in the guide book!  But we accomplished coffee, and ATM and pharmacy for moszzie cream and after sun lotion.  The main reason for driving south was to travel the scenic Orientale Sarda road – hewn out by Piedmontese coal merchants in the mid 1800s.  Obviously it has been much improved since then, but both my passengers did not enjoy the scenery … the twists and turns had them both groaning despite my low speeds. 

Our two night stay was a beachside parking at a Camper Stop in Santa Maria Navarrese, with full facilities for only EUR18 per night.  Despite being in the lap of luxury (!), the heat and the road bends had got to Maddy … she booked air con!  Well a nearby hotel room with air con for the next two nights.  She appeared later that night and the next morning as fresh as a daisy!  

Similar formula to the last stop, beach and swimming, whilst J read with CO2.  We all had an amazing pizza … thinnest base ever … at the restaurant next door and J had a big Gaelic Football win for Dublin.  Up the Dubs!

Orsei church … just to prove we were there.

The Gorroppu Ravine … one of the deepest in S Europe, in places the side are 200m.  You could walk down 5km and get a lift back up, but my poorly passengers weren’t up for it.

The beach was this close.

And we had shade :).

Shared seafood salad … is that bit octopus, cuttlefish etc?  Who cares, tasted good.

Know what this is!

Should have brought the fan with you … the thin crisp of bread kept snapping.

 1226:  Airport Run

 Sunday 14th July

We dropped Maddy back at Olbia airport, via another stop at the Auchan shopping mall.  4 nights but over so quickly … but will see her in only a few weeks.  J and I drove onto the North Coast (Porto Pozzi – a harbour and small beach) with the intension of hunkering down due to the heat.  But it was a cooler evening and the forecast for the next few days was a mere 29/30C.  A decision made to resume Sightseeing … yay!

1227:  Back to Sightseeing – Alghero

Monday 15th July

We parked up about a 15 min walk along the front form the historic centre.  We both really like Alghero … enough buildings of interest and nooky streets.  It was busy, but we forced down ice creams.

Looking along to one of the many towers and the Bastione.

The building that looks like a London theatre is the cathedral.

The main piazza.

Local coral everywhere.  With so much of it on sale, one would think the prices would be low!  Try EUR70 for ear rings!

Our sunset view.

 

1228:  Ancient Site Sightseeing & Stintino

 Tuesday 16th July

To max the sightseeing, we drove to Fertilia, another Fascist created town on reclaimed land, not to stop but to see the Roman bridge that is now only used by fishermen.  Then onto the Necropolis Anghelu Ruju.  I went in … J is a bit ancient sited out and it is a rest opportunity.  It is the largest pre-nuraghic burial place in Sardinia.  The tombs are called Domus de Janus … Fairy Houses, which they could well be as they have steps, door lintels and carvings.  Only discovered in1903 and some damaged by quarrying, but a magic place, where the dead were revered from 3300BC.

Construction was a main entrance and chambers off, although the actual layout varied.  Several people were usually buried in each chamber.

A column in this chamber.

From here we drove onto Stintino, which is up the NW finger.  A bit unattractive as you drive past petrochemical industries and solar and wind farms, and the coast has more recently been discovered by hotel chains.  Stintino itself was only established about 100 years ago – built between two natural harbours for people moved off an island that was to house a prison.  An attractive place for a drink and an ice cream … or a boat ride to the prison island.

Odd bits of modern sculpture about.

Melon and pistacchio.

Our overnight was a further 7km up to the Capo Falcone … a moonscape over cliffs.

We were joined overnight by two small campers, but they kept their distance.

Quite a few came for the sunset, but left soon after.

A group of hippies with their instruments, not a broomstick poking up, they left in a Fait.

And the moon rose 180 degrees behind us.

1229:  Porto Torres

 Wednesday 17th July

Back across the top of Sardinia in the direction of our ferry tomorrow.  A coffee and wander stop at Porto Torres  Now Porto Torres is a major port with boats to Marseilles and Toulon.  It had the standard tower and a beautiful church, but little else.  It was once a Roman colony, but the extensive site was closed …. a number of French bods off a cruise ship were trying to find their way in.  

San Gavino Basilica – Pisan style from 1111.

The Crypt with a lower crypt to 3 martyrs.  Early Christian burial sites C4th have also been excavated here.

The Roman bridge … what’s left of it and not worth walking to.

Our overnight is close to our ferry from Santa Teresa at Baia Santa Reparata … a lovely rocky coastal path, but a TUI flag on the small beach … say no more.

 

We leave Sardinia tomorrow and back to Corsica for 4 nights.  Our initial thoughts of Sardinia have not altered.  Not as stunning as Corsica, with less wild flowers … Oleanders line most roads.   We do like the Italians and their relaxed attitude. Cheaper than Corsica and eating out (other than one experience) has been good quality and leisurely.  We like the wine, especially the Vermentino … flavoursome.  Of course gelato!  Great beaches and ancient sites from 3000BC.  Wild camping is fine all year around, although less places by beaches in the high season.  We’ve only used campsites this trip due to the temperature.  Sassari and Alghero are definitely worth an explore, as are some fo the smaller towns.  But would we come back?  Probably not, I think we’ve seen the best of it … despite the heat…