Travelogue Sardinia 2015

SAT 05.09.15

Some traffic jams in front of the Gotthard tunnel, heavy rains in the Ligurian mountains. Takes 5 to 6 hours to get there. We park our car near Porto Antico and spend the afternoon hours in the old town. An hour and a half before departure we get aboard of the ferry to Porto Torres.

SUN 06.09.15

The cruise is somewhat bumpy. We're glad to have solid ground under our feet again. After having a coffee and croissant at a bar in Porto Torres we drive to Sassari. The second biggest town in Sardinia is somewhat boring. It's Sunday and quiet.

We arrive in Alghero early in the afternoon. We've booked a B&B close to the sea-front north of town. The owner lives somewhere else, therefore we have to wait in front of the house until 6 p.m. check-in time as announced in our reservation document.

Alghero's old town is a real gem. We have an apéro at a bar on the wall and watch the sun set behind Capo Caccia.

MON 07.09.15

Today's destination is Capo Caccia. We arrive early and find space to park our car close to the roundabout. The cliffs are hundreds of meters high. A path leads down to the Neptune's caves. We don't enter but take a few pictures from the stalactites.

On the way back to Alghero we have a break at Spiaggia di Bombarde, our first white sandy beach in Sardinia.

TUE 08.09.15

Another day in Alghero. We explore the southern coast and stay at Spiaggia di Poglina.

WED 09.09.15

We drive direction South. A curvy road along the coast. First stop at Bosa. The town is located at a river called Temo. A hill at the back, colorful houses and on top a castle. The beach at Bosa is somewhat uninspiring. Next stop is Santa Caterina di Pittinuri where we have Cappuccino and croissants, yesterday's croissants.

At lunchtime we reach Oristano. Short visit. Then Santa Giusta's roman church. Before hitting Cabras, we drive to San Giovanni di Sinis and Capo San Marco.

The old church in the small town is somewhat enchanting. The walk to the big tower and then to the end of the peninsula is definitely worth. The roman site Tharros is debris and two columns. You don't need to enter if you are not an archeological addict.

We finally reach Cabras, a characteristic Sardinian town. No tourists, no Gelateria. A maze of alleys. Hotel Villa Canu is a gem. We've never had thinner pizzas than at Focus. Excellent taste.

THU 10.09.15

Today we explore the beaches of Sinis. We try to spot flamingos at the lagoon of Cabras but don't succeed. A short stop at San Salvatore. Used to be a spaghetti Western movie town where Bud Spencer and Tenence Hill used to play with their guns. Nowadays just a few houses in a row.

First beach is called Spiaggia di Sa Mesa longa close to a village called Su Pallosu. Clear water. A small island. Seagrass. A perfect place. Then we drive to Mari Ermi. Its sand is very special, white corns like rice. The next place, Is Arutas. Its sand is even more coarse-grained than at Mari Ermi. Good for snorkeling with cliffs and fish. Next and last place is Funtana Meiga close to San Giovanni Sinis. Red stone cliffs.

Cabras is the cradle of Bottarga di Muggine, roe, also called Sardinian caviar. It's like powder served on spaghetti. Tastes very strong like fish. Mullet is the fish which provides bottarga, caught at the lagoon. I personally prefer the fish rather than its eggs.

FRI 11.09.14

On the way to Cala Gonone. First stop at Sta. Cristina a nuraghe site famous for its holy well. The tower is somewhat hidden in the olive grove, not too big. The well is a real masterpiece. Stairs leading down to a water basin. Looks like modern architecture but has been built thousands of years ago.

Losa is not far from Sta. Cristina. Another nuraghe site. Famous for its tower. Hughe. We enter the door and walk up the spiral path to the top. Great view. The inside reminds me to the Egyptian pyramids. Don't know why.

We quit the motorway and drive through mountainous parts. Have a break at Orgosolo. Famous for its wall paintings. Political scenes. Picasso remakes. Interesting. Then we stop at a place called Su Gologone, a spring. Water coming out of the mountain. Not worth the visit. We arrive at Dorgali, don't stop there, enter a tunnel and appear high above Cala Gonone. The blue sea below us. Cala Gonone could be some place at the Côte d'Azur. We walk along Lungomare and have a couple of long drinks at one of the street bars overlooking the see.

SAT 12.09.15

The day starts with a cloudy sky. Anyway we pack our swimming gear and walk down to the port. Excursion boats bring visitors to the beaches and caves. By car you only get as far as Cala Fuili, 2km from Cala Gonone. We disembark at Cala Luna. Huge cliffs, caves and a sandy beach. Climbers exercise spider-man techniques on the rock. 6b they say. I walk on the small path in direction Cala Fuili rather than climb the rock. Back in Cala Gonone we have Culurgiones at Ristorante Anphora. A delicious Sardinian dish, look like Ravioli.

SUN 13.09.15

Todays destination is San Teodoro. We plan our first stop to see the dolmen di Motorra not far from Dorgali. There's no space to park the car. A dangerous junction and a winding road. We forget the dolmen and take our first break at Orosei. Iteresting historic center. At Posada we visit the castello della Fava, built on a rock above the town.

San Teodoro is touristy. Meeting point after sunset is called La Posta. Young ladies serve drinks and food wearing showy dresses. They behave like models on the catwalk. Enough said. Food tastes good at ristorante Il Mangiatutto. We have fish.

MON 14.09.15

Today's program is settled. Explore as many beaches around San Teodoro as possible. We pass by the lagoon of San Teodoro. My wife spots flamingos. Seagulls in my eyes. First stop is Cala Girgolu. The car park guard tells us where to find the famous turtle. Quite a walk along the coast, scrambling through bush and over rocks. The turtle is a granite rock at a small bay. Only a few people there.

Next destination is Capo Coda Cavallo. A long beach at the end of a gravel road. Out in the sea a hughe rock called Tavolara island. Too many people at the beach. We stay for an hour and hop to the next beach. Cala Brandinchi. Famous for its white sand. Also packed with people. Last but not least we have a break at La Focamanna beach. Opposite Spiaggia la Cinta, the most visited and largest beach around. That one is quiet. Smells somewhat rotten. Fishermen are fishing. On the drive back home we spot flamingos. My wife was right.

TUE 15.09.15

We have a rich breakfast with a tremendous buffet at Hotel l'Esagono and then say good bye to San Teodoro. We pass by Olbia without stopping there. Porto Rotondo is the destination of our first rest. A posh place but kind of a ghost town. It's 11 a.m. Do rich people stay in bed so long? The port is packed with yachts. Buildings seem to be glued together. Alleys, bridges, arches. The entire town seems to be made of one piece. Unfortunately we don't find Berlusconi's Villa Certosa.

We reach Costa Smeralda. Stop at a lookout. Drive to spiaggia Capriccioli. No chance to find a parking spot. Porto Cervo. Another place for the upper class society. Aga Khan was founder of the town. Same architecture as Porto Rotondo even more refined. More people. Many day visitors. We spot a turtle. They seem to be native here.

Santa Teresa Gallura is the northern most town of Sardinia. We have a swim at its beach before sun set.

WED 16.09.15

Today we do a boat safari in the Maddalena archipelago. Lots of agents are at the port and try to convince visitors to board their boat. At 10:30 a.m. we start our excursion. First stop is at Isola Sta. Maria. We stay at the beach for an hour or so. Next we berth between Isola Brudelli, Isola Rezzoli and Isola Santa Maria. The water is turquise. The spot is kind of a natural pool. Lots of boats there. We have a swim until jelly fish arrive, then eat a pasta meal. One of the most scenic bays is Cala Corsara at Isola Spargi. We climb the hill at the bay. 5:30 p.m. back at Palau.

THU 18.09.15

We drive to Capo Testa and park the car at the end of the road, walk back and take a small gravel road which ends above the moon valley. Granite rocky mountains all around. We scale down and meet some hippies. They live in the caves all summer. There is a totem at the end of the valley. We walk down to the sea. Back through thornbush we reach the lighthouse. There we have a swim at its small beach which is situated about hundred meters below.

In the afternoon we have a swim at Spiaggia di Marmorata and later at Spiaggia di Rena Maiore, the only beach with breakwater so far.

FRI 19.09.15

On our last day in Sardinia we explore the inland of Gallura. Lots of cork oak groves. We pass by a massive granite monolithe called Monte Pulchiana not far from Tempio Pausania. Latter is a lively city in this montaneous region. It's the city of cork. There are shops where they sell jewelry based on cork. Even cloth made of this material are exposed.

Not far away from Castelsardo we stop at the elephant rock and take some pictures, apparently posing too long. A nervous bloke askes us impolitely to hurry up. Castelsardo is a gem. A rock surrounded by water, colourful houses on its flanks, a castel on top and a cathedral.

The ferry departs on time. We have an Ichnusa (Sardinian beer) watching Sardinia getting smaller and smaller in the evening light.

SAT 20.09.15

Arrival on time at the port of Genua. Driving on the motorways in Liguria requires steady nerves and attention. Lots of curves and short driveways until we reach the plain of the river Po.

That's the end of the log.