SARDINIA

We made it!!:)

We left Cinque Terre on Wednesday morning and managed to avoid any delays in our time schedule despite the fact that our train from Riomaggiore to La Spezia was canceled due to more Trenitalia strikes. Once we were on the train it was a direct ride to Milan and we contently curled up to a movie on Scottie’s iPad as the Italian countryside passed us by.:) After another stop in the Malpensa airport we were finally able to call our hotel to come pick us up to enjoy a relaxing night’s sleep in Milan before the much-anticipated final leg of our dreamy three-week adventure.

The next morning we were on the road again, back to Malpensa to catch a flight to Sardinia! Waking up to grey skies and a rainy weather forecast throughout most of Europe made us even MORE excited to escape to a fine Italian island where one of the few images of the sun proudly danced on the forecast map.:)

We <3 Sardinia:)

Our destination in Sardinia was Cagliari, a large city located on the southern coast. Towards the end of the flight we were flying over the island…and after a half hour we were still flying over it. This island is huge!! Although we were beyond ecstatic to simply be GOING to Sardinia let alone staying there for three days, we decided that you could easily spend a couple of weeks here exploring the multitude of breathtaking beaches…not to mention the cities and ancient history that the island offers as well!

We stepped off the plane with huge smiles on our faces as if the Vitamin D from the sunshine had just added an insta-boost to our already high spirits. Although it may not be possible to soak up Vitamin D within a matter of seconds, our fresh-off-the-plane-facial-expressions filled with pure joy and excitement would have made you believe otherwise.:) A short fifteen-minute bus ride and an entire box of Ritz crackers later and we were in the heart of Cagliari navigating our way towards yet another Bed and Breakfast, which was also located at the top of a slightly-inclined main street (I say slightly because once again I was luggage-free and skipping ahead with ease and excitement, though Scottie might have felt differently;).

Tourist alert;)

Upon arriving to our place we were more than impressed with its accommodations—high-vaulted ceilings, an antique-looking chandelier that added a touch of flare to a very modern-bachelor-pad styled room, a spacious bathroom and (my personal favorite) a balcony that over-looked a busy shopping street in the center of town. As if this wasn’t amazing in itself, come to find out that our balcony hangs over the main street where the Semana Santa (Easter Week) parades take place. Before going to Sardinia, we had specifically decided that we would like to make sure and see at least one parade to experience Easter in a culture that celebrates religious holidays a little differently than we do back home. Finding out (and seeing) that the parades could be viewed one floor below us over the side of our balcony was just one more ‘unreal’ element to add to our trip. HOW DID WE GET SO LUCKY?! I can’t help but hope that this trip has set a precedent for many more future trips to come!;)

Hello, Poetto:)

ANYways!:) Shortly after dropping off our luggage, we headed back to the bus station (with a Doner Kebab pit stop along the way;)) to take a 15-minute bus ride to the main beach in Cagliari, Poetto Beach. We had prepared ourselves with more than a few Google-searches of Poetto, but of course, the pictures never do it justice. We hopped off the bus and walked in a daze towards jaw-dropping, crystal-clear ocean views contrasted with white sand and brightly-colored sailboats.:) Despite a slightly chilly breeze, the intensity of the sun allowed us to comfortably jump into the knee-deep water that continued out as far as we could see. We took advantage of soaking up some rays and wading into the Mediterranean until the sun finally started to disappear and we hopped back on the bus into town to get ready for dinner.

Like many islands and/or coastal cities in Spain, Italy, and all around the world, Sardinia boasts authentic menus full of fresh, delicious……(drum roll, please).......SEAFOOD (womp, womp, womp). Unfortunately for Scottie, I am not a big seafood fan…and by that I mean I detest it (I swear I’ve TRIED to like it). So what did we eat instead? If you say Italian food you would be incorrect. On the exotic, Italian island of Sardinia we ate……(drum roll, again please)……MEXICAN food. Three times. I am not sure if it was so delicious because we had been craving it, if it was just plain delicious on its own, or both…but after a fajitas ‘order for two’ we satisfyingly declared that they were quite possibly the best fajitas we had ever had. Whether or not this statement will always stay true, the fajitas at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Sardinia will always remain contenders in our book as well as bring back fond memories.:)

Outside of our fav Mexican restaurant with our new friend:)

So after some beer, filling fajitas and chips and salsa we made our way back to our hotel and for the first time on this trip we walked by a very tempting gelato shop and passed on the opportunity to further indulge (I forget how filling Mexican food is—it’s probably why I love it so much!). We walked through bustling streets and saw crowds of people outside of a church along the way, telling us that we had just missed a parade. Eager to call it a night we continued past the crowds and shortly after arriving back to our hotel we were out just as soon as the lights after another eventful day of traveling and sight-seeing.:)

Cagliari:)

The next morning we decided to head out early to catch a bus. The plan was to try and explore another beach with the intention of being back to Cagliari before 3pm so we could watch some Easter parades from our balcony. Chia beach was located about an hour away, which would give us a couple of hours to spend soaking in the sun. HOWEVER, at the end of the hour bus ride we realized that somehow in our state of delirium earlier that morning we had taken the wrong bus. This left us stranded in a random town an hour away from where we were staying and not anywhere near where we wanted to go. Luckily we were able to laugh about it, although the couple-hour window we had reserved for time at the beach had now been occupied with unnecessary bus rides to random cities and we finally had to ‘throw in the towel’ and head back to Cagliari.;)

Hello, Cagliari:)

Once we were back in town we had empty stomachs and an hour to kill and one of the few restaurants opening for lunch at the time was our oh-so-reliable Mexican restaurant.:) With twenty minutes left before they opened we popped into a market a few doors away to purchase a fanta, some chocolate Easter treats, and a bottle of wine for later. When the restaurant finally opened we were once again the first eager customers to be seated. But of course, this didn’t stop us from fully enjoying Round Two of our beer and Mexican food combo on the island of Sardinia.:)

Heeeeeere they come!

On the way back to our Bed and Breakfast we waited in a crowd for what we could only predict was another Easter parade. Sure enough, minutes later we could hear the familiar drumming and chanting, followed by the parade and a long line of people. We went back to our room thinking that maybe we misunderstood and the parade didn’t actually come by our street. These thoughts were quickly rejected about a half hour later as we heard the drumming and chanting getting closer and closer until we finally saw the crowd appear up the street from our balcony. We ran around like maniacs looking for our cameras and then stepped outside, where the parade conveniently stopped below to sing a prayer.

We concluded our second day in Cagliari with some sight-seeing around the city center as well as some delicious burgers and beer at an Irish pub in town (our dedication to Italian food really went out the window on this portion of the trip;)). On our way back from this Portland-style pub in Italy (the young population decked out in flannel, thick-rimmed glasses, and skinny jeans really made it feel like home;), we stopped and ate at the gelato shop we had neglected the night before, before wrapping up another wonderful day in Sardinia!:)

:)

The next day we enjoyed a restful morning before heading back to the beach after another stop at Doner Kebab. Thinking we would change it up a bit by taking the bus a few stops further than we did the first time, we ending up missing all of the designated ‘beach stops’ and the next one dropped us off on the side of a busy highway a few minutes away. The GREAT news? On the other side of the highway we spotted a marshland filled with some of the island’s wild flamingos!:) We dodged a few cars and ran across the road to take some pictures of a scene that we both decided is surely ‘what Africa looks like’ with all of the wild birds and marshland creatures enjoying the water in the middle of an otherwise desert-like terrain.

At the beach there was a slight chill in the air again although the sunburns on our faces provided evidence that is was still a GORGEOUS day.:) This last leg of our Italian adventure was dedicated to simply relaxing (not that our trip had been stressful before;)) and enjoying each other’s company rather than running around to different sights and our last full day in Sardinia was no different. We walked along the beach, put our toes in the sand and the turquoise-blue water and simply enjoyed being together.:) After some more wine and one last trip to our favorite Mexican restaurant later that night we had successfully concluded our time in Sardinia.

So…

10 cities, 1600 photos, 17 bottles of wine and three weeks later and we can now proudly confirm that we have experienced 21 of the best days our lives, not to mention one hell of an adventure together.:) 

And cheers to many more!!:)

Next stop: Switzlerland!