Saying farewell and going to check out Rome

March 17, 2011
We got up and said goodbye to the beach, walked around a bit and had minor fiber-ball fights.

Drove into Cagliari (I'm getting used to driving like a maniac) and delivered the car to Salvatore. They took us to a huge market where they had many things that looked good to eat and other things that you really couldn't pay me enough to sample. There was a tuna portion that was a good 12 inches across.

They had clams and things they called snails that were more like mutant shrimp crossed with crawdads, octopus, BIG mushrooms,

and roe of several different species. There were actually too many things to enumerate.

After the market, we split upo and Alden and Angela Maria went to a youth concert while Rachel, Bob, and Salvatore retired to a local coffee shop to peruse photos. If you're ever in a  position where the person you are entertaining doesn't speak a word of english, (and you don't speak whatever they speak) try showing them photos. Literally worth a thousand words.

Then we went back to Salvatore and Anglela Maria's to eat lunch. Once again the lasagna was fabulous and the wine was plentiful.
They gave us gifts, we gave them gifts, and they drove us to the ferry terminal.
We went throught the obligatory security check (belt buckle PLEASE!!) and got on the ferry.

 By the time we checked into our stateroom and looked back at the docks, they were gone.
We departed around 6:00 and headed out across the Mediterranean Sea.

Our cabin had 4 single beds, in a two-bunk-bed arrangement. We wandered the ship and figured out where the lifeboats were and how to knock old ladies overboard so we would be assured a spot in one if the ferry were to sink. Found a spa and a "video" room where you could watch Italian or german TV all night. Found the bar and were surprised to find out how cheap the drinks were. Alden spent a good deal of time doing his figure-drawing homework. Rachel was inspired to try to draw Alden. She did an okay job, but now we know why she chose social work over art as a careeer. Had a grappa and went back to the cabin to sleep. We wanted to see the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea. It had been too cloudy to see the sun set, so we were determined to see it rise.

Last full day with the truly friendly folks in Sardinia

March 16

We slept in until 9:00, had a quick breakfast, then walked around on the beach. Found a bunch of fiber balls, where the surf had shredded plant fiber of some sort and rolled it into a few hundred oceanic hairballs. There were also several hundred dead purple jellyfish.

We went into town around 2:00 and met up with our friends Salvatore and Angela Maria.

Went to modern museum. Not my thing, so I spent time trying to update this stupid blog. I also checked emails and payed bills.

We then went to an archaeological museum and saw a bowl reportedly made 2400 years before Christ.

Alden and I walked up 121 steps to the top of a tower that is normally closed, but open this day only for Italy’s 150 year independence day celebration. It's the Santa Croce or “Elephant” tower.

We went to an exhibition hall for 150 year freedom celebration, then saw military and civilian bands play.

Went to fabulous pizza joint which served pizzas that were 14” across as individual servings.

After pizza saw a long fireworks display, primarily green white and red, which are the colors of the Italian flag.

Went home to Kala moru, had some grappa, and prepared for departure tomorrow. We're gonna miss this place. Sardinia and Cagliari are very down-home places. They'd be great if everybody didn't talk funny.

Salvatore and Angela Maria have been absolutely wonderful. What good friends.

The Beautiful Grey Mediterranean

March 15, 2011

We crawled out of bed around 7:30. Rachel wanted to go down to the beach, so she and I got dressed and headed on down there.

The sky was overcast and grey. The ocean was also grey, reflecting the dismal sky.

The sand was a nice brown, and there were some pretty flowers and heart-shaped leaves which brightened the scene a bit. We found a couple of nice cockle shells, and a genuine cuttlefish bone that had obviously never seen the inside of a store.

The waves flowing and the sound of the surf were quite relaxing. Before we knew it a half-hour had gone by and we had to hurry to get inside, bathe, dress, and prepare for the hour drive into Cagliari to meet up with Salvatore and Angela Maria. I (Bob) had never driven in Italy before, and we were a bit nervous as we started out for the city. Italian drivers tend to treat lane markers and street signs as suggestions and we were not sure how we would fare given the conditions. It turned out fine. When in Rome, drive like an Italian. You will be fine.

We got there on time and immediately headed out for a pre-Roman archaeological site about 25 kilometers from the city.

Salvatore drove, and although the ride was quite exciting we arrived safely and in one piece at our destination: Barumini.

Barumini was an Etruscan settlement on the island of Sardinia around 1500 B.C. Angela Maria was a part of the original University exploratory staff that excavated the original discovery in 1965. It was a fortress with 5 towers, fortified sometime after its original construction, with an extra 3 feet of stone around all the walls. That sounds easy, but when you consider the walls are about 100’ high and you are working with short people and blocks that weigh 7 tons, it doesn’t sound quite so easy.

We crawled all over the site, climbing through tiny passages that some of us could barely squeeze through, and learned a lot about what is considered “secure” for someone who has just discovered the virtues of bronze.

After the exploration of the Etruscan settlement, we went to a museum which stored artifacts from the Etruscan site. There were lots of primitive (by our standards) bowls and scrapers and the usual archaeological fare, plus they had a section on underwater archaeological discoveries in the Cagliari port area.

We got to see a huge collection of ceramics which held a variety of trade goods, and several different drag stones which were precursors of anchors.

From there it was off to an amazing 4 course lunch with a huge variety of local gastronomic favorites. I could not eat everything that was placed before me. The food here is simply magnificent. If I lived here I would die early, and content, for sure.

After lunch we headed out to the Zapata Palace, where another ancient dig had been unearthed after repairs to the palace were initiated. The palace was unwittingly built upon an ancient archaeological site, and when the palace fell into disrepair the state decided to do some work and discovered another pre-Roman site.

The significant thing about these two sites is that they both indicate a nation preparing for war, showing that war goes back to at least 1500 years before the Christian era, or 3,500 years before now. Will we ever learn?

After the Zapata Palace site we headed back to Cagliari, and then home to our villa on the shores of the Mediterranean, where we are treated to the wonderful sounds of the ocean, and a quick lightning storm.

We ended the night with wine, beer, cards, and conversation. This has been a very satisfying day.

Packed in like sardines, on our way to an appropriate place

March 14, 2011

We got up at 6:30, bathed, dressed and headed to the nearby train station. We caught a train to Pisa, Italy at 8:05. Finding occasion to utilize the sanitary facility on the moving train, I looked down into the toilet and saw the ground rushing by. That’s right, the sanitary disposal techniques on Trenitalia consist of dumping feces and urine directly onto the ground and letting nature take its course.

We got into Pisa around 9:30 A.M., local time. We decided we had time to see the leaning tower. We took a cab to the tower to assure enough time to evaluate the degree of lean, and got over there pretty quick. I am happy to report that the tower is indeed, still leaning.

I took some photos to document, as this is one of the tasks set me by my fellow co-workers, and then we jumped into the cab to head back and catch the train for Pisa Airport. On the way we ran into a snag. A car had parked just far enough away from the community dumpsters to make it impossible for a bus to make the turn onto the narrow street, and said bus had it’s butt sticking out into our street and we were going nowhere fast. A cop came along and wrote the guy a ticket, but still we sat there. We decided to walk the last ten or twelve blocks to the train station with our assorted luggage. About three blocks from the scene of the crime we were passed by the bus and another bus and a gaggle of traffic. A lesson in the virtues of patience.

We got back in time to catch the airport train, and headed into the airport to catch our flight.

Alden and I went over to the counter to check two pieces of luggage, and Rachel waited for us. The two pieces of luggage cost us 101 euros to check. I noticed that nobody else was checking luggage.

We came back to Rachel to find her comforting a young woman. Her name was Lucia, and she had had her wallet stolen from her purse while on the train to the airport. On a side note, we have been advised that pickpockets are rife in this area, and if you don’t pay particular attention to your wallet, it will leave you for another’s company with no compunction. Hers had done exactly that, and she could NOT board her flight without a printout that would cost her 40 euros. Rachel tried calling her mom and dad, but since it was 2:00 in the morning at her folks, they did not answer. We gave her 50 euros and exchanged our phone and emails, and wished her well. We found out later that we helped her get to Nice, and she arrived safely.

We boarded our Ryan Air flight and flew over the Mediterranean Sea. We couldn’t see it because of clouds, but I imagined it very clearly. On the flight there was no free anything. Beverages were sold by the flight attendants with an accompanying radio commercial being played over the loudspeaker. The sound was of a drink being opened and poured.

They sold Ryan Air lottery tickets where you could win 1 million euros, watches, and even perfume.

When we finally de-planed in Cagliari, our luggage was the only two pieces of luggage on the belt. No one else had been inexperienced enough to have to check luggage. We grabbed our luggage and headed out the door. Salvatore and Angela Maria were waiting for us with a “welcome” balloon and an Italian flag, and after the traditional two-sided kiss greeting we headed into the city.

It was the usual thrill ride to a palatial house in Cagliari and lunch with spumante, welcoming toast, octopus, roasted balsamic tomatoes, lasagna (artichoke, mushroom, wine, parmesan), ciabatta rolls, and roasted baby pig.
We finished up with a huge platter of marzipan, special Sardegna cakes, and almond brittle.

We had red wine with the main course, and dessert wine for dessert.

Salvatore took us on a tour of town where we saw buildings which were built in the 1500’s, bomb sites from 2^nd world war, and panoramic views of city and Mediterranean Sea.

They brought an extra car to the beach house, which I am apparently expected to drive into the city tomorrow.

The beach house is a villa located on the shore of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. We can hear frogs croaking and the surf with the window open.

The sky is cloudy tonight, but we are hoping for sun tomorrow.

We ate, then we went somewhere and ate, then we went somewhere else and ate.

March 13, 2011

Got out of bed at 9:00. It was Marie Louise’s birthday, and she had won her election to village council of Etoy, Switzerland, so we had reason to celebrate. We were not sure if we had to set our clocks back. Turned out Europe doesn’t start daylight savings until the end of the month. Bob made great breakfast of sausage, omelet, toast, kiwi, Alden joined us for “brekkie”. Headed out to wine tasting event around 1:00. Tasted an assortment of wines, cheeses, meats, and balsamic vinegars, olive oils, and sweets until 5:00. Or so. Alden stayed with a couple of his jazz friends and we left.

We proceeded to 4 lions (Quattro Leoni) for a great dinner of filet mignon, octopus, and sweets. The cheesecake was unique and most excellent. They put a candle on it and we sang “Happy Birthday” to Marie-Loise.

Alcohol and church don't mix

March 12, 2011

Got up at 7:30 to go to store, clean apartment, and get ready for Marie-Louise and Pierre, from Switzerland

Alden came in and we met them at the train station at Noon.

Have not seen them for 11 years.

Made great lunch for them at our apartment.

Went out to take bus to Sienna.

                                        Church that Alden, Pierre, and marie Louise attended.

Alden, Pierre, and Marie-Louise went to church and saw monks chanting and a duomo, Rachel and I went to an Irish bar. Some guy wanted to take his picture with Bob because Bob is “big”. He was small and drunk, so I let him put his head on my chest and the barkeep took his picture

Had Italian beer bar and watched spirited rugby match between Wales and Ireland. Ireland won.

Rode back on rocky roads (filling falling out?)

Got back in time for 9:00 dinner reservations and had really good dinner.

Jazz was so-so.

Went to The Effizzi and saw statues of many famous figures including Galileo (above).

Walked home and got a guided tour from Alden.

Alden went home and we \went home and set up hideabed for Marie-Louise and Pierre.

St. Marco Piazza

Spectacular church with lines a mile long! The waterfront sparkles! I couldn't resist getting our photo taken.


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