Michelle in a new job and me having been flat out at work - a week in Sardinia could not have come at a better time. London days getting shorter and nights getting colder - a bit of time relaxing in the sun is just what the doctor ordered!
Cala Ganone
We flew into Cagliari (in the South of the island), picked up a car and headed north to Cala Gonone which sits on the east coast about halfway up the island. In the 1930s this fishing village was popular with Italian society people and slowly has developed into a tourist spot, but retains a 'village' feel. We had arrived at the start of the low-season - so it had a fairly sleepy feel to it - a perfect spot to recharge our batteries.
The focus of the first two days was on diving. It was great to be back in the water - especially the crystal clear waters of the Orosei Gulf. The real highlight of the diving was the KT12 wreck. This WWII German transport ship was sunk by a British sub and sits upright in the sand in 30m of water. With visibility of over 20ms the wreck looms out of the blue as you descend down to it. To its side are trucks (it cargo) sitting on their side half buried in sand. We swum around the wreck - and into some of the more open parts of the boat. The boat is in great condition and it was a real experience to dive on this little piece of history. Words don't do justice to describing this experience. Here is a link to someone's video of diving the same wreck for those who want to see more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB4aGvVu0i0
Cala Mariolu
Along the coast north and south of Cala Gonone are limestone cliffs which are dotted with caves, beautiful coves and white sandy beaches. So, for the next couple of days we spent a bit of time exploring these - in search of a nice spot in the sun to read a book.
View from room
Villasimius
The second half of the week we drove back south and out to the coast to Villasimius - a slightly more 'resorty' area of Sardinia.
We were again lucky with the weather, so it was time for more of the same here (less the diving). The nearest beach to us was nice, but full of guys trying to sell stuff. Fortunately, unlike Cala Ganone where the beaches could typically only be reached by boat, the beaches around Villasimius were accessible by car. So a short drive up the coast was rewarded with a nicer beach and freedom from the hawkers.
Through the holiday we were treated to incredible food. There was an emphasis on seafood - with mussel and clam pastas and scampi and red cabbage pasta being two of our favourites! The pastas were simple but tasty.
Hummingbird
Sardinia is also famous for its suckling pig. This must be ordered ahead of time - so on our last night we asked our hotel to help us with this (English is not widely spoken in Sardinia). We were in for a fairly authentic experience.... the restaurant they sent us to was out of town near an industrial estate. We asked for a taxi to take us there - and when it arrived it was driven by a young Italian girl and in the passenger seat was another woman and a baby. When we arrived at the restaurant we were relieved to see another car in the carpark - but slightly confused when the 'taxi' would not accept any money. Fair enough we thought - perhaps we pay on the way home? Inside it was just us and two other tables. After some incredible antipasti the main dish was served - beautiful crisp, lean spit roasted suckling pig. It was melt in the mouth - Yum! After dinner - bloated with pork, we asked for a taxi to take us home. The chef nodded - pointed to himself and we were soon being driven home by him. Turned out our 'taxi' out there had been his daughter picking us up?! Again payment was politely refused - seemingly all part of the service as this small family run restaurant?!
You are what you eat - a couple of piggies
The wine in Sardinia was very nice too. The whites were Vermintino (a nice crisp white to be enjoyed in the sun at lunch!) and the reds mainly either Cannonau or Carigano - the latter being our preference. It is generally very cheap to buy - but the most famous Sardinian wines can get very expensive - up to 300 euro for a bottle of its most famous called Turriga.
We had a fantastic trip and came back thoroughly rested and relaxed. We really love travel in Italy and it has cemented itself as our favourite holiday destination.
One of the plans for 2008 (and in keeping with our new found Britishness), we have decided to get into the football scene a bit more.
Step 2: Now looking like Gooners (scarves doned), head straight for the Arsenal Tavern to enjoy pre-match drink with your fellow Gooners. Note: warning to woman a) not many Gooneresses seem to frequent the Arsenal Tavern and b) the white house wine tastes like 'cat pee' (so bad Michelle didn't finish her glass - so that tells you something).
