X marks the spot

Streets of Cagliari
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Castles, ancient Forts, an entire island coastline of beaches... pirates ;) ...

Sardinia, how I adore thee.

Castles, ancient Forts, an entire island coastline of beaches... pirates ;) ...

The ferry docked on a cold and rainy Tuesday morning in Cagliari, a city some describe as the cultural center of Sardinia. Awash with the usual cobblestone streets and abounding with museum after museum, Cagliari was indeed an interesting town. Unfortunately, aside from an extremely tasty meal of seafood for lunch and an a simply delectable Italian hot chocolate we didn't see much of what the town had to offer. A pity since the little we did see whispered of friendly locals, very tasty food and delightful historical monuments.

Driving through central Sardinia
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Why didn't we see much of Cagliari?? A very good question. Determined to see a little bit more of Sardinia than our first port of call we hired a Ford and headed out into the island (Note: the Hertz dealership near the bus station has dreadful customer service but they are open during 1 - 4pm... and that in Italy is very rare). With a simple plan of driving as far north we could drive before nightfall we set off with our hopes held high and with an adventurer's spirit. Little did we know that by the end of the day we would have climbed to the heights of a castle ruined on the crest of a hillside, explored a nuraghe, and gotten decidedly lost in the warren of streets known as Oristano... that is if you can get lost when you don't know where you are going... thankfully however due to my map reading skills, Jordana's fearless driving in Italian traffic and my grasp of the Italian word for 'where' (coupled with award winning charade skills) we eventually made it to Piazza Eleonora. Where after a grid-by-grid search pattern and asking helpful locals we finally came upon somewhere to sleep... well somewhere to sleep other than the car.

View from Castello Di Las Plassas
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Again, due to us leaving at the 'crack of arse', I do not have much to report on Oristano apart from it being quite lovely to wonder blindly around while looking for food and lodging... that and the Pizzeria just off from the central plaza is a must-go-to for a fine dining experience! Jordy and I left the town just before first light. We were heading for the ruins of Tharros on the Sinis Peninsular to watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean Sea. We got there early, before tourists, before the park rangers, beaten only by two fisherman on the shores below. The sun reaching its golden fingers deep into the ocean before dragging itself into the sky, the ruins on the shore aflame for a split second before being plunged into shadow once more. Picturesque.

Castello Di Las Plassas
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After Tharros we headed back to Cagliari to catch a train to Oblia to the north and from there another overnight ferry to Genoa... the birth place of Christopher Columbus.