Miss it already

Back from an amazing and relaxing weekend in Sardegna, a beautiful island off the west coast of Italy. It was nice to hear Italian instead of German for a few days, and to be fairly off-the-grid. Plus, the bathroom in our hotel was much nicer than ours at the Aframes, and the room was a true sleep cave. Quiet and so dark. I could have slept for days. It's the little things, you know?

N visited Sardegna over July 4th, and since then he's wanted to go back together. The beaches were amazing, and we had The Best Ravioli Ever Made On Planet Earth. I would eat them daily if possible and not even fear the consequences.

Some photos:
Above is our rental car, Chins. On Sunday we took this tiny thing on some unpaved rock roads for 15 km (about 9 miles) to get to a beach called Cala Sisine. That beach was the main reason that we wound up on the island, so N was hell-bent on getting there. Given my druthers, I'd have called it good after the first km or two because I was convinced we were going to get four flat tires or fall off the edge of the "road." To his credit, the car survived with nothing more than a slight layer of dust. And it was totally worth the drive.

Yoda joined us and enjoyed the beach as much as we did. Most of the other beachgoers arrived by boat and didn't stay all day. The water is turquoise and crystal clear, just like you dream about. There isn't a sandy beach to speak of- just smooth rocks which were kindof painful, but didn't leave sand in all your stuff. I much prefer the rocks.

Proof that my lilly-white body saw the Mediterranean sun.

The eastern coast of Sardegna is dotted with beaches and caves/tunnels like this. There are sailboats and bigger crusing boats, but it's still relatively quiet. This is Cala Goloritze, the beach we visited on Saturday. This one involved a pretty substantial hike (1.5 hours down) that we did in sandals. Not optimal, but we managed. We also managed to get some skeptical looks from the other hikers, most of whom wore legit hiking boots, carried packs, and even had hiking poles. Oops. No sprained ankles, though.

This is N skillfully avoiding a head-on collision with one of Italy's drivers. The roads are narrow and Europeans drive fast, even on the hairpin curves and through the tiny village streets. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents.

Cala Sisine, above.
I tried to get N to buy a real swimsuit like the Italian guys, but he declined. It's a shame, really.
The hike up to Cala Goloritze. Notice my hiking apparel- a skirt and flip flops. And then notice the terrain. And then talk about our lack of preparedness.

N, overlooking Cala Goloritze.
Made it! Cala Golortize. There was a very steep staircase down to the actual beach, which was more rocks than beach. Perfect for sitting in the sun and looking down at the water below.

Back to the grind for N today. He left at seven for work, and I did some catching up with my email and laundry. He leaves soon for a work trip, and it'll be lonely without him. On the upside, I'll get the whole bed to myself...

On a sad note, one of our friends' fathers died over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. I know his family is relieved that he is no longer in pain, but they will miss his spirit and presence in their lives. I am thinking of them, and wishing I could be there to share his memory with my friends J and T. Sometimes it really stinks to be so far away.