Happy Anniversary Baby!

Happy Anniversary Baby, Got you on my mind... so sayeth the song - we won't mention the song being about an estranged relationship cos it doesn't fit our current theme, but there you are - We made it to two years married on Monday the 5th, and to celebrate, decided we'd head off for a long weekend. The beauty of taking a few days off to celebrate your wedding anniversary is that each year you need to take an extra day off (well for the first five anyway!)

So to Sardinia we went, not entirely sure what to expect, other than a good time. I think that is the best way to do travelling really... don't find out too much before you get there - just the most important bits and then do your exploring when you get there... makes it all the more novel, and exciting me thinks.

So friday, after me working a half day, we embarked on a 2 and a bit hour flight, arriving in Alghero, Sardinia just after sunset at around seven... off for our first meal out and we managed to find a neat wee restaurant called Bella Napoli - Great pizza - This is what Alghero looks like. Actually that is what a painting of Alghero looks like in a restaurant in Alghero. First impressions of Sardinia - cRaZy DrIvErS!!! at least our host seemed to be - heightened of course by our first experience of driving on the right side of the road which to begin with was quite unsettling... will have to get a little more accustomed to that for later in the year when I have to drive over there! Our Host, Mario was a delightful chap, obviously very intelligent, a good mastery of at least three languages, a bit eccentric with his extensive collection of antiques (we ate breakfast from 15th century silver plates and he had pieces dating back to pre BC times!! easily more in his private collection than many small museums!!!), which also made him understatedly loaded. Had another house full of antiques in Tuscany, at least one other accomodation type business than what we stayed in, in Alghero, and a 60 foot yacht! Nice. So my conversation with him was discussing the merits of exercise for sore backs - in true italian style his comment was that making love was the best thing when he had a sore back, so had to concede that simply living with a sore back was probably not the best option. Why is it that as soon as I mention my occupation people mention their aches and pains?? I'm sure if i was a banker people wouldn't tell me about their banking packages! Anyway was an interesting chap to chat too and very hospitable, generous with information on local restaurants etc etc.

Ok. I was going to do a day by day run through the weekend, but that would be boring and so... last blog! So will go for the highlights option instead and let the pictures do the talking.

In order of coolness/quaintness and general interest...

1. Wife. It was definately a good call to buy Lingerie as a anniversary present. I'll leave it at

that. No I won't - she's damn fine company and so easy to travel with! knows me pretty well now too! And she still beats me at shopping - two tops, to my one jacket. Someone wise once said "You can never have too many jackets" Well done/Good Call that man!! (Jonny Boon).

1. Weather. Sun. Heat. Need I say more? After a few months of grey and cold, to be blinded by the sun was quite a welcome experience and reminds me i need to buy some more sunglasses (lost the last pair - but they were due for replacement anyway!)
2. Siesta's. Everything was closed from 1pm - 4pm or 4.30pm (except restaurants) which means that there is naught to do but lie in the sun. Careful though - even the public toilet attendants get a siesta - not good for someone like myself with a Warehouse bladder. Such is life.


3. Food. Mmm Seafood, vino, fishies, gelato, pizza, vino, fresh bread, gelato, fresh pasta, vino, gelato.


4. The Sea. I never used to consider myself a sea person, but living in the absence of it has convinced me that my love for salt water and the delicious morsels that live within is part and parcel of the fabric of being me. The fact that this sea had "Mediterranean" in front of it only added to the excitement.
5. Sunsets. Need I say more. There is perhaps nothing more relaxing, or romantic than watching the sun set. Actually there is. Watching the sun set over the sea. Moreso than that, watching it set over a glassy sea. Moreso than that? Watching it set over a glassy Mediterranean sea!




6. Neptune's cave. Millions of years worth of creation went into this sub-terranean wonderworld which was simply stunning - at one point we were told we had 180m of rock above our heads! Really well managed as far as such tourism sites go. The 650 odd steps down the cliff to it (carved into the cliff face in the 50's) made it doubly cool cos it meant a bit of exercise is added in there too! And loads of view points that look so good you could just jump in... pity they vary in height from a few metres to well over 100m! Would hurt just a tad me thinks?! A centimetre of Stalagtite takes 100 years to grow, with the stalagmites taking double that length of time... so the square ends you can see mean some idiots have taken home 'souveniers' that represent literally thousands of years of growth - probably to get smashed to pieces or forgotten in some corner of a garden! It's easy to use a bit of imagination and see a roman helmet in this conical stalagmite - over 5m tall which means it has been there a very very long time!




7. The Cat-a-lan Grotto. Well that was my name for where the local strays hung out on the edge of the sea wall. (Catalan because Alghero is a Catalan town which seems to mean a mix of Spanish and Italian influences...) Was fascinating to see - people obviously feed them, but there must have been 15-30ish cats in this little area, sunning themselves and doing their thing. (There's at least 8 in this photo that I could make out...) There was one that was always sat on the corner of the wall that was clearly the Sentinel - had a couple of mean looking scars on him too. Didn't watch them long enough to figure out which one was the alpha-pussy-cat! Fascinating though. NB. I'd avoid lying on the nearby beach myself!


8. Exercise on Holiday. Walking and walking and walking all day - except for the times when we were sitting and eating or lying in the sun! And thats what the locals do too - walk everywhere... hmm or take their scooters!


9. Walled cities. Great for walking on, posing by, walking around on the inside and outside. Keeping the sea breeze off you! Generally just pretty cool - like the castles in Wales! Old stuff is cool too - the old town was just beautiful - loads of character in it's narrow wee cobbled streets (some walking on it good for foot massage, lots is like too much massage - it makes you sore!!), and occasional Piazza's to let the sun in!






10. Italians. I'm sure it's just stating the obvious, but damn they are styley! (and I don't just say that clinging to my Italian heritage!) All of them are impeccably dressed - even the only bum we saw had a flash puffer jacket and cool pants! But young and old they have beautiful and classic clothes, jackets, sunglasses, scarves, boots, shoes, handbags etc. Though I continued to marvel at the ease with which you could spot tourists. All of us had t-shirts and singlets on, the locals had winter jackets on!! This chap was a delight - had this spinning top which he flung at me (Like a yo yo) except pulled back at the last minute and did his spinning top thing, which he then motioned for me to catch on camera... an exhibitionist extraordinnaire!


11. Boats. Kinda go with the sea-side town thing, but the marina was really cool! If i had money to buy a house, boat, business and car - i'd move there tomorrow. Hmm might have to learn a bit more Italian though. There's only so far that 'Grazie', 'Prego', 'Ciao'and 'Il Conte per favore' can get you...


12. Lunar Eclipses... I'd show you a photo of it, but it's just a black sky with a wee red moon in it. Looked cool though from Mario's balcony through his binoculars!

Lets be honest, there was other cool stuff too - some beautiful churches, loads of cool wee shops, the bus trip to Capo Caccia (where the caves are...) walking around in circles and circles looking for a place to have dinner.

An Awesome, awesome weekend... has got me scanning Ryan-air's website for more of the same!

Hope you're well, whatever you're up to!