My week in Sardinia -part 1
I recently spent a week in Alghero, North West of Sardinia. It was a bit of a random place to go - I booked it back in April when the weather was awful and wanted somewhere with pretty much guaranteed sun, a beach, good restaurants/food and all without the need of car. Not too much to ask then…but Alghero perfectly answered the brief.
It’s an absolutely gorgeous town - built around a fortified port with quite a strong Catalan influence which can be seen in the architecture (and apparently some aspects of the language, although my Italian is nowhere good enough to detect this).
My accommodation, the guest house La Terrazza sul Porto could not have been anymore perfectly situated, right on Piazza Civica, with its thriving cafes, bars and, most importantly one of the best gelato shops in town - and amazing views. Every morning, having my espresso, this was my view.
The tiny narrow streets were full of shops, hole in the wall cafes, bars and restaurants, so was happy to wander through and explore.
Which became eerily quiet at night - this photo was taken about a minute before the heavens opened and the most spectacular electric storm kicked off (which would explain the deserted streets - only an idiot tourist would be outside).
One of the more overcast days I hired a bike, planning to do a 20km trip around to the next bay, the plan being to have lunch, lie on the beach and head back. Except when I got there I couldn’t find anywhere for lunch so I thought I’d cycle to the next town. Which turned out to be another 20km away. Still, when I found somewhere with cold beer, the pain was well worth it. Perfect. The water was so clear and all shades of blue.
Except of course I had to cycle back.
Still, the views were good and when I arrived back in Alghero, that beautiful dusk light was settling in, and everything just glowed - the ‘magic hour’.
The locals come out for a wander around, have a gelato, sit and chat. I could definitely get used to the lifestyle.
On the other side of the wall, there were a number of bars, with spectacular views of the sunset. One had particularly good mojitos, which explains the rather rubbish photos which really don’t capture how stunning it was. And how quickly the sun went down.
The land at the far left of the photo in the distance is where I cycled to. VERY FAR AWAY.
You can see in the foreground a rather large catapult. These were dotted along the walls surrounding the city, proving it really was a strategic stronghold at one point. And quite terrifying.
One evening when I was heading out for dinner I came across this procession in to the church. The singing was quite spooky and moving.
Not sure what it was about but had to get this photo of the priest in his white robes and jeans with Converse trainers.
And the obligatory shot of tourist tat I got talked in to buying.
The food deserves a post all in its own - to follow.
