An Island in the Mediterranean

When I told people I was going to Sardinia for my 50th birthday, most people asked about its location. Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean off the west coast of Italy, south of the French island of Corsica. Although technically part of Italy, it is an autonomous region. Sardinia has its own official language, Sardinian, alongside Italian and several dialects across the island. It is an island that is very popular but still visited more by Europeans than Americans.

I had lived in Perugia, Italy in the late 2000s and needed some travel motivation to brush off my rusty Italian language skills. I have traveled throughout much of Italy but wanted to explore a new part of Italy. I also hoped to ease my boyfriend into Italian life for his first visit. I wanted him to understand the pre-Instagram Italia that I knew 20+ years ago so we chose the more rugged, laid-back Sardinia to visit instead of the more urban cities of Florence, Rome or Naples.

At first I debated between visiting Sardinia and Sicily, two Italian islands that I have never visited. But two vastly different islands! After watching the Blue Zones documentary on Netflix , I was intrigued by Sardinia’s cultural impact on health and longevity. I was also influenced by my wonderful aromatherapy mentor, Tiffany Carole, who now lives in Sardinia part time.  After a while, all signs pointed to Sardinia and then began the planning!

Studying Italian

I dutifully studied Italian for months leading up to our trip in October using the Busuu app. I tried Duo Lingo briefly but I could tell the accents weren’t authentic and used AI versus native speakers. You can really hear the real accents of Italian speakers in Busuu. It definitely didn’t  prepare me for the Sardinian language and dialects but it gave more confidence in basic Italian which helps a lot! Most of the people that we had contact with spoke English but it definitely helped knowing some basic phrases.

We chose to go in the Fall because of my birthday (I am a Libra!) and it’s off season! Summer is peak season and I had heard repeatedly about the overcrowded beaches in July and August. I definitely wanted to skip all of that! Thankfully, Sardinia is focused on protecting the beaches by limiting the number of people who can visit each day to try to prevent erosion. It is illegal to take sand from their beaches – this is the number one rule about Sardinia. It forms the basis of beach ettiquette which we will talk about later.

Renting a car

I highly recommend renting a car unless you want to just fly into Alghero or Cágliari and plan to stay in that area the whole time. There are beaches near Cágliari that you can reach with public transportation but you can explore much more with a car. But seeing the beaches near Cala Gonone would have been impossible without a car. In order to drive in Sardinia, you’ll need to get an International Driving Permit (IDP). If you are in the US, you just go to this AAA website for $20 but you can’t plan too far in advance as they can’t be issued more than 6 months in advanced of the desired effective dates.

We had a great experience renting our car from Discover Cars from Moventur. It was a small electric vehicle which was perfect for those windy roads in southeastern Sardinia. We only had to fill up once the whole trip (and actually, it was only half a tank of gas which was quite a savings given those Euro petrol prices! 🤪). The pick up and drop off at the Olbia airport was easy. There was European family in front of us that was upset about getting a smaller car than they reserved but I think that’s a problem all over the world with rental cars. If you want to know more details about renting a car in Sardinia, I highly recommend this blog post.

Choosing an itinerary

When you first see a map of Sardinia, it is tempting to think you can see it all by driving around the entire island. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this approach. It is a small island but the roads are not that well developed through the interior and the roads along the coast are super windy two-lane roads. My suggestion is to choose an area either based on where you want to fly into or your top reason or experience that you want for your vacation.

For me, I wanted to see those beautiful beaches, get in some hiking, and some snorkeling (for me) and scuba diving (for my boyfriend). I really wanted to see the Italian city life of Cágliari or Alghero but ultimately, I went with plane ticket prices and access to confirm our itinerary.

I found a great price on a plane ticket from Austin to Munich and then the flights from Munich to Sardinia were all to Olbia. Flying into Cágliari from London was an option as well as from Zurich. But when I realized we were traveling during Oktoberfest, I immediately knew we had to go to Munich and cross off a bucket list item I didn’t even know I had! Click here to find out more about our Oktoberfest experience in Munich 🍻

The three biggest towns with airport access in Sardinia are:

1. Cágliari – this city is the capital of Sardinia and located in the south of Sardinia. It is the largest city in Sardinia with 150,000 inhabitants in the city proper as well as 500,000 people living in the metropolitan area.
2. Alghero – this city is in the northwest part of the island and retains much of its Catalan character from Spanish colonization that it is nicknamed to tourists as “little Barcelona”.
3. Olbia – this city is on the northeast side of the island and is close to the ritziest part of the coast “La Costa Smeralda”, the emerald coast. The resort town of Porto Cervo is where you can see the yacht marina if that’s your cup of Champagne.

Our Itinerary

Day 1: Olbia to San Teodoro

We arrived into Olbia airport on Friday afternoon in late September from Munich (I’m skipping the Germany part of the trip but you can read about it here). After renting our car, we made our way to Residence Baia Salinedda in San Teodoro. The diving shop Blu Infinito Diving recommended it because it’s super close to the dive shop. It was a great location with great view of the water and a nice beach super close. But it is definitely in need of renovations, updates, and a new fridge. Read the google reviews on this place before you stay there to avoid any disappointment. The website shows a much newer, cleaner place. The restaurant and pool were closed when we were there as well so we had to stock up on coffee and essentials.

 

I was ready for a chill pizzeria for our first evening in Italy so we drove over near Punta Est to see the view of Capo Coda Cavallo and watch the sunset at Blue Bar San Teodoro. There is a nicer restaurant right next door but they have the same views so we settled for the laid back bar atmosphere for our dinner that evening and it was perfect.

 

Day 2: San Teodoro

We met at the dive shop around 9am (I love Italian time – no meeting at 7am here!) Unfortunately, the weather was windy and not ideal for snorkeling. We couldn’t postpone the diving and snorkeling for another day because we were continuing south to Dorgali and Cala Gonone for the next few days.  I opted to lounge on the beach at Cala Suaraccia (also called the Butterfly Beach, Spiaggia Le Farfalle) since it was so choppy on the water. My boyfriend decided to go ahead and dive in the Tavolara and Molara Marine Park in spite of the weather which turned out to be a mistake. The visibility was low, the water was very cold and waves were rough. He wore two wet suits and some of the locals wore their dry suit. This area is supposed to be a beautiful place to dive but not for us today.

I enjoyed the porch tv on the beach. Locals turning their bodies to face directly towards the sun to sunbathe while tourists, like me, faced the water. I had my first local Sardinian beer called Ichnusa at the beach club while I waited for my boyfriend to return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later in the afternoon, we drove into San Teodoro to see the pink flamingos that hang out at the lagoon located behind La Cinta Beach. La Cinta beach is a free public beach with white sand that spans 5km.  Tavolara Island is in the distance with shallow, clear water. We arrived later in the afternoon on our way to dinner just to see the beach & take some pictures. It was perfect timing because loads of people were leaving after spending the day there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t have the best zoom on my camera to be able to catch the flamingos very well but they were still super cool to see!

San Teodoro

We drove into San Teodoro to explore the town. Parking was easy –  there is a public parking lot right as you enter the town. As we walked to the center (“il centro”), we walked passed a few restaurants, grocery stores, and gift shops. It was a good introduction to local items and where I first heard about mirto – the digestive of Sardinia.

It was an easy stroll into the city center where they were setting up for a concert. We found a sunny patio to get an aperitivo and listen to the music. As the sun was setting, the wind picked up and we recognized the Fall weather. People were in puffy jackets already in town and even though we knew September would be chilly, I had only a light sweater with me and my boyfriend didn’t bring a jacket at all. So when the sun started to dip, we made a move to find some dinner indoors.

We found a wonderful pizzeria called Il Diamante Pizza just minutes away from the center. The reviews were good but as we approached the packed pizzeria, all I saw were tourists. I always like to try to find a more local place to eat but we were hungry and the pizza did look good. It was delicious – the best pizza of the trip. Classic Napoletana pizza with the airy, light, and chewy crust. I asked for mirto after dinner but they didn’t have any so I was on a mission to try it!

Reminder about getting the check in Italy: Italians love to linger at dinner. There is no rushing or moving people out quickly to turn tables. Servers make a decent salary so they aren’t trying to get tips on tips on tips. When you want to check out, just go to the cashier and pay on your way out. If you ask for the check (“il conto per favore”), they will generally respond – “Potete pagare alla cassa” – you can pay at the cashier.  Cassa is a good word to know for the word cashier. It isn’t common to tip in Sardinia. We still did – it’s a hard custom to stop as Americans – but most of them were confused when we did but also grateful.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at the grocery store for some supplies for the week. We got some of the campari and soda in the cute, small bottles as and some Sardinian beer as well as coffee, breakfast biscuits, granola, etc.

Day 3: San Teodoro to Dorgali

Unfortunately, by morning, my boyfriend wasn’t feeling great. The super cold and windy day on and in the water combined with being in San Teodoro without a jacket led to the classic TCM diagnosis of Wind Invasion. He was definitely sick – stuffy nose, cough, etc. Of course I tried to pump him full of the herbs but I mostly brought immunity herbs which don’t do much AFTER you get sick. We had to check out of the hotel that day and make our way to Dorgali where we were going to spend the next 2 nights.

On the way to Dorgali, we planned to stop at the beautiful beach known as “Little Tahiti” called Cala Brandinchi.

Cala Brandinchi / Brandinchi Cove

Cala Brandinchi is one of the beaches that has become very protected by limiting the number of people who can visit the beach per day. A reservation is required – you can reserve your spot 48 hours in advance here. You can use this website to reserve a spot for Cala Brandinchi and Spiaggia Lu Impostu. When we were there in September, we had to log in after 6pm two days before we wanted to visit. I think it changes based on the season so be sure to read up about when to book your spot before you go.  Before you can book, you must agree to adhere to the rules before making the reservation. Remember, it is illegal to take sand from any beach in Sardinia. There has been so much erosion from tourists taking sand that they had to make it a law!

We arrived at the beach around 10am to a mostly empty parking lot. There is a little footpath that passes a café with outdoor seating on the way to the entrance booth. Be sure to have a screenshot or the email with your reservation to show at the entrance. The beach wasn’t crowded when we arrived so we had our pick of places to lay out our towels.

 

 

NOTE about Beach Rules in Sardinia: I had read that we weren’t allowed to have towels at certain beaches (La Pelosa Beach in NE Sardinia) because sand sticks to the towels. There are so many tourists that all that sand leaving on the towels causes erosion of the beaches. Just thinking about that shows you how popular some of these beaches are! And as I mentioned earlier, it is illegal to take sand from any Sardinia beach. At the famous La Pelosa beach in NW Sardinia, they do not allow you to even bring a towel to the beach! You are only allowed beach mats to reduce erosion. Even though towels were allowed at the beaches that we visited, we used beach mats anyway to help prevent erosion.  We also used quick drying towels since we were traveling quickly between beaches and cities.

Monte Tuttavista and Sa Preta Istampata

As we headed down to Dorgali along the eastern coast, I wanted to stop off at Sa Preta Istampata. It is a massive rock which over the centuries has carved out a 20 meter circular hole or “window” by the wind. When I saw the pictures on google, I decided we had to go but I had no idea it would be such an adventure finding it!

Galtellì

I had read all the reviews about not using Google in Sardinia and especially to get to Sa Preta Istampata. Apparently, Google always wants to take you through Orosei to an unpaved road by a quarry that requires a 4×4.  So, we took everyone’s advice and went through Galtellì. It started out ok as the quintessential, hilly Italian town. But as we continued to follow Google’s directions, we kept winding up and up and up through narrower streets of the town. We both were beginning to panic at the thought of another car coming towards us and having no way to turn around.

As we passed through Galtellì, the road remained narrow and steep. The views were incredible of the valley around us but without guard rails, it was getting stressful. I asked myself, “Is this how I want to die?”. My boyfriend continued to drive up and up and up – I mean, we couldn’t really turn around at this point anymore. There was no room for a 3 point turn and I did not want to reverse down the mountain. I kept trying to breathe but I envisioned the headlines – Dumb Tourists Used Google in Sardinia. The road finally stopped climbing and we reached a dirt parking lot with a sign about Sa Preta Istampata and the Bronze Jesus without running into another car. We had arrived!

We saw loads of cyclists heading up the road. As we were getting out of the car, we realized we had no idea what we were getting into with this hike. My boyfriend’s cough was getting worse. I really wanted to make our stressful drive worth it by seeing the view but we decided to forfeit the climb to Sa Preta Instampata and head on to Dorgali. I knew we would be passing back through here on our way back to Olbia so we’d decided to try again another day.

As we exited the parking lot, we noticed that to the left (the opposite direction from Galtellì), the road was paved and wide. I found it on Google maps and we decided to try it out. It was such an easy drive! It was a 2 lane road with no hairbin turns and no need for guard rails. We passed by the quarry as it dropped us off right at highway SS125. It took us a while to figure out that the road that everyone on Google reviews told us not to take has been paved!!! 🙌🏼

Our second attempt at Sa Preta Istampata would be much easier because we found the paved road access!! Now, onward to Dorgalì.

Note about Google Maps in Sardinia: I heard so many stories that we weren’t supposed to trust Google maps. I bought an old school Sardinia road map for the occasion but it still lacked the smaller roads. Google was actually much better than the map for at least seeing and knowing the smaller roads. It’s true you don’t always know the quality of the roads with Google though. If you are planning to go to more obscure beaches or trekking in the mountains, don’t just rely on Google or GPS.  If you use Google, also use your common sense. Read the road signs (they have added more road signs for tourists!) and obviously, if you come to an impassible road, turn around!

Dorgali

We arrived in Dorgali with a rude entrance back into urban life – traffic, noise, and parking. And then oddly, a kid asking me in Italian if I had seen his donkey – to which I thought he was messing with me until we saw some donkey poop on our way to the hotel 😅

Parking

There were no designated parking area for the hotel so it took us a while to find a parking place. I encouraged my boyfriend to “Park like an Italian!” which means, park anywhere, in any direction, in any possible place. Parking in Italy is such good entertainment and Sardinian parking did not disappoint. We found out later that there was a public parking lot down the street from the hotel but our city parking spot was actually closer.

 

 

Our parking spot was a bit creative on this incline- probably not where I would have parked in the United States but in Italy, it was fair game 😆

After we unloaded the car, I went back to the car to get something else and noticed that someone else thought we had a great parking spot indeed!

 

The B&B Palazzo Cerchi

We were staying at the lovely 5 star reviewed hotel called Palazzo Cerchi. It is located in the historic center of Dorgali in an historic building from 1894. It has undergone restoration to create this beautiful Bed and Breakfast (an amazing breakfast!). 

The terrace, though, is what got me to book. I envisioned myself sitting on this terrace with an aperitivo taking in the view of the surrounding mountains at sunset. I booked it immediately for two nights after seeing the amazing reviews. It is also fairly close by car to the seaside village of Cala Gonone, which is the home base for visiting the most beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Orosei. Staying in Cala Gonone is a great option for most people with easy access to the beaches. But I was longing to experience a bit more of the Sardinian life with the locals. And indeed we did!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as we got settled into our room, my boyfriend took a nap. I walked to the grocery store to buy some snacks for dinner – I love a foreign grocery store. And especially an Italian one that has an entire section dedicated to part of a Bialetti.

When I got back to our room with the goods, my boyfriend didn’t have much of an appetite so I sat in the hotel room, drinking my Sardinia wine (the famous Cannonau red wine from the region) eating my Italian snacks of bread, olives, proscuitto, and cheese while he tried to sleep….all while listening to the accordion music outside the window and wondering if my boyfriend would feel better for the boat ride in the morning.

The Church Festivities

I am still not sure what kind of holiday or event was happening at the church that evening but let’s just say, Italians know how to party. The music and festivities were really ramping up. There was loud accordion music blasting (like it was in our room) until after midnight. Maybe it wouldn’t have been too bad if my boyfriend wasn’t super sick by this point and trying to sleep.

After listening to my boyfriend cough and cough, I decided to reach out to the host of the B & B via What’s App to see if by chance she had any cough medication. I knew that there were no pharmacies opened in this small town on a Sunday but also knew he really needed something to expedite his recovery and help him sleep.

The Herbalist

Maria (the owner of the B&B) asked me to come downstairs and provided some herbal tea for my boyfriend as well as told me about her herbalist friend who had an exhibit there today. In fact, when we arrived, I noticed lavender and herbs in the lobby of the hotel. Apparently, her friend makes essential oils and some other herbal lotions and potions. Maria introduced me to her as they discussed in Italian what symptoms my boyfriend was having.

When Maria was struggling to explain to me what her friend said in Italian, my rusty Italian started coming out. I was able to tell her that even though I couldn’t speak very well in Italian, I could understand it really well. After I took some rosemary oil in some hot water for him to inhale to help with his breathing, I returned downstairs to ask if I could buy some. The herbalist and I proceeded to carry on a conversation in Italian about herbs and the rosemary and Maria returned to ask, “why are you speaking to her in Italian, she is American?!” to which the herbalist replied, “She understands Italian!”.

Even though my jetlagged brain wasn’t helping my rusty language skills, I smiled as I walked away with my rosemary oil. Grateful to find an herbalist in my hotel room in a small Italian town to help bring some relief to my boyfriend and to be able to use my Italian language again so quickly.

Day 4: Dorgali to Cala Gonone….or not.

We were supposed to do a Boat Tour in Cala Gonone through Get Your Guide first thing in the morning. I had received a message from them through What’s App to confirm our excursion. I was able to message them to tell them my boyfriend was sick and to ask if we could get on the excursion for the next day. They were very generous and easily moved our reservation to the following day. I hoped he would be good enough to go!

The Pharmacy

In the meantime, I woke up early to walk to the pharmacy as soon as it opened. I was feeling that delightful mix of excitement and nervousness that I get when traveling internationally. It pushes me out of my comfort zone in a way that feels exciting rather than dread. I arrived at the farmacia and a lovely woman helped me right the right medications for my boyfriend. I had practiced some of my Italian, looking up some words, but ultimately, I got my message across and she sold me a day time formula for his cough and a nighttime formula for his cough. I thanked her profusely and returned to the room to give him his medication. God bless OTC meds! I was really hoping that if he slept all day and took his medicine that we’d be able to go on the boat excursion the next day.

Exploring Dorgali

I enjoyed my day exploring Dorgali, wandering through the city on my own, getting lost in the narrow windy roads. I reflected on my 20 something self that picked up and moved away to an Italian city to live without knowing the language, the culture, or anyone. I imagined what it would be like to pick up my life again and life in a city like this.

I passed by a cafè and considered a coffee but saw all the old men in there staring at me and I was reminded of the strong machismo energy of Italian men. I wasn’t scared, I just knew I wasn’t really prepared to endure that part of the culture just yet. I continued to meander through the city taking pictures.

 

 

 

I made my way to edge of town where I had a great view of the surrounding mountains. I went to a park that had a statue of Jesus at the top with a view of Dorgali. The statue was nothing compared to the impressive copper one we would later see later near Sa Preta Istampata. But it did give me another view of the city where I also saw our B&B terrace next to the church!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corte Barisone

 

I made my way back to the B&B to check on my boyfriend and thankfully he was feeling better! We enjoyed an aperitivo on the terrance that evening watching the swarms of Sardinian warblers catch their dinner. We then headed to a restaurant, Corte Barisone, that our host, Maria, recommended. It was super easy to make a reservation through What’s App – we scheduled for 8pm – an early dinner by Italian standards!

 

 

Corte Barisone serves a fixed menu of very typical Sardinian food (perhaps not the best place for a vegetarian). We enjoyed many typical Sardinian foods like culurgiones (similar to ravioli), pane carasau (a thin, crispy flatbread), and porceddu (roasted pork) as well as their house Cannonau red wine. It was exceptional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roasted pork was divine – succulent with super crunchy, crispy pork skin. This really is what pork should taste like – sorry, vegetarians & vegans!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5: Cala Gonone & Boat Tour in the Gulf of Orosei

Cala Luna

Today was one of the days that I most looking forward to on this entire trip! I couldn’t wait to see the crystal-clear turquoise waters with the epic white sand beaches. As I mentioned, we made a reservation through Get Your Guide. The reviews of the dinghy excursion to Cala Mariolu and Cala Goloritzè were amazing. I loved the idea of being in a smaller boat with less people. It’s such a touristy area and I just couldn’t imagine getting onto a beach with 100 other people at the same time.

We received a What’s App message from Blue and Green Best who was organizing the boat tour the previous day. They told us where and when to meet. Even with the exact coordinates, we had some trouble finding the correct spot at the pier. And even though people tried to help us find them, it was still difficult. So, definitely get there early! I was able to message them when we were at the dock and she was able to find us. There were a few other people trying to locate the group as well.

Finally, we all arrived and met the Captain – a sweet, older Italian fisherman. He was our tour guide through the day, speaking Italian and Spanish and a bit of English. We were the only English speakers. The other 6 people were Spanish speakers so the majority of the tour was in Spanish with Italian mixed in. Thankfully, I had been also studying Spanish for my trip to Mexico City the month prior.

We arrived at the first beach, Cala Luna, before the hoards of tourists arrived. The Captain dropped us off and told us to meet back at the dock in an hour. It was still chilly in the morning and again, the water was pretty cold to us as Texans, but we wondered along the beach to get to the IG famous caves. It was very rocky along the beach. We watched lots of people take their picture in the cave but of course that’s not my style so I just captured what was happening naturally in the cave. I was surprised at how big and far back the cave went!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cala Mariolu

Next, we headed down the coast soaking in the gorgeous views of the massive cliffs and the vast spectrum of blue and green colors. We arrived at Cala Mariolu where the crowds were growing. We didn’t explore as much at this beach, the beach was very rocky, big rocks instead of sand. Definitely bring your water shoes for this beach! And snorkel gear! It was nice to just walk into the water and snorkel. I just used my mask and didn’t bother wearing the fins. It’s not super full of sea life like in other tropical waters where there are coral but it’s still fun to see what lives underneath and with such good visibility, it’s hard to resist.

We stayed here for about an hour as well. Then met our Captain and boat at a designated pick up and drop off spot on the beach.

Cala Goloritzé

We just passed by Cala Goloritzé without stopping at the beach. The dramatic rock formation in the distance to the left in the photo is a famous rock climbing rock.  There were actually climbers on the rock as we rode by but you can’t really see the person in my picture.

 

 

We anchored at a place nearby to swim and snorkel. The sun was warming up so I was able to pop into the water and swim for a bit but it was still chilly waters for us tropical lovers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped off at a beautiful cove where the local fisherman anchor to have lunch, protected from the wind. Almost everyone jumped in the water to snorkel but we were just too cold. The Europeans were doing well with the cooler temps but to us Texans (and my still sick boyfriend), it just wasn’t hot enough outside to warm up after being in the cool water.

Our Captain busted out some local red wine and some biscotti for us before heading back to Cala Gonone. He offered refills on the wine and the cookies because he didn’t want to any leftovers!

On the way back, we passed by the Grotta del Fico but didn’t enter. There are other boat tours that will stop off there if you are interested. We had also heard the Grotta del Bue Marino  (the Sea Oxen Cave) was super cool too. There’s a lot to do in this area so you just have to see what interests you the most!

After being on the water all day, I was also looking forward to eating some real food. We made it back to shore and found a very busy, touristy place to eat right off the parking lot of the pier. We shared some proscuitto and melon and some culurgiones before driving south to Arbatax.

Cala Gonone to Arbatax

The drive from Cala Gonone to Arbatax took about an hour and a half, not because it was far away but because it was such a windy road! We were soon being passed by motocyclists zipping along our route. Most were safely motoring but there were a few that were definitely there for some adrenaline rushes.

When we arrived at our airbnb in Arbatax, there was a hotel nearby with a bunch of Germans with their motorcycles. We realized there must have been some motocycle convention or just a bunch of motocyclists from Germany that enjoy the super windy roads of southeastern Sardinia.

After we got settled into the airbnb (it was gorgeous!), we walked to a restaurant with good reviews called Ristorante Pizzeria Acqulina but they told us it was a 2 hour wait without a reservation. It was already 8pm so we decided to check out another pizzeria down the street called Ristorante Pizzeria La Baia.  They had a huge patio and tables for miles that were packed full of German speaking motorcyclists. Arbatax was definitely a popular spot amongst the motocyclist! People were chatting with each other across tables but since we didn’t speak German, we just enjoyed some people watching.

After we ate our pizza, I asked for some mirto – partly for general interest in bitters and partly to help me digest the pizza I had just inhaled. As all the German moto fans left, we were left there just waiting for the mirto to arrive. Time was passing and no one was even coming out to the patios anymore. I was just about to give up and go inside to pay our bill (remember you don’t wait for the check, you just go inside to the cashier to pay) when a server arrived with the digestive and said it was “sulla casa” (on the house). So, I guess they did realize that it was taking forever. But it was worth the wait for my first taste of mirto– slightly sweet but not cloying.  Perhaps more like a good strong port than a anise style bitters.

We walked back to our airbnb and enjoyed the amazing balcony with the swings for a final nightcap and end to a wonderful day.

Day 7: Arbatax to Olbia

Arbatax

We wanted to explore Arbatax a bit before we headed back to Olbia.  We strolled along the Porto Frailis beach near our airbnb and continued walking up the hilly street of Via S. Gemiliano along the coast. It was only about a 10-15 minute walk but you could also drive. There is a big free parking lot at the top.

We walked around the area to look at the views of the water all around and then headed over to the tower, Torre di San Gemiliano that we had been seeing from our airbnb balcony. The tower gave us some great views of the area and coast after climbing up straight up on 10 metal stairs.

 

 

 

 

Baunei

We decided to drive a different route north than how we drove to Arbatax so we could go through Baunei. It was only a 30 minute or so drive but as soon as we entered Baunei, we saw what a touristy town it was…and beautiful.  I was mesmerized by this little town nestled into the side of the cliff. We stopped for a coffee (when in Italy!!) at a super cute café called Garage and took in the view.

 

 

 

 

They spoke English really well there and were definitely used to tourists. Meanwhile, 400 ft down the road where we parked, there was the local Italian café where they watched the “stranieri” (foreigners) get their strange coffee. Baunei was definitely a departure from Dorgali’s lack of tourism. The view from the patio where we sipped our cofee was amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We tried to stop at a brewery called Birrifico D’Ogliastra  in Baunei that I had been following on Instagram for a while in preparation for our trip. Unfortunately, they were closed when we stopped by. It was right next to a soccer field with a view. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back on the road and it wasn’t long after my delicious espresso that my heart and body were reminding me of my intolerance to caffeine. I needed some lunch.

Lunch at Sa Domu e S’Orcu

As we journeyed into the cliffs surrounding the Gorropeddu canyon, we saw tons of adventure tour groups. Sardinia is definitely the place for adventure junkies of all kinds. There weren’t a ton of restaurants along the main SS 125 road but thankfully, we found a lovely, local restaurant called Sa Domu e S’Orcu – Ristorante il Gufo. It is about 35 minutes from Baunei and about 25 minutes to Dorgali so it was a perfect midway stop.

We didn’t want to have a huge meal so we decided to share plates of the local pastas: culurgiones di Urzulei ai funghi porcini (culurgiones of Urzulei; typical Sardinian ravioli filled with porcini mushrooms)  and gnocchi della casa (homemade gnocchi with sausage sauce and ricotta cheese). It was the perfect amount of food to settle my caffeinated body and mind and provide nourishment for our revisit to Sa Preta Istampata.

Sa Preta Istampata

We continued north through Dorgali on SS 125 until we found the turn off to Sa Preta Istampata near marble furniture places like Blue for Marble and Petra Eden. We avoiding the way through Galtellí this time and just took the road that, according to many bloggers, was no paved. We had no trouble with this route and found it so much easier than through Galtellí. It was much wider and paved and direct. So definitely go this route (unless you really want the adventure of the other way!). 

We were still planning to hike up to the arch until we saw an older man with his three Brittany dogs at the entrance.  We said hello to him in Italian while we were changing into our hiking boots. He asked us what we were doing. I explained that we were going to hike up to see Sa Preta Istampata. He immediately said, “No, don’t do that. Take the car”. I laughed and he said it again. “Take the car” in the simple, matter of fact, Italian way.

We were nervous about taking the car up there with super windy, narrow roads but he said the turns weren’t too bad even though there were a lot of them. It’s only a 10 minute walk to get to the arch after you park. Then, he told us to get back in the car and continue up the windy road until you get to a really large carpark. From the large parking lot at the top of the hill, it’ll take another 10 minute hike to the statue of the Bronze Jesus. From here, you can see the water on one side and the mountains on the other. It’s a beautiful view. He also said, “When you get to the bronze Jesus, say a little prayer” and genuflected while shrugging to show his respect as a non- practicing Catholic.

He was a delightful man. He told us he found his dogs after they were abandoned by local farmers when they discovered they weren’t good hunters. In that area, if the dogs aren’t good hunters, they will be left behind. It was a good reminder of the history of the region. That although it was a beautiful country, it was a harsh, isolated place in which to survive.

We thanked the man for his advice and returned to our car. We journeyed up the windy roads and thankfully didn’t run into any other cars coming down the one-lane road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Bronze Jesus

We drove up further towards the Bronze Jesus and indeed there was a huge, flat parking lot as the man has said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located on the peak of Monte Tuttavista is a bronze statue of the Christ that is a reproduction of the Cristo Ligneo. It towers over the entire valley and the village of Galtellì. The views from the statue of Christ and the peak are incredible, and spans all the way to the the Gulf of Orosei.

 

 

 

 

I felt victorious as we approached the Bronze Jesus!  We actually made it here after our initial failed attempt. I said a prayer thanking God for meeting that wonderful man who guided us here (and also saved us a boring 3 hour hike).

 

 

 

Orosei

Hotel Bidderosa

We got back in the car and headed to our final hotel on our Sardinian journey near Orosei. We arrived at Hotel Bidderosa to a completely empty hotel. There were some people cleaning up in the restaurant area but the doors were locked. We parked and found an open door and eventually found someone to help. It was a strange greeting for a hotel.

Someone managed to get us checked in and told us the restaurant was closed during our stay because they had just had a big event. But it was deserted. We only saw one other lone traveler once. It was a decent hotel but the eerie, empty vibe was a bit disconcerting.

We unpacked, got settled, and then showered for our last dinner in Sardinia. I wanted to find a grocery store to get some local gifts. Because we were techincally outside of Orosei, things closed early and we barely made it in the grocery store. I was happily roaming the aisles of the grocery store (my happy place!), when the big front doors closed! We hurried to check out so that we didn’t keep them waiting.

We bought local honey, local torrone, and pasta typical for the region. I looked at the Mirto but didn’t buy any because I wasn’t sure it would fit in my suitcase. I regretted not buying some as soon as I got home. Mirto is nowhere to be found in Austin, nor Sardinian torrone, which I proceeded to eat it all after I got home instead of gifting it to my dad like I planned. Oops.

Last Dinner in Sardinia

We found a pizzeria near by for our last meal. We definitely ate a lot of pizza on this trip but  I needed to get my fill of proper pizza! I also got some mirto at the end of the meal and some tiramisu to go. The server had to clarify that I wanted the mirto “for here” but the dessert “to go”. We were too full to eat the tiramisu but hadn’t yet had it on our trip and we thought it would make a great breakfast before our flight back to Germany the following morning. And it definitely was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, Sardinia was an amazing place. Rustic and rugged mountains with the beautiful, clear sea. It was all that I wanted it to be.

 

The earthquake

Our field trip to Mount QingCheng, one of the most famous Taoist mountains in China, was slated for the morning of April 20th at 8am.  Gathering a group of 20+ students in China always proved to be an interesting endeavor. On this particular Saturday, many of us were late leaving the hotel.  The speed walking turned into a jog as we ran through the streets trying to reach the bus on time. When we arrived at the bus, everyone was a buzz, asking if we had felt the earthquake.  Oddly enough, as sensitive as I claim to be, I hadn’t felt a thing. The experienced Californians in the group calmly guided everyone in the middle of the street during the shaking. Thankfully, it wasn’t a huge earthquake for Chengdu but it did trigger some memories of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan which caused almost 70, 000 deaths.

The pandas

We rerouted the field trip to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding since Mount QingCheng was affected in the last earthquake. We tried to carry on, thankful that everyone was ok and praying that others in the area were safe.

The pandas distracted us from the earthquake except for the helicopters flying overhead.  They were cuter in person than I could have imagined! Although I confess I had thoughts of dipping them into a bit of Clorox to whiten their dirty white fur.

 

 

Seeing the pandas was a delight but contemplating their destiny was rather depressing. They cannot tolerate the heat very well so they often spend times inside with air conditioning. The constant crowds of tourists yelling “How cute!!” around these solitary creatures seemed counterproductive to their well-being.

 

Thankfully, the rose garden near the exit was uplifting and oxygenating. We had been in the city for only a week but I was in desperate need of nature and greenery. The rose garden was one of the most exquisite I have ever seen.  I wanted to say there.  I returned to the hotel with the rest of my classmates with a few rose petals in my pocket.

We visited People’s Park in Chengdu soon after our arrival. It was a Saturday and it was packed. As we continued through the park, we heard something that could only be described as a Battle of the Bands….different types of music pumping loudly through questionable speakers. Then, I had a visual….and realized it wasn’t just a Battle of the Bands…it was a Dance Off at the Battle of the Bands! I hope this video conveys the auditory and visual delight of being in People’s Park, watching music of all genres move people of all ages….simultaneously.

We walked circles around the University hospital and University campus from the day we arrived in Chengdu.

On our first day, we geeked out in a Chinese pharmacy, confusing the herbalist behind the counter as we eagerly quizzed ourselves by trying to identify all the raw herbs we saw rather than trying to place an order.

We made our way through campus and found a music store which became home to several of the musicians in our group.

Oh, I cannot count how many pipas and erhus made their way back to Austin, TX!

On our walk, we saw some Chinese people in line which led to some yummy, spicy Sichuan french fries which reminded us that we were indeed in Sichuan country, home of the Sichuan pepper, huājiāo, and unfortunately the land of MSG.

Next, we spotted a tuina (Chinese massage) studio that became our favorite place for a massage.  One day, Melsa and I spent our lunch hour getting a foot massage for $6. Heaven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The short cut through the uni to avoid traffic led us to the statue of Zhang Zhongjjing, the Father of  Chinese Herbal Formulas, at the hospital where we gathered every morning before our hospital rounds.

Then, the neon KTV and Happy Days sign always meant we were almost to the hotel.

Ahhhh.  Chengdu.  Home sweet home.

 

 

After our sightseeing days in Beijing, we flew to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China.  Chengdu would be our home base for the next 4 weeks while studying at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is known for being a manageable Chinese city because of its compact size with only 12 million inhabitants.  After we checked into our room at the Haoge Business Hotel, I looked out our window and was awed by the traffic at the intersection below. I opened the window and suddenly, the chaotic movements of the pedestrians, cars, motorbikes, and buses combined with the horns and the jack hammer drove me into sensory overload.  In that moment, I realized I was experiencing my first bout of culture shock, doubting my ability to live for the next month with that kind of assault to my senses on a daily basis.  Over the next few weeks, however, watching the traffic from that intersection became a gauge of cultural immersion. I started to discover some order to the madness.  But trusting in the controlled chaos as a pedestrian proved to be harder than viewing it from above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80WrpHOQXZM&feature=youtu.be

It only took about 2 days in Beijing before I realized I couldn’t capture the essence of China with my still camera. Luckily, I couldn’t find a way to capture the smells but thankfully, you get to experience some of the sights and sounds.  My first video inspiration from watching tai chi with rackets in the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing:

 

As a sensitive and visual person, I remember watching footage of the students and tanks in Tiananmen Square when I was in high school. I couldn’t even begin to understand the nuances of the political situation from my vantage point as an American high school student from the suburbs in northwest Houston. But I never forgot those images.

Even today, after spending 5 years studying Chinese medicine and 6 weeks in China, my understanding of that time is so limited.  But there I was, standing in Tiananmen Square, reflecting on courageous, bold students everywhere who still believe in changing the world.

 

I arrived in Beijing, China on April 8th after a long but (thankfully) uneventful flight with ~17 other classmates from AOMA and our fearless leader, Dr. Shen (I’ll tell ya the gangsta monkey story later!).

I brought a book about train travels in China called Riding the Iron Rooster by one of my favorite travel writers, Paul Theroux. The book traveled with me everywhere but somehow I managed to read only a few chapters on the flight to Beijing and a few more chapters about Tibet on the flight to Lhasa. The other day, oddly, I found it in the glove box of my car (?!), perhaps waiting for my next flight.

At the Beijing airport, a tour guide and bus driver picked us up at the airport in a tour bus that would be our home for the next 4 days in Beijing.  The tour guide, June, spoke about herself in the 3rd person which became comical only after the initial confusion subsided from trying to locate this tour guide named June. We drove to the hotel as she prepped us for the upcoming activities while we were in Beijing.  She explained that we would be on our own for dinner and directed us to some restaurants and a 7-11 behind the hotel.

And so began our jetlagged, language-challenged adventure in China….