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Taking A Break From Blog Posts
We’ve decided we’re going to press the pause button on posting on this site. Not saying we’re gone for ever, not even guessing for how long we’ll be taking a break, but a break is what it is going to be. Nothing massive about the reason, just that I’ve taken a huge amount of pleasure from writing about our travels over the years, but suddenly for reasons I can’t fully explain it feels like a bit of a chore and a break feels like the right thing to do. Michaela however is more than happy to keep snapping away at the wonderful places we see and will continue to keep…
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Amazed By Corsica: Porto Ota-Calvi-Asco-Bastia
With Corsica boasting five scenic drives each reputed to be breathtaking we have planned to follow at least three of them during our stay on the island, so having had two days to explore the amazing Calanques de Piana we build a second spectacular drive into our journey to our next base. Corsica is very much more mountainous than we knew, these are proper mountain roads with narrow twists and turns, precipitous drops and sometimes unforgiving rock on each side. They are an absolute joy to drive but require maximum vigilance too. This one is a 22 kilometre drive from Porto Ota to the picturesque mountain village of Evisa, a…
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Arrividerci Sardinia, Bonjour Corsica
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Arrividerci Sardinia, Bonjour Corsica
We arrive in the port town of Santa Teresa Gallura with modest expectations, island ferry port towns are sometimes low key affairs which don’t score highly on the attractive scale. Not so Santa Teresa where we are pleasantly surprised to the point of amazed as we turn from a quiet street into the main piazza where gentle soul music issues from one bar and 70s disco from another in as welcoming a scene as you could wish to encounter. Numerous restaurants line several of the streets leading away from the square, chatter and laughter fill the air and the ambience is one of casual enjoyment, there is truly a feeling…
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Amazed By Corsica: Porto Ota-Calvi-Asco-Bastia
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Northern Sardinia: Garibaldi, Maddalena & Magical Moments
I know that traditionally Sardinian people are reputed to be small in size but the last two shower cubicles have been ridiculous, like they’ve been made with figures from a Lowry painting in mind. Once in, you move around at your peril: the slightest movement will make physical contact with either the glass cubicle (dangerous) or the shower controls, the consequence of which might be a scalded bum cheek, a frozen scalp or an abrupt end to the water flow. Any of these are possible. It’s a relief to come through it unscathed. Anyway, back to La Maddalena, the island across the strait from the town of Palau which looks…
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Sardinia’s Eastern Coast: Orosei, Palau & La Maddalena Archipelago
I keep referring to the wind here as the Mistral, but it is in fact only wind in a certain direction which carries that name. Each wind, be it northerly, easterly, whatever, has a name in these parts, and there are seven in all, each with different characteristics and each bringing different weather. I guess when your livelihood – and indeed your life in the case of the fishermen – depends on such things, the knowledge bar needs to be high. The town of Orosei sits in the middle of a stretch of notoriously beautiful Sardinian coastline, rugged yet fertile, bold yet tranquil. The best way to view this stretch…
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Nuraghe, Mountain Towns & Murals: Crossing Sardinia.
The nuraghe of Sardinia have been the subject of considerable debate over the years, with some disagreement over their original functions and purposes. According to what appears to be the current school of thought, and definitely the thrust of websites and guide books, the reason for the confusion is that the nuraghe were multi purpose and therefore inconsistent in design from one to the next. What is certain is that they are unique to Sardinia, that traces of over 10,000 have been identified, 7,000 of which are still standing in one form or another. Grain stores, fortresses, family homes, lookout posts, communal meeting places…all have been theories, each with strong…
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Discovering A Real Gem: Bosa, Sardinia
Even the description “one of Italy’s most beautiful villages” doesn’t do justice to our first sight of this exquisite little town of just over 8,000 inhabitants, simply one of those places which brings out a wow or two at first sight. Bosa sits just a mile in from the sea on the banks of the Temo River, the only riverside town in all of Sardinia on the island’s only navigable river. Two ancient bridges span the Temo, colourful houses catch the sunshine, wooded hills surround the town, coastal cliffs are visible from the centre of town. It’s insanely attractive. Perched high above this beautiful scene at the best vantage point…
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From Portugal To Sardinia Via A Learning Curve Or Two
For the true traveller there is something immensely satisfying about completing a long and convoluted journey independently, so the fact that this lengthy trek from Portugal to Sardinia goes without major hitch gives us plenty of reasons to be cheerful. A short walk to Olhão train station, a quick train ride to Faro town, followed by the Number 16 bus to the airport, brings us to the clutches of Ryanair, who cause the only moment of angst when the word “delayed” makes an unwelcome appearance on the departure board. We easily make up the lost time though when we land at Barcelona and find ourselves in what must be a…
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Exploring The Algarve In High Season: Olhão, Tavira And Faro
The good news starts as soon as we arrive in Olhão. There, in the uppermost in-tray of the offices of our corporate airbnb host, is the Jiffy envelope I’ve been hoping to see, the one containing my replacement debit and credit cards and driving licence, all present and correct and ready for action. End of saga, at last. Incident forgotten. Having signed off in Carvoeiro with a proper Brits-on-holiday night, dancing to a very decent live band in the main square, we head along the Algarve coast to Olhão, a place recommended to us by, amongst others, Michaela’s Mum. Carvoeiro, holiday hotspot as it is, has been fun and we’ve…
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Carvoeiro: Mishaps And Mayhem By The Sea
Michaela has a certain look which she occasionally flashes my way, one which says something like….”Philip, you’re not a kid any more, you really ought to know better”. We’re enjoying the fun in Carvoeiro when such is life that as the day unfolds I get that look on three separate occasions in one afternoon. First, on the boat trip, we are given the opportunity to jump from the boat for a swim in the deep blue. It’s so satisfying in the heat of the day, but, really, before jumping in I should have given some thought to how hard it would be to climb back into the boat with my…
