Paris

Weep, our holiday is almost over. Today we wandered around Paris, enjoying the sights, noise, people and the Parisiens! This is a fabulous city. This is our final posting as we leave tomorrow morning for home. We have had a great holiday and a lot of fun doing this blog. Hope you have all enjoyed it too. See you in a day or two. Bonsoir and Arriverderci!

Paris

Up early to start a long day of sightseeing. We headed off to see Notre Dame Cathedral, which is very impressive. Then onto Ile St - Louis, the smallest of the Siene's islands. It has old 17th century buildings wirh very narrow streets. Lots to see there. Then we hopped on the subway and made our way up to Montmartre, which is perched up on the hill above Paris. It is where the young artists used to hang out. Very artsy and quaint. We took in Sacre Coeur, the white domed church. It is impressive as it is very different from most churches we have seen. The inside of it is very white. Then onto Place de la Concorde, which is the city's largest square, with many fountains, a view of the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe. We walked up to the Louvre Museum, then walked along the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Then onto the Eiffel Tower, still impressive after 30 years. We wandered along the Siene to Pont Neuf, the city's oldest bridge. Lots to see. A very busy city, but very enjoyable. Crepes and croissants were good. Just as well we are walking lots.

Cagliari - Paris

Arrivederci Italia Bonjour Paris! We flew from Cagliari Italy to France today. Will be sad to say goodbye to all that wonderful pasta and cheap wine. But we are looking forward to the French pastries, crepes and baguettes. We took the metro to our hotel, that is well located. The weather is considerably cooler here, by about 15 degrees. It is also raining, but that won't dampen our spirits. Certainly lots going on in this beautiful city. We are anxious to go exploring tomorrow. Today we did see some interesting streets and buildings as well as the Pantheon, but haven't taken any pictures because of the rain. Hopefully it stops and the weather becomes favorable for sightseeing, as there is certainly a lot to see in this beautiful city. Bonsoir.

Pula - Cagliari

Last night we had a great dinner with all the people that did the cycling trip with us. It was a lot of fun and very amusing as we had a waiter who spoke no English. He controlled us very well! This morning we jumped on a local bus and headed to Cagliari, which is the capital city of Sardinia. We said good-bye to our New Zealand friends and went on our separate ways. After settling into our hotel, went went to discover Cagliari. Another pleasant surprise. For a city of this size, we were very surprised how clean it was and still had lots of character. Many narrow, cobblestone streets, churches and old buildings. We wandered up to the Duomo, which is high above the city(lots of steps to climb, with sore legs). An amazing view! We will be sad to say arriverderci to Italy as we have had such a great time, but we do look forward to Pari for a few days. We will miss the food, and especially the gnocchi. We will have to adjust our heads to saying merci instead of graci, but are looking forward to Paris. We fly out from here tomorrow and will be in Paris a few hours later.

Santa Anna Arresi to Pula

A long day was ahead of us. The morning was a little cooler, about 20 degrees, with slight rain. We put on our jackets and headed off for our last full day. We headed along the coastline, with not many villages along the way. The scenery was magnificent with lots of beaches, but unfortunately with the rain pictures would do it no justice. Lots of hill climbing today and our legs were beginning to feel the effects of a 6 day trek. Some of those hills felt worse than the second day when we climbed uphill for 8km. We stopped at a restaurant perched atop a cliff, with a magnificent view. The young girl made us cappuccino, a daily ritual for us now. We will miss them! Then we pedaled onto the town of Chia. These towns were now becoming a little more modern. Lots of new resorts are being built in this area, so very soon there will be many more tourists feasting on this gorgeous area. After a pizza lunch, we hit the road for the last 20 kilometers to our final destination, Pula. The rain started to fall heavily, with the wind also blowing. It made the going a little tougher, but we kept plugging away, despite being saddle sore after 6 days on the seat. We reached Pula, which is a quaint town, with lots happening. Looks like we will get to decide where we are going to eat tonight. Our average temperature today was only 21 degrees. We have enjoyed Sardinia. This is an island that is a little step back in time, with friendly people. We got to experience the beautiful island at a time when not too many tourists are around. A slower pace with lots of history. We travelled over 300 kilometers, 60 of those today. We were grateful to be able to accomplish this without any problems. Not even a flat tire! So tomorrow we will travel to Cagliari to experience a little more of Sardinia.

Calasetta - Sant'Anna Arresi

Another easier day was ahead of us, with the distance to travel only being 40.4 kilometers with only a few hills. The weather once again was warm and sunny, with temperatures reaching up to 36 degrees. We travelled to the little fishing village of Sant'Antioco. Very picturesque with colored buildings, a cobbled boardwalk and many palm trees. The fishermen were present unloading their catch and the locals battering for the best price. After leaving here we travelled across a small bridge, which connected this island to mainland Sardinia. We took a gravel road past flamingos and an active salt mine, one of many in the area. This was quite interesting. Then through the small town of Tratalias. Here was the site of the oldest church in Sardinia. We couldn't get in to see it as it was cordoned off as they were doing some restoration work. Then on past vineyards with branches laden with grapes. We were finally able to sample them fresh off the vines as they were not protected by barbwire or vicious cacti. We then went into the little town of Sant'Anna, which was past our hotel, for a late lunch. We were back at our hotel earlier than normal, so we were able to relax by the pool for a bit. Now is quite a wait till dinner, as your can't get anything till 8 pm. That is normal for dinner time here, and it has taken quite a bit to adjust to. Tomorrow is our last day of cycling, about 60 km and some rain is expected. We will be sad to see this adventure come to an end. 

Somewhere in Sardegna

Hey all,

I just got a call from my parents. They are in Sant'Anna Arresi on the island of Sardegna in the Mediterranean. They don't have any WiFi or internet there, so will update in a couple days. Supposedly it is 36 degrees there. Tomorrow is supposed to be a 45km bike ride in rain.

Wish them luck!

Tim

Nebida - Calasetta

Today was going to be an easier day. Only 43.5 ams and 2 ferry rides. Some rolling hills, but nowhere like yesterday. Before leaving Nebida, which was our overnight stop we stopped to get a different view of Pan di Zucchero and the mines. We then rode for 24 kilometers to the town of Portoscuso. This little town had a beautiful harbor and was a lot like St. Margherita in the Riviera of Italy. We caught the ferry here to go to the island S. Pietro and to the little town of Calaforte. We had about a 13 kilometer loop to take, seeing flamingos and the salt mines. Beautiful countryside and lovely beaches. Then we took another ferry to the next island, Calesseta. This little place looks like it could be in the Greek Island with it's whitewashed houses. Onto our hotel, which is once again in the countryside but very close to the beach. All in all a relaxing day after the previous two hard days. Tomorrow we get to discover more of this island before going back to the mainland. 

Sa Perda Marcada - Nebida

We are hooked! It was exhilarating yesterday and more was to come today.. After breakfast we had the luxury of going downhill after the big climb the day before. We had some smaller hills and our legs were feeling it! Lots of grapes (that we couldn't seem to pick!) along the way, along with lots of goats, with their bells clanking. Rugged, mountainous country. We stopped at a fruit stand to buy fresh produce. When the young girl couldn't understand what we were saying she went and got a dictionary out of the freezer! Good for a chuckle! Our first stop was the little town of Buggerru. It took a lot of effort to get into that place for a cappuccino . We came across the local market, and saw the little daycare children. So cute, as you will see in the pictures. The locals were all in the bar. The men at one table drinking beer (before lunch) and playing cards and the women at another table chatting. Gorgeous beaches on the way and spectacular scenery. Up and down we went and then took a detour to Cala Domestica, a charming bay that was very secluded with beautiful sand. While we were there, there was a photo shoot going on with a model. Wonder if we will see that in an ad somewhere? Then we had an uphill climb, that was almost as difficult as yesterday, climbing 400 meters, with a 10 percent grade in 4 kilometers. Tough in 36 degree heat, with very little breeze. Going down it was a 13 percent grade and incredibly windy, with about 20 hairpin turns. But the view...... Unbelievable. We got closer to the ocean with an incredible view of Pan Di Zucchero(sugar cake bluff) which is on most brochures of Sardinia. Lots of abandoned mines on the way as well. Then onto our hotel for a well deserved refreshment and a recharge for tomorrow. The two hardest days are now behind us. Today was 41 km day(not including detours) and we have now pedaled over 150 kms.

Arborea - Sa Perda Marcada

The real trek begins today! Yesterday was a warm-up for today. After breakfast we were all loaded into 2 vans, along with lure bikes and luggage for the trip to Arborea, where we were going to begin today's cycling at. Our first stop was the supermarket to get food for lunch, as we didn't know what would be available on the way. The first 10 kms were very easy and flat. We passed lots of corn fields, vegetable and dairy farms. We stopped at little fishing village called Marceddi for a cappuccino. This little village had a very strong resemblance to many of the Greek Islands 30 years ago. Little, old fishing boats in the tiny harbor, with the locals bringing in their daily catch. A magical, peaceful spot, unspoiled by tourists. We then began climbing up through the mountains with views of the ocean before us. Lots of rugged coastline, beaches and scattered houses about. There were a few cafe/bars open, which was a real surprise to us. We stopped at a beach for lunch, before another climb. These were quite manageable, but we were always wondering how we were going to do on the last 8 kms.  We followed a sandy road, past some very large sand dunes, actually the tallest in Europe. Many deserted mining towns were also on the way. Once we hit the 44 km mark there was no turning back as we couldn't get a drive back in the van. One of our riding buddies stayed at the checkpoint, waiting for the van while we ventured on. As soon as we hit pavement again the steady climb of 8 kms began, with our goal being 400 meters above sea level ( we started at 35 meters). Lots of switchbacks, but we plugged along, passing churches, crosses on the hillside and abandoned mines. What an accomplishment to reach the top, but we did it. We didn't have to walk. On to an old farmhouse for the night before we continue tomorrow. Today we did a total of 52 kms with lots of hills. Supper was a a fascinating experience, with one long table which about twenty people shared. We enjoyed several courses and ended with a special liqour. Good end to a great day. Buonnasera.