The PA system on the ferry goes off at 6:45 announcing that the restaurant is open for breakfast and that we will be docking at 7:30. I’m up after a surprisingly good sleep in the upper bunk of the tine interior cabin that we booked for the overnight crossing. Plus, the crossing was smooth as glass, so smooth that it was hard to tell that we were actually crossing the English channel, notorious for rough seas.
The “restaurant” is actually a typical resort
style buffet with the usual fare. Usual and pricey. I somehow miss
that everyone else is sitting in the dining area and I sit near a
window watching the shore lights slowly emerge in the dark. Back to
the cabin and out to the top of the stairs to the car decks.
We’re up and having breakfast by 9’ish. There’s not any reason to rush. Clemo has to run a few errands. We’re into his little Citroen C1 and zipping around the rabbit warren of streets that make up downtown Newton Abbot.
Then over to Torquay to stop by a few of his
properties, change the smoke alarm, check on some repairs, etc.
Another stop at a travel agency to buy euros. Clemo turns on the
charm and the woman getting the euros shaves of a couple of cents on
the exchange rate. A quick description of the upcoming trip which
results in a fair amount of head shaking. This isn’t the kind of
trip that this agency usually delivers. Then back to the car.
The pilot had warned us that the flight was probably going to be a bit bumpy for most of the flight but other than the first 20 minutes or so while getting away from the front that had beat up the Carolinas earlier in the day, things were smooth and uneventful. About 8 hours later we were landing at Heathrow and into immigration and then baggage claim
In a surprise to me, immigration at Heathrow for
the UK, the US and a few other countries citizens was totally
automated. Walk up to the kiosk. Follow the directions on the screen.
Slide the bio page of the passport into the slot. Stare at the
camera. Remove passport. Wait for the system to think about the
passport and the picture. The light turns green, the gate opens and
you proceed to baggage claim or the exit as suits you. No human
contact at all. Now that’s innovation that I can get behind.
It’s been a hell of a day for traveling. A very strong frontal system blew through, complete with torrential rain, high winds with 70 mph gusts, thunderstorms and the odd tornado to spice things up. The good news is that my flight to London Heathrow is still scheduled and right now the departure is delayed only about 30 minutes.
The bad news is that the airport is awash in stranded passengers who have been routed all over the east coast. Charlotte was closed for a few hours and that was all it took for transportation bedlam to ensue. The odd thing was that the check in side of the airport was nearly empty. The other side is a different matter.
Starting with the Greeks 2,400 years ago, continuing with the Romans and through World War II, people have been tunneling under Napoli. First the Greeks, tunneled and quarried the volcanic tuft that they used for their building.
The
real work started with the Romans who built miles of tunnels and
cistern to hold the water delivered by aqueduct from sources up to 70
kilometers from Napoli. Eventually, the cisterns were replaced by
more modern water systems only to have the tunnels and abandoned
cisterns used for bomb shelters during World War II. Today, the
complex is a tourist site that offers tours through the tunnels and
cisterns. That’s our first stop today.
Up
at a reasonable hour and hangout in the apartment. There’s no rush
as we have a late morning flight to Naples on Volotea Airlines whom
I’ve never heard of but it’s not Ryanair so that should be an
improvement.
They
are based in Spain and although they are still another of the “cheap”
airlines by the time you pay for a seat assignment, checked baggage
and priority loading, the fare is right up there with the “normal”
airlines. Apparently, there is no free “as in beer” left in
aviation.
The
plan for today is a day off from driving. That, of course, doesn’t
mean a day off from walking. The destination is a park, Parco
Naturale Molentargius Saline, that is built around some tidal salt
flats. In the park there are some lagoons that are the home to some
resident flamingos. Yes, I said flamingos. Some very lost flamingos.
Barbara
has found the park in her trip research and she says that the park is
only a couple of kilometers away. Out on the street. Take a right out
the door. Take another right at the corner and start up the hill past
where the I’ve parked the car to the top of the hill and head back
down. (Have I mentioned how much I hate it when Google Maps picks a
route that sends you up a hill and then back down when it could have
mapped out a route that is 2 centimeters longer and doesn’t have a
hill?) The route takes along some very busy avenues but the Maps app
shows us getting closer though this is hardly a walk that anyone
would recommend.
Late yesterday we arrived just after 6PM in Cagliari and started a search for our room for the night. Maps didn’t have much trouble finding the location but parking was another issue entirely.
The
room is in another upscale residential neighborhood and that means
finding free over-night parking is difficult and what is there is
usually taken. I double park the car and drop Barbara and the bags.
We have instructions for the keypad that opens the front door of the
building and the keycode works “most” of the time.
A
quick breakfast, check out and load the car. Point the car downhill
and hope for the best. The last descent is a non-event. Back through
Posada. Stop at an ATM at the post office for some cash and on the
road again. This time to Cagliari, again.
Pablo who?
Barbara has for a town on the route, Orgosolo, which has two interesting attractions: 150 plus murals painted on the walls and it is one of the few places left where silkworms are an essential part of the economy. We focus on the murals. Click here for more info on the murals of Orgosolo.
After a fine breakfast on the lovely patio at the B&B, it’s a beautiful day and we’re off to find a necroplis which is defined generally as an ancient cemetery. The word comes from the Greek meaning,literally, “city of the dead”.
The first is Necropolis of Anghelu Ruju . It’s located near Alghero off a well traveled 2 lane road. From the Wikipedia entry for the site, “The necropolis of Anghelu Ruju is a pre-Nuragic archaeological site located north of the city of Alghero, Province of Sassari, Sardinia. It is the largest necropolis of pre-Nuragic Sardinia.” It was discovered accidentally in 1903 and excavated numerous times since.
