The first few days through the middle of Sardinia.

The next stage is through the centre of Sardinia to Gofo Arangi where I plan to catch the ferry to Savona. In these circumstances it could take a while to get there. I leave my Sardinian family in Carbonia at 8.15 on Monday 29 July after a late night last night. We went to a wine and food festival which included a concert by 3 musicians, playing guitar, bass, accordion and keyboard. They accompanied a very talented lady with a big personality and voice, who sang local folk and international chanson type music in a very passionate way. It was very good, as was the food and the wine, 6Mura, supplied by the local vineyard owned by Susanna's brother and uncle. I can recommend this wine, so look out for it. It is very hot at present with temperatures reaching the lower 40*C by 2 pm. There is a hot stiff breeze blowing and as usual on a bicycle it is against! I ride via Narcao along the minor road and turn onto Ss293 to Siliqua, passing the imposing remains of Castello di Acquafredda atop the strategic mountaintop overlooking the valley. I continue through Vallermosa and cross a bridge called Punta Pauli Maori, I did not know that Maori were into bridge building and certainly not in Sardinia. I stop for a cold drink, and the lean man behind the bar asks me if I used to run, si I said , marathons he asks, then pointing at several photos of him finishing. The clock in the picture shows 2h30, well ahead of my time I laugh, he then asks my age and shakes my hand, too good he said and waives me goodbye. Interesting having a conversation like this each speaking their own language. I carry on in the increasing heat, the GPS buzzes every time a 1000 calories are spent, I should pay attention, as once the man with the hammer gives one a tap on the head, recovery is almost impossible. (Our American friends call it the bonk) I take a brake and eat an OSM power bar, too late really, as the last 10km to Samassi seem like 50! I book into a small hotel, the lady shakes her head when she realise I am on a bicycle. I have been biking for 3h40min and barely done 72km! I wash up, launder my clothes and have a beer before 3 pm, I will sleep well tonight. Tuesday the plan is to ride to Aritzo, it is hot and windy and progress is slow, yesterday I climbed 560m but today it is a bit more at 860 vertical meters. The climbs are not steep but with the wind there are long stretches I hardly get out of low gear. The distance to Aritzo is about 75 km, but there is a road closure and the deviation takes me up the wrong valley. I noticed it because the sun isn't in the wright place. Checking the GPS it now has distance to destination at 115km! Another lesson not to follow the device blindly. After I check the map, I turn back and via some amazing farm tracks it gets me back on the planned route again. I pass through Barumini and visit the Nuraghe ruins. I have done 70km by the time I get to Laconi and still have 25 km to go, all up hill to Aritzo. I decide in this heat, to leave it for tomorrow and book into Albergo Ristorante Sardegna. They have a great kitchen and specialise in Sardinia dishes. I have no problem eating and I can do with a little carbo loading. The breakfast at 7am is the best so far and I do not have to supplement it with the muesli I carry. The ride today is better, the early start before it heats up, more climbing but once I am between 850 and 1050 m up the wind is much cooler and I can handle the long climbing sessions much better. I also get plenty of rewards on the downhills where I do not need to brake and glide down on these lovely smooth roads. The road undulates at this altitude and is easy to follow. The challenge is the passages through the villages, the streets are steep and narrow, cobbled or with uneven pavers. One has to trust the GPS here and it is a wonder to come out at the other end. The streets are so narrow some won't take a car at all, others only very small cars with the wing mirrors folded in. Quite an experience. I pass through Aritza, Tonara and ride some time in the shade through the Ortuabis forest high up in the hills. I finally ride around Lago di Gusana and arrive at Gavoi at 1 pm. After climbing 1279m and traveling a distance of 73 km in 4h33. I book into an agritourissimo, a sort of farm stay, although this is in town, and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner for 60 euro, NZ 100.00. Well I just finished lunch, would you believe, Cuzirgioni, pasta with potato, Ravioli di formaggio, pasta with cheese, Fritelle di zucchini, zukini omelet, Insalata di Carnegie di maialetto, salad with suckling piglet meat, Formaggio caprino e fiore sardo, Sardinian goat cheese, Pane carasau, crisp bread, Crostata Allan fruitta, a sort of cheesecake with fruit and a small bowl of strawberries, a 1/2 litre of red house wine and a litre of chilled water. This was lunch, I am interested to see what dinner consists of ! This may be my first tour that I will put on weight !! I went for a walk after lunch and got accosted by the village fool, who shook my hand then kissed me on the cheek and kept holding on to me asking for money for smokes and beer. I got quite concerned as he would not let go, only when I said carabinieri and politia, did he let go of me to the amusement of a few locals watching from the terrace of a bar. Not to be encouraged I thought.

Photos

Beautiful Sardinia

The sea is calm for the overnight ferry to Cagliari, the hut I booked turned out to be a 4 berth hut and I am sharing it with 2 Italians and a snoring man from Switserland. I am sorry for the Italians as I am known for my noisy sleeping habits too.
At 8.30 am Sunday morning I ride into town and south east following the coast. There is a lot of industry here and it is good not to have to compete with any large trucks on the road. Just before Pula I leave the industry behind and pass many crowded city beaches.
The traffic is quite heavy with people going to the beach but it gets better the further I go.
The weather is hot with a clear blue sky and the soft wind that blows is from behind, which would normally be welcome, but today I would rather have it the other way to cool down.
It just goes to show, it is hard to please everybody.
I eat along the way in a restaurant and remind myself to make sure to remember to stop in time before everything closes for siesta from 2 to 4 pm.
I follow the scenic but hilly route along the Costa del Sud and find a spacious B&B at Port di Teulada. It is on a small farm and in a converted stables. It is close to the beach and I enjoy swimming in the beautiful warm and clear water of the Mediterranean Sea.
From here I travel inland and the temperature is rising to around 40*C. I visit my Sardinian friends Susanna and her family in Carbonia and am again overwhelmed by their hospitality. We visit local sites of interest, restaurants, markets and several festivals, the lifestyle is very different and my active daytime hours shift from morning to early evening to afternoon to early morning.
We also travel to the East of Sardinia and visit a permanent exhibition of the famous artist Maria Lai, in a restored railway station in Ulassai. She died a few months ago at the age of 94.
Ulassai is in the mountains with spectacular rocky outcrops called "tacchi" or heels, the stilletto heels of upturned shoes. The cliff faces are huge and a Mecca for climbers. The area is dotted with ancient relics from the past. There is evidence of human occupation from as far back as the second and third millennium BC. Bronze coins were widely used around 300 BC. Many nuraghe which are the remains of towers or fortification from the Neolithic times.
We visit the caves of Marmuri which are spectacular. A 1 km walk down countless steps takes us through huge caves with ceilings over 50 m high. The largest staligtite is 20 m tall and if one considers that one cm ( cc ) takes 100 years to deposit it must have taken several million years for this pillar to grow.
The caves are closed in winter as an estimated 20,000 bats hibernate here from all over Sardinia.
However I have to go on and prepare to tackle the mountenous road through the centre of the island.
It is getting hotter and the forecast is for temperatures of 45*C for the next few days!
It will have to be short hops, we will see.
So long for now from hot an steamy Sardinia, some pictures to follow.

From Rome to Amsterdam, Ups and downs of the first day

Hi all ,
I am on my way, left Auckland for Singapore on a 10 hour flight, comfortable with moderate sized people on either side. A 4 hour sleep in the transit hotel, helped me to survive the 13 hour flight to Rome arriving just before 8 am.
Got the bike and found a quiet spot in front of the terminal to assemble it. This was a mistake as the terminal is air conditioned and the outside temp is already mid twenties.
Shock horror unpacking the bike discovering that the front pannier rack is broken on one side and the large front gear has a nasty bend in it. It is obvious that the bike had a fall or was thrown.
I decide to assemble it, opposed to repacking and taking the shuttle into Rome in search of a bike shop. The first thing I do is cut my finger putting blood all over the bike and the inside of the bike bag. I straighten the gear with a small spanner to enable it to pass through the front derailleur. Then I tie the front rack to the handlebar to prevent it sagging onto the front tyre with a running shoe lace.
I carry a selection of old shoe laces on every trip, and know now why I do it.
I manage to pile all the gear onto this contraption and manage to ride the bike without falling over.
It has made the bike very unstable and it is very hard work in the heat and especially up hill.
I only got hooted once and am grateful this is Italy and not New Zealand.
I find rest, refreshments and shelter in several petrol stations along the way, the latter one after a huge thunderstorm with torrential rain. I manage to make myself useful mopping up the water coming in through the leaky windows.
At Ladispoli I find a bike shop just before 3 pm but as usual the shop is closed till 4 pm. I decide to wait which turns out to be a good decision. I buy a rear rack for 20 euro about 1/3 of the price in NZ.
In my jet lagged state I manage to break the head of the mounting bolt and have to go into the shop to ask for help. The lady gets one of the mechanics on to it and in addition to getting the broken bit out, he mounts the rack, straightens the gear properly, checks the gears and the brakes and declares the bike fit for the journey. To my surprise the lady charges me 5 euro and I have a job giving her 10 euro for over an hour work.
I ride on much more balanced and comfortable, keeping my eye out for an hotel or B&B. I find a small hotel in Santa Marinella for 55 euro without breakfast, about 15 km short of my planned destination of Civitavecchia. After shower I have a pint of Guinness and a huge plate of spaghetti at the restaurant on the first corner and fall into bed at 10.30 pm.
This morning I cruise into Civitavecchia and find out that the ferry to Arbatax only sails on Wednesday and Friday so my yesterday problems have repercussions for today as well.
But one has to be flexible and I decide to take the overnight ferry to Cagliari instead leaving at 7 pm tonight arriving at Cagliari at 8 am. Cagliari is at the southern tip of Sardinia.
 I have a cabin and look forward to a relaxing night aboard and I am cruising !