Winter in Cagliari, Sardinia

I think our last blog was in October 2015 after we decided to pitch up in Marina di Saint Elmo Cagliari for the winter and a very nice winter it was. Here are some of the pictures we took.

Views from Monte Urpinu Hill. Poetto and the Devils’ saddle are in the distance. The Devils’ saddle is, according to legend, where Mr D and the angels had a tussle; we think the pointy bit is meant to be his beard.

Cagliari centre, the old town rises up the hill

Cagliari Town

Cycle / walkway back to marina in the distance

Views from Bonaria church

The above are of the Castello sector of the city including the Roman amphitheatre

The marina was very quiet, not many other liveaboards. The only others were a French couple Frank and Annie, who we had occasional turn about nights on each other’s boats for vin rouge.

and Armando, an Italian from Milan. However, there were always comings and goings from people from other yachts that were down for a few days or others who had left their boats there for the winter and would pop out for a break now and then. We also got friendly with Otti & Rosi and some

of the other liveaboards from the marina next to us and had a few good nights out with them as well.

We decided we needed bikes; the marina was a good twenty five minute walk to the supermarket which is fine going, but on the way back loaded up it was a different story. Andrea who worked at the marina managed to get hold of a couple of second hand bikes for a total of eighty Euros, however within the first few days we had to buy a new chain, a tyre inner and puncture repair kit along with a rivet extractor for changing the chain, so all in all they probably cost us about 120 Euros. The best 120 Euros we spent, even although my brakes didn’t work. We loved them

Over the course of the winter we did around 1,200 – 1,400 miles. These weren’t all to the supermarket you understand. We would go down to the beach front which was 8 kilometres long, round to Poetto harbour, through the parks, out to some of the outlying villages, Marinas forts, and the Sella Diablo, the Devils Saddle.

There was the Carrefour Chain Saw Massacre incident. Having cycled 12 Km to the supermarket & loaded up the cheep chain we have bought in the Chinese shop refused to budge. Gordon spent an hour and 7 blades sawing through the think, I tried not to laugh too much.

That was a hoot the day we went to climb the Sella Di Diablo. We met an ex Special Services guy who was out for a run but very kindly showed us the way to the top of the Devils Saddle – this was of course done at Special Services guys’ speed,- gosh, I thought I was quite fit. Mmmm, maybe not.

Sella Di Diabalo

View down to Marina Picolo and Poetto beach

Poetto Beach in November!!

We decided not to go home for Christmas so this was our first experience of Christmas aboard. Although we missed family, we still had a really nice time. No stress on the day, in fact we went out for our usual cycle and a play in the swing park before heading back to the boat for Christmas dinner followed by our own motown party and dancing.

We also celebrated our twenty fifth Wedding Anniversary this year. Well done….I’m not sure who deserves the medal. (Editor’s note deffy – me)

Anniversary Breakfast

Anniversary Lunch

Anniversary Dinner

We spent New Year with friends Otti, Rosie, Gary and Lyn and a few others in the next marina, Marina del Sole, where we partied into the wee small hours.

We even managed not to break our first New Year’s resolution which was to go swimming in the sea on New Year’s Day, chilly let me say, but Rosie’s Gluwein helped thaw us out afterwards.

It is a lovely island with lovely people who do take a bit of time to open up to you but when they do, they are so warm and welcoming, like our Sardinian friends :

Valeria who we met at Poetto and works in Cork

and Federica, who we met at her family’s wine “filling station” She wants to go to Scotland in February time, so if anyone requires a helping hand she is looking for any kind of work for a month, please send me a text, she’s a lovely girl.