A Switch-back Situation

This weekend we went on our second overnight trip to see the middle of the island as well as the east coast. It was a much longer bus ride this time with far too many switch-backs to keep track. We went up and down the mountains so many times that I just had to close my eyes and pretend I wasn't in the bus anymore. I'm just thankful that I never got carsick enough to actually be sick. Although, I felt very close to it.

The first stop we made was to the Museo della Vita e delle Tradizioni Popolari Sarde, which translates to the Museum of the Life and of the Popular Sardinian Traditions. The museum was really neat because it showed many of the traditional clothes, jewelry, and customs of the different regions on the island of Sardegna. One of the important things that we saw there were the traditional outfits during the time of carneval which were very interesting but disturbing as well. The shepherds outfits resembled those of animals, and they would wear them while walking in the streets to perform. I personally thought they were very dark and had an eerie air about them, but at the same time I was amazed at the thought that something like that survived for so many years. The outfits differed from place to place even though they all lived on the same island which shows how much the perception of geography has changed throughout the years.

Traditional outfits from different Sardinian regions

Carneval costumes with shepherds dressed as sheep

After the tour, we went to eat lunch with the shepherds at a traditional style lunch. It was different than I had expected because it was much more touristy with a huge group of older Italians sitting with us. It made sense after I thought about how many people would like to experience something like a traditional shepherd meal, but it still wasn't what I was expecting. We ate multiple courses of meat, bread, and cheese with no silverware on a small wooden board. Afterwards, we enjoyed one of the best oranges I have ever had and some of the traditional music performed by the shepherds. Their singing was very earthy and made me feel timeless in the sense that the music has existed for so many generations and yet is still very much the same. We then participated in "dancing" as a group with the older Italian tourists. None of us knew what was going on, and that was the best part. Our lack of Italian didn't matter. Their English wasn't important. It was just fun.

First course of our meal, salami, bacon, bread, and smoked cheese (not pictured)

Dancing?

Walking around was an order after eating so much food. We drove down the mountain to the town of Orgosolo which is famous for the many murals that adorn its streets. Down every alley and around every corner, there would be a mural with its own story to tell. Some would be of famous people and famous quotes, others would be very political in nature. Others would be so realistic that they looked like real pictures while others were abstract enough to not understand at first glance. They would tell stories of what happened around the world as well as just in Italy. The art was amazing and for such a small town on a hill, it seemed so perfect.

One of the murals down a side street

We arrived at the hotel after walking around and decided it would be a great idea to go on an adventure and hike the mountain that our hotel rested on right before dinner. After making a couple wrong turns, we made it to a look out point that reminded me of Colorado. Just hiking again took me back to the nature that surrounded me growing up. Even though I was never THAT much into hiking as many people were in Steamboat, it still reminded me of when I was younger. It was a nice change from all of the towns and cities that I've become accustomed to in the past year and slowed down time to a near stop.

View of the mountains from the hotel patio, top right rock where we climbed (I think)

View from the top of the hike

The next morning we went on a beach extravaganza where we spent the entire day on either a beach, boat, or bus. We used a type of tourist-boat circuit that would pick up and drop off people at different locations about every hour which means that we saw a lot of different places in a short amount of time. The first stop was at the Grotto del Bue Marino which translates to the grotto of the monk seal. Unfortunately, the monk seals that used to come into the cave about 30/40 years ago to give birth no longer inhabit the island or any part of Italy. They can only be seen in other parts of the Mediterranean such as Africa, Turkey, and Greece. The cave itself is massive, about 8 km, and we only saw a very small piece. There were no photos allowed inside due to copyrights on the cave.

Entrance to the Grotto del Bue Marino

First beach

After the cave, we hopped back on the boat to visit our first beach which was sand/rocks and crystal blue water. No matter where we were, the water was crystal clear.  It was glassy and very deceptive when trying to determine depth. I felt as if I had just stepped into a postcard yet one hundred times better. The next place we stopped at was farther along the rocky coast, and what was harder to believe was that this beach was better than the first. This beach was covered in small perfect white pebbles that seemed harmless yet hurt with every step to walk on. We took advantage of the rocks and deeper water to conquer our fears of heights and jump. It was an amazing day even though the sun only made an appearance for the boat ride back home. We all slept on the long bus ride back "home" to Cagliari with slightly tanned faces and salt covered bodies being all that remained from the beaches we had left.

View from the second beach

Cliffy coastline