Sardinia - Cagliari

The capital of Sardinia is Cagliari, a city on several hills, like a smaller and way older sister of San Francisco. Over the centuries it was occupied and owned by several invaders, but the Italian influence is obvious.The modern buildings are faceless like somewhere else in the world, though.
The round glass tower is the hotel where we stayed for a couple of nights. It's pretty luxurios, including a small but decent spa area. I loved the mint aroma fog shower which was soooo refreshing after a day in the heat and humidity of the city.

Since it was hilly I was able to take some pictures from above, love these Mediterranean style tile roofs......and particularly the roof gardens! What a place to be, a dream....sigh.




Without shady gardens it would be pretty hard to survive a summer day in Cagliari, it's way too hot. The streets are almost empty during the hours from 1pm to 5pm, the Sardinians go home for lunch or just drop themselves under a palm tree for a nap. A custom I quite liked :-)


Typical sights were the ubiquitous newsstands....
...Italian gelaterias (ice cream cafes)...
...narrow streets......and lots of churches.I even found a new member for my collection of cafes with a view.

Sardinia - by the sea

The first part of the vacation in Sardinia - eleven days - we stayed in Costa Rei, a pretty remote and quiet spot at a bay with a marvelous long and broad beach. The house itself was build on the slope of a hill, with a beautiful seaview from the terrace. The only source of noise were various the birds, besides the calming sound of the sea. Just the right place for someone who usually lives all day with the traffic noise at the volume of a plane takeoff.

Besides the landscape Sardinia features nice people, friendly and relaxed. And one thing I like in Italy in prticular are the small three-wheeled cars named Ape. These are maybe the best expression of the relaxed lifestyle there in rural Italy.
Eating and drinking the local food, on a terrace with a view like this was, besides swimming, the main activity during this first part of the vacation.The view from the terrace after sunset:

Tulips

Here come many colorful tulips to make up for a month without any post at all. No comment, let flowers tell it, or as the Germans say: Lass Blumen sprechen
(Pictures were taken at the Tulipan Exhibition at Britzer Garten sometime in April)