We travelled to Sardinia today, with a few stops along the way. The weather lived up to the forecast (dreadful) but it’s  beyond one’s control so make the best of it!

We stopped first in Propriano, a beach resort and ferry port, paused along the route to view “The Lion Rock” which Corsican pirates used as a navigation aid to arrive in Bonifacio around lunchtime.

Perhaps more from a need to keep dry than from hunger, we sought out a restaurant and enjoyed very, very good pizza in a  harbour-side location.

The ferry, whilst sea-worthy (we hoped) was a trip down memory lane. The seating for the one hour crossing was long rows of benches, covered with dark blue vinyl. Refreshments were served from the window of a small “cabina” at the front of the seating area by a very pleasant (but overworked) older gentleman. However, the rain had  stopped, so whilst cold and windy, it was possible to go outside (location of weatherproof plastic bench seating) to see the spectacular cliffs and hill top fortress of Bonifacio.

After an hour’s crossing we disembarked in Santa Teresa Gallura in Sardinia, for a 90 minute drive to our hotel on the Costa Smerelda.

The hotel is spectacular, located in several buildings on a hill overlooking the sea, with its own fairly extensive grounds. As an absolute bonus, after a short discussion we were able to negotiate a very acceptable upgrade to a terraced room with a sea view in a quiet corner of the gardens. It’s only downside (who cares!) is that there is no interior route back to the main building. It’s just a little odd that we needed umbrellas to go to dinner.

The restaurant served a very good (not spectacular) four course meal. I asked for a bottle of local wine. That was spectacular. Up until now, I thought red wines topped out at 14.5% ABV. This wine was 16% ABV.

Tomorrow: “Lunch with the Shepherds”. They’re certain to have an indoor area. Aren’t they? Surely!