Bright and sunny again.....the view off our terrace is still spectacular.
After we eat breakfast and catch up with Maureen and Franco, we get in the car for the 15 minute drive to Alghero. There are beaches all along the
route...even as we reach the center. My parking karma holds up and we
find a space on the park immediately adjoining the old city. We stop in
the tourist office which is not only open but extremely helpful. The staff
person gives us a map of the city but also spends five minutes giving
us suggestions about what to see and where to go.
We make a stop for some shopping....Maureen and DIana buy different kinds
of cork serving trays--cork being a major Sardinian product. Maureen,
Franco and I then climb the bell tower of the cathedral (no elevator)
and enjoy panoramic views over the city and the water.
On the way down, we get a look into the interior of the cathedral from the
staircase.
Inside the cathedral, we are impressed with the carved pulpit
and the large digital prayer book (like a giant Kindle).
We continue our walk along the water outside the town walls. Alghero was an important Spanish city and there is still a Catalan influence in the
local dialect and on the street signs.
The sea is beautifully clear here....
On the way down, we get a look into the interior of the cathedral from the
staircase.
Inside the cathedral, we are impressed with the carved pulpit
and the large digital prayer book (like a giant Kindle).
We continue our walk along the water outside the town walls. Alghero was an important Spanish city and there is still a Catalan influence in the
local dialect and on the street signs.
The sea is beautifully clear here....
After some more walking along the promenade
we decide to have a sandwich for lunch....but the place we go to is closed. But we have passed the restaurant where we have reserved for dinner tonight and we go in and ask if they have a recommendation for a place to get a sandwich or a light lunch. They suggest that we have an antipasto on the terrace at their restaurant--a test run for dinner. It is a good idea...lunch is great--zuppa di ceci for Maureen and me, a plate oof excellent prosciutto and baked cheese for Diana and the mixed seafood antipasto for Franco. A perfect solution....
Back at the hotel, Maureen and Franco decide to go swimming and Diana and I decide to join them....the water is cold and the sea bottom is rocky so Diana only gets her feet wet and I have a brief swim. However Maureen and Franco spend a good time in the water with their shoes and snorkels. The hotel's pool is filled with sea water and also cold - the other guests are sun-bathing - no one is in the water.
Before dinner, Franco and I take a walk in the nature park next to the hotel....we walk on one of the trails that takes us through the forest and then down to the water. Along the way, we discover a small sandy beach
and some bunkers from World War II.
On our return. we take a path that dead-ends so we have to work our way through some thick brush to get back to the main trail but it works out and we make it back in time for dinner.
We go back to Alghero for dinner at Andreini which has one Michelin star.....a bit more refined than we are used to. We have a very nice, lesiurely dinner although the preparations are bit too fussy for me, especially compared to the very straightfoward, simple and delicious lunch. But we have some excelllent dishes prepared with imagination and have a very enjoyable evening.
We get back to the hotel near midnight....tomorrow's activities are undecided except for our dinner reservation at a local agriturismo.
Jim and Diana
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