Cagliari Bike Tour

January 21, 2018

Valeria was my bike tour guide. She told me that while Sardinia is part of Italy, she said Sardinian think of themselves as Sardinian, not Italian. She told me a few words in Sardinian, which has many words in common with Spanish, rather thsn Italian as Spain ruled  Sardinia for over a century. 

Valeria was a biology major at University who studied birds, so we decided to go to the salt flats outside of town to do some bird watching. We saw birds called stilts(1), and she was very excited to see a purple swamp hen, which apparently are not very common.

We then rode to the beach and stopped at a cafe with a nice view of the devil's saddle, then up the hill to the lighthouse and a panoramic view of Spanish-era watchtowers, fortifications from the Napoleonic era and a nice view of the city of Cagliari. The ride back to town was a bit if a slog, as there were fierce Mistral (north) winds in our face.

Back at the shop, I saw a nice shirt that was actually made on Sardinia, and had a pre-Christian era symbol for heart. I was unsure what size to get for my wife (European sizes are different). I showed Valeria a picture of my wife. Valeria said she thought was tge same size as my wife. Valeria then tried on the shirt to test whether it would also fit my wife.

The Basilica of Saint Saturnina dates from the 500s and honors a local Christian martyr. I took a quick look, then hopped on the train for a short ride to the airport and my flight home.

(1) As the name would suggest, they have very long legs that allow them to stand in the water. 

Our Lady of Bonaria Church, founded by the Spanish.

Flamingos at Cagliari Salt Flats

Devil's Saddlie Mountain

Spanish Watchtower, circa 1,500 

French Fortifications from Napoleonic Era

Calamosca Inlet

Basilica of San Saturnina

Train to Airport

Sardinia

January 21, 2018

The ferry arrived on time at Golfo Aranci, but had some difficulty docking up due to the sever winds. A morning train runs from here to Olbia (the main trailhead in Northeast Sardinia) every day except Sunday. As it was a Sunday, I went looking for a cab, but had no success. 

I enquired in a little cafe where I might find a taxi. Both the woman running the cafe and a man sitting nearby said "taxi?" pulled out their phones and dialed. The woman shortly thereafter said "pronto," while the man looked chagrined. The woman then laughed, and gave the man the finger. Anna (apparently the only taxi in town) had chosen to take the woman's call, rather than the man's. I suspect they had had this contest before. There were already two passengers from Nigeria in the cab, so we shared the ride (and the fare) and arrived in Olbia in plenty of time for a cappuccino and to catch the morning train.

The train left Olbia and climbed up and down  the hills to the junction with the main line to Cagliari. I enjoyed sticking my head out the window at each stop, but the locals thought it was quite cold and were bundled up in thick coats and scarves. The temperature was in the high 50s.

As the main line train headed south, we climbed to a pass near Macomer. The landscape here was quite rocky, and agriculture seemed focused of sheep. Descending to Oristano, we reached a broad valley running to Cagliari where crops are sown. 

Upon arrival at Caglari, I noticed large amounts of spume in the harbor, as the strong Mistral (north) winds whipped the tops off the waves, sending the sea water flying into the air. Walking up to old castle neighborhood where I was staying, I was almost blown over and periodically had to dodge flying debris. I saw a clay pipe that had fallen from the wind and had been smashed on the street (1).

I went for a walk up the hill to the Roman Amphitheater. The theater was carved into a natural hillside in the second century C.E. The ticket booth seems surprised I actually wanted to visit. Large portions of the site were blocked off as they renovated the stage area for events held during the summer months.

I looked up events happening this evening in Cagliari. I came across a listing for "Viaggio tra gli strumenti della musica barocca a Cagliari" accompanied by a picture of a cello and mandolin. The event began in 15 minutes, and was a 10 minute walk at Arta Ruga. 

Arta Ruga is a former second floor 2 bedroom apartment, consisting of one long room and two former bedrooms. About 40 people were milling about in the long room. They all seemed to know each and seemed to be mainly friends and family of the musicians. In the narrow corridor, I jostled and knocked down a painting. I put on a sheepish grin, shrugged my shoulders, and put the painting back on the wall. My next standing location was selected to avoid leaning against the light switches, which someone else leaned against later, plunging the space into darkness.

Soon, everyone tried to jam into the back bedroom, where a woman talked for about 45 minutes, playing two songs with flute and violin. The crowd then moved to the front bedroom, where a quartet consisting of 3 baroque flutes (tenor, contralto and soprano) and a cello performed some pieces. While there were a few chairs, I sat on some old egg crates bound together to form a sort of stool. The evening ended with a trio of two mandoliins and a guitar playing three pieces 

(1) I was reminded of as book I read a few years ago called Defining the Wind, about the author's search for the origin of the poetic descriptions given to different wind intensities in the Beaufort wind scale (a). Given the broken clay pipe, I estimated the wind to be Force 9: strong/severe gale (47 to 54 miles per hour), for which the following effects are visible:  "slight structural damage (chimney pots and slates removed)" (b).

(a) The Beaufort scale was designed to estimate the strength of the wind based on its visible effects at sea and on land. 

(b) I subsequently discovered that there were winds gusts to Force 10.

Sunrise at Golfo Aranci

Old school train controls

Sardinian highlands

Trackside sheep

Ave Roma, Cagliari

Centro Storico, Cagliari

Roman Amphitheater, Cagliari

Pisa

January 20, 2018

Our flight to Pisa was coming in for a landing, when we suddenly accelerated, passed over the airport and gained altitude. I signalled to the flight attendant there we were going around again and she nodded (1). A few minutes later, the pilot announced that she was not satisfied with the visibility as a low cloud was sitting over the runway and we would circle until the cloud lifted. "Don't worry" she said, "we have plenty of fuel." While circling, we had a good view of Elba, the island where Napoleon was first exiled in 1814 (2).

The Pisa Airport has one distinctive feature I very much appreciated: it is quite pedestrian friendly and close to the city. I had a nice 15 minute walk to the central train station, dropped off my backpack (3), and crossed the Arno River to the main tourist area of Pisa, with its iconic leaning tower.

The leaning tower of Pisa is something you really need to see to appreciate. It was a very interesting experience to walk up the tower's steps, as the pitch of the tower means greater or lesser effort is required to climb depending on which side if the tower you are on. It almost felt as if the tower was moving during the ascent. I was fascinated by the wearing away of the stone steps as people climbed the tower, over the centuries leaving ruts in the middle of the stairs.

At the top of the tower, I tended to stay on the side opposite to the lean. I am not a thin guy, and I did not want to tempt fate by putting my girth on the downward side. Upon descending, I noted that there was considerable discoloration on the stone stairway walls in the direction of the lean caused by people bracing themselves themselves with their hands when climbing and descending.

On the return trip to the train station, I noticed a very pleasant church right on the Arno. I stopped for a visit at Santa Marias della Spina. Apparently, the church had one of the thorns (spina) from the crown worn by Jesus in the crucifixion story. The church was very well maintained and had a really interesting wooden ceiling. There was some art in the center of the church consisting principally of a large number of empty boxes which had at one time had held Corona beer. The artistic merit of the display eluded me.

As night fell, I took a short train ride to Livorno. Walking over to the ferry terminal, I had a cappuccino at a local place in the Venetian quarter (5) of the city.

As the overnight ferry to Sardinia left the harbor, we encountered some large swells that would continue all night. In the lounge,
we had an uproll to starboard as the bartender was pouring my drink, causing a large extra glug of Bailey's to splash into my glass. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders; I silently thanked the sea gods for making it a double!

Soon, the high school soccer team that was in the lounge with me wandered off. Now, it was just me, the singer and the bar tender. The singer looked a little green around the gills from the heavy movement of the vessel, and he packed it up for the night. I took this as a sign and went to bed.

(1) I had my first experience with an aborted landing last year in Boston. On that occasion, the pilot announced that he "saw something on the runway he didn't like," so we went around again.

(2) Napoleon shortly thereafter escaped from Elba, recruited a new army, and was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815, in what is today Belgium. He was subsequently exiled to St Helena, a small island in the mid Atlantic from which escape is much more difficult.

(3) There should a some sort of humanitarian award given to whomever invented the luggage storage facility. Schlepping my backpack around Pisa would have slowed me down and would have created a fuss entering the leaning tower (a). I know how to say only two things in Italian: "pizza" and "where is the left luggage facility please?"

(a) I move with purpose and alacrity while travelling. Most tourists, like most teenagers, seem to have three speeds: amble, slow and still. BTW: I consider myself a traveller, not a tourist.

(4) I recently read a book about an collaborative effort by Leonardo da Vinci (painter on the Mona Lisa) and Nicollo Machiavelli (author of the Prince) to divert the Arno River away from Pisa. Such a diversion (it was hoped) would permit the Florentines to subdue their perennial rivals in Pisa. Their attempt was unsuccessful.

(5) So named for the canals in this part if Livorno.

Snow-capped mountains north of Pisa

The Arno at Pisa

The leaning tower

Marble stairs in the tower worn away be countless footfalls.

Church of Santa Maria della Spina

Wood ceiling, Santa Maria della Spina

The Venetian quarter, Livorno

Boarding the Sardinia Regina

London

January 19, 2018

My older daughter's favorite metal band (Lacuna Coil) was having a 20th anniversary gala concert in London.  I found a really cheap flight, so we both decided to go. I spent the afternoon visiting some old friends in London  and walking along the south bank of the Thames.

We stopped into the Southwark Cathedral to visit Doorkins Magnificat, the resident feline. In 2008, just as the cathedral staff was considering getting a cat to deal with the mice, the cat walked on and has stayed ever since. The man in the little shop insisted on showing me a picture of "Her Majesty, the Queen" (as he phrased it) greeting the cat.

In the evening, I went to meet my daughter at the concert venue in Kentishtown (1). Lacuna Coil was celebrating 20 years together as a band and eople came from as far away as Australia and Brazil to attend.

The concert was amazing. While I am not too familiar with their music, all the band members were very talented (the lead singer seems capable of singing anything). To enhance their 20th anniversary celebration, while they were singing, they had a troupe of acrobats dancing, climbing on thick ribbons, juggling fire, etc. The concert was definitely worth the trip to London.

Outside the hall after the concert, I chatted with a man from who had come from South Carolina just to see the show. He told me he flew into London an extra day early to make sure he did not miss the concert in case of flight delays, etc. He thought we were taking a big risk only flying in the morning of the show.

(1) She, of course, had gone earlier to ensure she was of the first in line when the doors opened to get a spot to stand near the stage. I bought a balcony seat where there are bench seats.

View of St. Paul's for the south bank

Reproduction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Doorkins Magnificat, Southwark Cathedral's resident mouser (Stock photo; It was too dark where we found the cat in the church for me to take a picture)

Lacuna Coil rocking the O2 Forum in Kentishtown. Note the ribbon dancers on the sides.

Barcelona

January 9, 2018

I went for a bicycle tour of the city this morning.We skirted the edges of the city center, and there was an emphasis on buildings designed by Gaudi, a well know n locasl architect at the turn of the twentieth century. He designed a church for which construction began in 1882. There is currently an effort to complete the church by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. We also visited the site of the exhibition of 1888.

I had a nice chat with Sylvia, the tour guide, about recent events in Barcelona. The leaders of the Catalunyan parliament called a referendum on independence, which the Spanish government considered illegal and attempted to prevent. A number of Catalunya leaders fled to refuge in Belgium, while some others were arrested and imprisoned by the Spanish government. There are many apartments flying the Catalan flag, with some sporting yellow ribbons calling for the release of the imprisoned Catalan officials.

In the evening we went to the Dalmases Palace for a Flamenco show. It's amazing how fast some people can move their feet.

House by Gaudi 

Gaudi Church, started in 1882

West side (sunset), Passion

East side (sunrise)

Entrance to 1888 exposition 

Gaudi fountain

Catalunya Parliament

In favor of freeing former Catalunya officials

Palau Dalmases courtyard

Barcelona

January 8, 2018

On the metro this morning, we noticed that the signs were in 3 languages. My daughter recognized Spanish and English. The first language was actually Catalan. This language was suppressed during the Franco years, but appears to have made a strong comeback since 1975.

We had a nice walk through the Gothic quarter of the city, which is all pedestrianized. We happened upon the cathedral at 1:00, which is opening time. The crypt of St Eulalia is located underneath the church. She was an early Christian martyr from Barcelona and is the city's patron saint.

There is a side altar dedicated to the Madonna of Monserrat, with as statue of a black Madonna. The roof of the Cathedral us open to visitors, and provides a fine view of the city.

The back of the brochure we picked up up in arrival showed various highlights of the church, and there was one picture of geese that simply said "geese." While we thought that was an odd highlight, there are 16 geese in the Cathedral's courtyard, one for each year of St Eulalia's life. She tended sheep in her youth.

Barcelona Cathedral 

View of city from Cathedral roof

Transcept

Madonna de Montserrat

Geese in honor of St Eulalia, the city's patron Saint

View of Cathedral Spire from courtyard cloisters

Some things are the same everywhere

The ladies that made my wife's new purse in Barcelona

Tangier to Barcelona Ferry

January 6 to 7, 2018

At a sea-side cafe terrasse with a view across to Tarifa, Spain, I fell into conversation with a Moroccan man who had retired from Rabat to Tangier, for its more international flavor (1). He explained that the Tangier Med Port (from where most of the ferries leave) was created about 30 miles outside the city to encourage economic development in the area. Two automobile plants had opened there to "produce 400,000 cars a year."

The project was inaugurated by King Mohammed the 6th, the current Morrocan ruler.), whom my conversation partner said "is a good king." His view of the King's predecessor (and father) Hassan the 3rd was less complimentary. "The king and parliament fought all the time" he illustrated this by banging his fists together "and the Morrocan people lost."

Many Spaniards have returned to Tangier (2), he says, due to the difficult economic times in Spain. They frequently engage in the trades, such as plumbing.

After a stomach-churning taxi ride to the Med Port (3), we checked in at the rather forlorn passenger terminal (4). We discovered that there are few passengers on foot, although travellers by car are quite frequent. 

From the ferry, we had a great view of the very distinct profile of the rock of Gilbraltar,. As we passed the rock after dark, I reminded my daughter of the time I was attacked by an ape at Gilbraltar. She rolled her eyes, having heard the story before. 

On board the Italian- flagged vessel, there was a restaurant with delicious-smelling rolls. We had not been served any by the end of the meal, so I asked for some. The waiter asked if I wanted dessert  "pane è dolci" I replied. The next day at lunch, the same waiter brought over rolls and announced: "your dessert." Upon noticing that my daughter did not eat her pizza crust, the waiter informed her that "in Napoli, we eat in all."

Our arrival at Barcelona was accompanied by what looked like a Laurel and Hardy routine; one would think the port had never seen a ferry passenger without  a car before. The dozen or so foot passengers boarded a bus, which sat still for an hour. We then tried to navigate through shipping containers, got in line behind the cars coming off the vessel, finally clearing immigration (5) and customs while aboard the bus. By the time we got to the terminal (2 hours after arrival and about 200 yards from the boat) all of the taxis had left. Luckily, there was one cab nearby who had come to pick up his family from a different boat. Thankfully, he decided he wanted the fare and his family was late anyway.

(1) Tangier did feel more like an international entrepôt than other places in Morroco. The city is located where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, is an important transshipment point, and has had many different foreign rulers. 

(2) Tangier was ruled by Spain for many years. The people here frequently speak Arabic, French and Spanish.

(3) There is only one train a day to the Med Port. The early morning schedule appears specifically designed to avoid any coordination with the ferry schedules. 

(4) For example, none of the lights were turned on in the terminal, and it was rather chilly. 

(5) I had to ask for an entry stamp, which they forgot to put in my passport. The immigration officers said we would be OK leaving without an entry stamp: "We don't worry about Americans."(a)

(a) When leaving the Shengen zone through Zurich last year, the fussy immigration official spent about 10 minutes matching entry and exit stamps and querying me about where the matching stamps were. I have a large number of such stamps and non-Swiss immigration officials do not always put the entry and exit stamps on the same page (i).

(i) Once, at a bridge crossing between Ukraine and Romania used mainly by locals, the immigration officer kept flipping back and forth between my passport pages. I think he was trying to figure out where PDR Lao is, judging by his frequent return to the page in my passport with that visa. It must have been a slow day for him.

View of Gibraltar at dusk from Tangier Med Port

Sunrise on the Mediterranean

Cruising along

The Spanish Coast

Sunset off Barcelona

Rabat to Tangier

January 5, 2018

We spent a pleasant morning walking in the Andalusian Gardens at the Kasbah in Rabat. The garden is well-designed with various different perspectives depending on your location. The gardens are home to a large number of cats, most of which craved attention (1) Apparently the garden is a popular noon-time spot and cats share the picnicers' lunch.

We took the afternoon train to Tangier, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. We shared a compartment on the train with two Moroccan women and we exchanged a few pleassntries in French (2) as they offered to share their Pringles. 

As we proceeded further north, the terrain became greener along the coastal plane and hills. We arrived at Tangier just before dusk. 

(1) One cat had a good nap on my daughter's lap for about an hour and had to be removed so we could catch our train.

(2) Virtually everyone we encountered in Morooco speaks both Arabic and French. I can mutter a few words in French.

Scenes from the Andalusian Gardens in Rabat

Train station in the middle of nowhere for trains to pass on the single-track route