The happy time started in London on April 21st, 2019, Easter Sunday, with our picnic in Dolphin Square.
April 22nd, Gatwiсk airport. Joining a small crowd lining up to board on the London – Olbia flight. At the beginning of the line, a graceful tall lady quietly repacks her suitcase, with a smile on her face. Nan! Hurray! – and back to the boarding hassle. EasyJet worker: “your passport! – come here madam, stand here (calling somebody) – We have a Russian passport here! (in five minutes) – madam, please pack your handbag into your trolley bag, you can only have one bag.” Done. “May I have my passport back now? Thank you. “
Ole Jorgensen met us at the airport. Feeling guilty for making him wait for a long time while we rent a car, although Nan done the research beforehand and even booked one. Seventy euro for one day does not mean that we pay 630 for 9 days. With all the insurances and taxes it turned out to be more than a thousand. And almost 700 for just 4 days, and this is in spite of Nan’s Hertz membership. At last, kind and patient Maritsa remarks that we are insured from everything but for a loss of car keys. Radio volume is very loud Italian in our big, new, sparkling Audi. ( Nan wanted a Mini Cooper but there were no automatic ones). It could be my job – while Nan is busy with the road I could figure out everything about the radio, the GPS et cetera – but figuring these things out is not my forte so we just turn the radio off. As for navigation, we simply follow Ole’s classic Golf. For someone who won a sports cars racing championship in Denmark in 1960, it was easy to keep a moderate speed and an optimum distance ahead of us on the road.
Before we were on the road we went to an Auchan near the airport. For 80 euro I got 5 bottles of wine, many bottles of water, two big chunks of cheese, green and black olives, some ham and some nuts in plastic packaging, plus oranges and vegetables. At the cashdesk I was told that arance and lemoni, as well as peperoni, zucchine verdi, aglio and zenzero had to be weighed. I had to go back, learn the Italian words for what I was buying and do the weighing. Easy, compared to the Audi Italian guidebook. Finally, to Porto Ottiulu . Via di Ciclamini 56 Porto Ottiulu, 07051 Budoni. “La Mimosa”, our home for 10 days.
In the house yard and in the little gardens local people put natural stones, which had been beautifully shaped by the strong Sardinian winds:
Nice simple decorations inside La Mimosa:
After a short rest, down to the sea! It was along a very quite road, with only bird’s song and the sound of waves . Perfect natural lines and stunning colors. So serene. And this feeling of freedom, as if everything is possible.
This is the part of Sardinia on the map, where the white pebble is.
Typical April weather: hot when sunny and no wind – cold and windy when clouds hide the sun. We have our sweaters and sun protection always ready.
The first flag is one of Sardinia. Heads of four moors. From 1324 till 1479 Sardinia was ruled by the Union of Aragon Crown, and they say that the four heads symbolize four victories over the moors. On the second, yellow, flag there is a line:
– Comuni di Budoni. This is probably the flag of the province Budoni.
On the shore, the piles of weeds and some funny round things – a name «sea cucumbers» comes to mind. Such a fine white sand, feels like silk.
Ole keeps himself busy from morning till evening – with music recordings, or with his garden.
Everyone is surprised that he manages to grow oranges and lemons so near the sea. These plants are normally too cold in such places, they suffer from wind and humidity coming from the sea. But he placed the pots with the trees behind a thick natural wall of bushes, which protects the plants completely. Certainly, these days the trees and bushes only need to be cut once or twice a week, but when he came here three years ago he worked hard to turn wild bushes into the beautiful things we see today. Orange and grapefruit trees are blooming, and the lemon tree has a fruit on one of the branches. When I was here two years ago Ole gave me a lemon from this tree, it was pink inside.
There is a wind-free, protected corner for tomato as well:
On April 25th Nan and I went to the town of Posada.
Easter is over, no one around. Stopped at this “plastic” restaurant – transparent plastic walls, plastic tables – on a quiet street. The food was honest and tasty – Italy as it is.
Sanze glutini, gluten free– everyone understands this.
Uphill to an old fortress.
A Vogue shot from my official photographer Nan Kenney:
In Italian this fortress is called Castello de la fava – Bean Castle. Around 1300, Saracens besieged the town, and starving inhabitants fed their last beans to a pigeon, wounded the bird and let it fly in the direction of the pirates’ camp. Having seen a well-fed bird, the pirates decided that there was a lot of food in the fortress and waiting till those uphill surrender could take forever, so they left.
Pigeons enjoy life here these days as well.
Real estate to buy in this historic place of narrow labirynth-like streets:
Time seems to be frozen here. It sounds like a trivial phrase but really feels that way.
Castello, per favore? – we ask local people who stand outside, talking. That way, they wave with a smile. Three euro for entrance, to go along a very steep path to this tower:
Next day, it was raining in the morning. But it was Friday, and on Fridays there is a flea market and farmers’ trade in San-Teodoro. For sale: Soviet era gas masks, cashmere from Nepal, local textiles. And, certainly, vegetables, fruit, sausages, honey, dry fruit and cheeses.
Three dynamic guys sell hams, cheeses and home-made wine in plastic bottles from a mini-van.
Some houses look very, very beautiful.
Lemons and oranges here have thick peel and are juicy inside. Lots of lemon trees like this one:
Next days we went to see Capo Covalo and Porto Taverna
…and Porto Taverna. That day, the wind was so strong!
On Saturday, April 27th, our hosts, owners of La Mimosa, went back to Rome.
Restaurants – La Pirata (our favorite thanks to a friendly waiter, Domenico), and La Cambusa – Ole’s favorite. In La Cambusa they cook just four main courses – pasta, lazania, ravioli and aubergines, but they are absolutely delicious, says Ole. The restaurant is run by a couple, and they are always there, attentive to their guests. Even in December, at Christmas, they are open.
Yes, the tray is made of cork. They make quite a few things from cork here – bags, wallets, various boxes and mats. Many things made by nature are made good use of – look at this pebble with the table number in La Pirata:
Our lunch on May 2nd, before going to the airport:
Bye, Porto Ottiulu, I will keep the memories of this beautiful place.
