Mountain Excursions

We had the opportunity again this weekend to see some of the other parts of Sardinia outside of Cagliari, specifically the mountainous region surrounding the island's east coast. Though it was a bit of bus ride to get out there, it was well worth it to see some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever come across.

On the road 

After about a two hour drive from Cagliari we found ourselves in a small town on the outskirts of the mountains. Here we visited a cultural museum which highlighted customary Sardinian clothing and its use in religious traditions that were carried out in the region. We were informed of some of the ceremonies that were once carried out and shown photographs of some of them in action, as well as models of recreations. Some of them seemed a little eccentric and strange but highly interesting nonetheless. 

Another costume from a traditional celebration, bearing strong resemblance to the creepy dead rabbit thing in 'Donnie Darko'  

Masked men dressed in black from head to toe pull a cart for a 'carnival' type of festival in which people take on the roles of animals. These men are symbolically switching place with oxen on a farm.

These practices were seen as pagan and primitive to Christian missionaries that eventually came to the region, who discouraged their popularity and continuation. Based on what we saw it was easy to see how these festivals can look a little less than angelic to the outside viewer. If I was unfamiliar with these traditions and saw the pack of men from the picture above trudging in my direction I would certainly be a little freaked out. Though Christianity has been the dominant belief system in the area for some time now it was interesting to get a glimpse of how the culture of the region developed completely independently of those in continental Europe.  

Took this picture in passing from the bus, got lucky and accidentally got a Sardinian flag in there 

The next leg of our journey brought us about an hour further into the mountains to a large farm run by shepherds who cook massive meals for travelers visiting the area. The food was fresh and incredibly good, and as usual the wine was plentiful. We had sheep meat boiled with potatoes in some sort of broth that was so tender it is practically falling apart in your mouth. My personal favorite was the roasted suckling pig, whose aroma became the first thing on your mind upon walking into the seating area. The tender juicy white meet of the pig is perfectly complemented by the crispy, smoky, and salty skin surrounding it. I ate as much of it as physically could and left myself feeling uncomfortably full and totally satisfied. The meal also came with a shot of grain alcohol at its conclusion, in case you didn't get your fill from the wine. The lunch suddenly became a huge social function after all of the eating was done. The shepherds led traditional group dances and belted out some impressive sounding traditional throat singing. We intermingled with other Italian tourists at the site, who had clearly taken advantage of the farm's unlimited wine policy. They were extremely friendly, took plenty of pictures with us, and welcomed us to their country. I really got a kick out of the whole thing. Not a single person without a smile could be found.  

I succumbed to my food coma immediately upon sitting back down on the bus and woke up in Orgosolo, a mountainside city know for its infamous history of banditry and rebellion. The city is filled with dozens of beautiful graffiti murals, most of which are filled with political and social commentary. We wandered up and down the streets admiring them. The US was depicted in a few of the murals, in a not so positive way.

We spent the night at an amazing hotel built right up on a mountainside. As soon as we pulled into parking lot the first thing on my mind was finding a way to the top of the mountain that was essentially in the backyard of the hotel.  I went to my room to quickly throw down my belongings, appreciated the insane view of the mountains our balcony provided, and set out on a hike. A lot of people got wind of our plan and came along with us. We found a few trails and began making our way up the mountain. I saw a rock formation with a few anchors drilled into its side and decided that I should try climbing one of the easier routes, which a little overambitious considering I didn't have any ropes and was only wearing hiking boots. I made it about 15-20 feet up before I did't feel safe enough to keep climbing. Thankfully Ted was right with me the whole time and was able to guide me down safely, with only a minor scratch on my stomach from scraping against rock. We caught up to the rest of the group making our way up off trail through some more rocks and got to the rock formation just shy of the mountain's peak where everyone was gathering. We took turns climbing to the tippy top (for lack of a better word) of the rock formation and enjoyed one of the best panoramic views I have ever seen on a hike:

Just before sunset

The hike was so great we decided to do it again before we left, and got up at 5:30 the next morning to see the sunrise from the mountain's peak:

Sunrise from the top of the mountain

After breakfast we shipped out to a small port side town on the island's eastern coast and boarded a boat that took us out on the crystal clear Mediterranean waters for a series of scenic location visits. We stopped first at a massive cave on the ocean that was once heavily populated with seals that has since become a tourist destination. Though the cave was very cool (In both the literal and colloquial sense of the word) they unfortunately did not allow any pictures. We then proceeded to spend the remainder of the day essentially being chauffeured by boat to what were without a doubt the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. There were plenty of rocks to be climbed and jumped off of into the perfectly picturesque ocean. Here's what the beaches looked like:

  After the long and exhausting day of lounging on the beach, we finally made it to land and three hours later back to Cagliari. We had met a few Americans in a rock band touring on the island a few nights ago and knew that they were playing a show at a local bar that night. A couple of us went down to see what turned out to be a pretty fun show. It is still so strange to me to see Sardinians with such appreciation for rock music in English but nonetheless I love it. We also met a few other native English speakers hailing from England, Scotland, and the US who all live and work in the city. I am slowing getting better at meeting other people in these types of situations when we go out, given that I really don't speak any Italian and most Sardinians don't speak English. In fact last night I think I spoke more Spanish than either language, just because of the preference of the locals in being able to understand me given how similar the languages are. It always works out though, hand gestures tend to make up for what words can't. It was a good end to an amazing weekend.