We started queuing for the France ferry only to be told they’d been a strike on & they were unsure which port we’d arrive in Marseille or Toulon!! After digesting the news we were in the queue having a much needed beer as it was soooo hot, got chatting to some fellow travellers where we had an excellent time exchanging beer for salami & various other meats, party time!! We eventually got on the ferry & were very surprised & delighted at the standard & quality of it, as we’ve had some dubious ferries in the past!! We also had an outside cabin with a view what a treat! Got settled in & enjoyed our scrummy homemade buffet whilst watching the sun setting over Corsica.

We arrived into Marseille port, we haven’t been in mainland Europe since November of last year.

We had a lovely scenic drive going along the b-roads following the Rhone River in 28 degree heat. We’d never seen so many motorhomes & caravans, in some countries we haven’t seen any at all!  It was obviously the start of the season, also the diesel is getting cheaper working out at £1.08 which is great news.

Drove into Montelimar which is the capital of Nougat, Tony certainly enjoyed himself on all the samples!! Next stop was the ancient & historic town of Beaune, & also the wine capital of Burgundy. We had a lovely day exploring the beautiful, picture postcard walled city with loads of antique shops & wine cellars. We had our French dining experience consisting of Snails, Beef Bourguignon & a few bottles of wine, bliss! Early start as we’ve got a few miles to do, onto Langras which stands like a mighty fortress overlooking the Marne Valley. Had a stroll around the 3.5km parapet walk, through the maze of narrow streets, covered passageways & Roman archways. We arrived into Reims a city in the Champagne region, with its impressive Notre Dam Cathedral of Reims (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with magnificent gothic architecture. We inquired at the tourist office about a local market, walked for a couple of miles eventually arrived to the sight of just 4 stalls!! A cappuccino & almond croissant made up for it though!

Calais here we come, BlLIGHTY not far now!!!

Click to view slideshow.

 Corsica  is a French  island in the Mediterranean Sea  which is located West of Italy.  It has Bombay gin coloured sea & white sandy beaches. The island is 183km long & 83km wide, two thirds of the island comprises of mountains, very picturesque, scenic & dramatic island.

Arrived into the stunning natural harbour of Bonifacio, its split into two sections old town & the upper city on the site of a citadel, built in the 9^th century. The city & its fortifications extend for some distance along the cliff tops, which appear to overhang, very beautiful.

Ajaccio is the capital city of Corsica & Napoleons birth place. A glittering harbour front lies to the east of the foundation site at the original citadel on the hill. The old town has narrow shaded streets lined with attractive, typical Mediterranean houses. A great place to explore with loads of fabulous restaurants where you can sample some magnificent local Corsican fare.

Unfortunately we were only here for 8 nights, stopping on a campsite for a couple of nights to catch up on some much needed jobbies! Just opposite the site is a stunning little cove with crystal clear sea which we practically had to ourselves, bliss!

We’re catching the ferry to the South of France & heading north towards home where we can’t wait to see our families & friends.

We both decided to have a treat so we booked ourselves into a campsite for 2 nights, bliss! www.isuledda.it

Arrived into Porto Cervo  (Deer Port) named after its enchanting cove which looks like the antlers of a deer! This is not millionaires row but billionaires row!!  An abundance of vast boats, where you could be rubbing shoulders with the rich & famous, must have known we were arriving as the old port was deserted!!

Had a couple of pit stops in Arzachena & Cannigione two lovely towns.

Next into Palau where we got the ferry to one of the ‘Seven Sisters Islands’ Maddalena with its beautiful beaches, rocky granite terrain & ancient fortifications. 

 Had our first sight of Corsica at the nature reserve of Cape Testa, famous for its massive white rocks/boulders, unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side, it was chucking it down so only had a quick walk around, got absolutely soaked!!

 Santa Teresa another wonderful town where the main square hosts the restaurants & shops, later that evening there was a  May 1st concert on with some great local bands, Tony was a happy chappy as there was a bbq aswell! Catching the ferry to Corsica  tomorrow can’t wait.

We’ve both throughly enjoyed the scenic & wonderful  island of Sardinia with its dramatic & rugged coastline, we’ve walked 152 miles & driven 546 miles in our 5 week Sardian Adventure with its stunning beaches, turquoise water, scrumptious local cuisine & wine, not to be missed.

Click to view slideshow.

We made our way to Sassari  which lies 225 metres above sea level rising up onto a wide plateau which gently slopes down towards the Gulf of Asinara, had a lovely walk around the town taking in the fabulous sights.

Headed East to Tempio Pausania immediately entering into a horrific hailstorm! but it made a refreshing change being in the mountains to the coast, the town is situated on a plateau surrounded by Granite rocks from which spring waters gush out, majority of the buildings in the town are built in Granite stone, a lovely small town.

Had a couple of free nights at the marina in Olbia, highlight for Tony was discovering a Pork Pie shop Italian style!!!!

Arrived into Golfo Aranci & found a great spot right by a small sandy beach, fab. Had another great 14 mile walk around Cape Figari (342 metres high) with its quaint sandy bays, it lies  on the edge of a Marine conservation area, absolutely stunning, reminded us of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand! 

 We discovered a great snack bar ‘Pappafico’ with a really friendly owner ‘Tonino’, amazing hospitality, a fab place to relax especially over some ‘Malvasia’ wine magnifico!  We also sampled there scrummy local Sardinian snack ‘Spianate Calde’ (Warm Sardinian Sandwich) it’s a bit like a flat bread but far nicer filled with anything from Roast Pork, Various Cheeses, Tuna & Salad too name a few! 

MALASPINA CASTLE(1112) BOSA

Bosa is an unspoilt town situated on a small hill, surrounded by beautiful wild countryside with stunning beaches & coastline, about 3km inland on the North bank of the Temo River. Along the river there are ruined Tanneries & National monuments from the days when Bosa exported fine leather all over Europe. 

The historic centre is a maze of medieval streets, stone staircases & terraces of tall brightly painted houses, nestled under the hilltop of the Malaspina Castle.

Alghero is in the North West part of Sardinia, next to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s built around a fortified port founded around 1102 by the Genoese Doria family.  Had a great day exploring the maze like narrow lanes & piazzas of the old town, soaked in the atmosphere over a glass or two! Its Marina is situated just outside the town walls & immediately beyond is the town beach which stretches 3 miles to the town of Fertilia.

Next stop to Cape Caccia, where we had a very windy night which rocked the motorhome! Unfortunately with the harsh conditions ‘Neptune’s’ Grotto was closed, apparently it has saltwater lakes extending to 2,500 metres in length, the pictures look amazing, we’ll have to re-visit some other time! The Cape is a protected Marine area 36km & covers 2,631 hectares of land with interesting sea caves & Coral Sea floors.

Following day made our way hugging the dramatic & rugged coastline from the most South Westerly point to the most North Westerly point to Cape Falcone with its stunning small white sandy beaches, where we had another fabulous, scenic 16 mile walk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz8zIRFABbw Motorhoming Sardinia

CAPE MANNU

Set off along the dramatic & scenic coastal road to Buggerru which is set on a suggestive gorge with a slight slope towards the sea, it has a small quaint harbour & fantastic sandy beaches. The village is surrounded by mountains covered with historical ruins that tell of its mineral past.

We visited an ore washing plant where the extraction began in the 1600s but only became economically relevant in the early 1900s, rich in Coal, Sulphur, Zinc, Lead & Silver, had to walk down 349 steps to get to it that wasn’t too bad but coming back up!!!!

Made our way to Cape Mannu  which is situated in the territory of the commune of San Vero Milis, 22km North of Oristano  on the Northern tip of the Sinis Peninsula. It is a Marine protected area very beautiful, unbelievable views where we had an amazing 15 mile trek around the Cape taking in its breathtaking surroundings. Had 3 glorious  free nights very peaceful & tranquil.

We’ve travelled South West through Pula  onto Chia  which we found very beautiful, then we headed North West to Porto Pino  Nature Reserve  which is a coastal port with magnificent clean white sand dunes located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea  between Monaco  & Tunis. We had 4 peaceful free nights with some great walks.

Next stop Sant’Antioco  island for the religious Easter processions which last for a week, we observed the Good Friday procession where the hooded members of the religious brotherhoods carry candles & crucifixes & are accompanied by a slow drum beat, alot of the streets were lined with brightly lit torches a totally unique procession ( see the pics!)

We had a major hailstorm last night not so peaceful!!

CAGLIARI

We sad our sad farewells to Sicily leaving Palermo port to board our 15 hour ferry journey to Sardinia. We arrived in 25  degree heat to the capital of Sardinia ‘Calgliar’,an ancient port city with a long history. It’s situated at the Southern most tip of the island along a long bay. The old part of the city (Castello, Castle) lies on top of a rounded hill with wonderful views of the  Gulf of Cagliari (also known as Angels Gulf).

We found a lovely spot for snuggly to spend the night cooling herself under a big tree by the marina. We both throughly enjoyed wandering around the fabulous streets admiring the beautiful architecture & the scrummy icecream!

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THEATRE

 We arrived in Mondello  which is on the outskirts of Palermo, found a lovely spot right on the beach where we’ve had 6 glorious free nights.

We set of early the following morning & got a bus into Palermo, we asked a fellow passenger which stop for the market he replied ‘unsafe there’ then quickly got off the bus?! We proceeded anyway as you do with no trouble at all into a colourful & vibrant market in the heart of the city.

Palermo is the capital of Sicily; it’s located in the North West of the island right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.  We had a full day admiring its Romanesque, Gothic & Baroque architecture, with the sun shining fab.

We decided to walk back to Mondello, going the long way around?! 14kms later we eventually got back to ‘Snuggly’ where we quickly whipped off our shoes & socks & had a refreshing cool down in the sea, bliss.

Next stop Monreale which is situated on the slope of Monte Caputo,the town is famous for its cathedral which is one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture in the world. It began in 1174 by William 11 & in 1182 the church, dedicated it to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Pope Lucius 111 elevated it to the rank of a Metropolitan Cathedral. As you may have noticed there are a few churches/cathedrals on this blog! But I think we saved the best till last, check out the pictures!

Click to view slideshow.   

Our thoughts of Sicily: we’ve had 18 weeks of enjoyable camping along the coast especially all the free spots! It’s been sublime, can’t wait to re-visit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w9XL5-7T6Q&list=UU4feLO3GE48RBNC6VXq8Gsg&index=1&feature=plcp

'DORIC' Temple

 After our long walk on the ‘Zingaro’ nature reserve we found a great spot on the beach just down from Scopello. A little later on a fellow motorhomer lit a fire, with wine flowing, followed by a mix of German, Czech & Welsh songs, who do you think sang the loudest??!! Good night’s sleep!

Following day with fuzzy heads we made our way to ‘Segesta’ it lies on a hilltop ‘Monte Barbaro’ at 305 metres above sea level with views over the valley towards the Gulf of Castellammare. The city was protected by the steep slopes on several sides & by the walls on the gentler slope towards the Temple.

Wow what an impressive sight that greets you as you make your way up the hill is the unusually well preserved ‘Doric’ Temple, built in the late 5^th century BC. It has 6×14 columns on a platform of 3 steps high.

We had a great day exploring the area, but our tummies started to rumble so we headed to the small fishing town of ‘Castellammare del Golfo’, roughly translated “Sea-Fortress (castle of the sea) of the Gulf”, deriving from the Medieval Fortress in the harbour. In ancient times it had been the harbour of Segesta; it is also noted for been the birthplace of many American mafia figures!!! We stumbled across a lovely little restaurant where we had a 3 course lunch for 13 Euros each, stuffed to the brim with a  goodie bag to go; we’ll need to do some more walking!!!!