Waking Up in Sardinia - Part 3
Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken. ✈️ TRAVEL
Cagliari is a strikingly exotic oceanside city. The colorful, bustling capital of Sardinia, it is a cultural, educational, political and artistic center, well known for its diverse Art Nouveau architecture and monuments. It is also Sardinia's economic and industrial hub, having one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean and an international airport. For me, it is a romantic, evocative setting in which to wander and day dream.
The musical playlist in the breakfast room this morning is an eccentric sequence, courtesy of the local radio station: Frank Sinatra, followed by Vivaldi, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Albinoni, Verdi. It makes it a little hard to get into a groove, but never mind! It seems a perfect backdrop to the strong coffee, the bread and peccorino, the juicy blood oranges brought to my table to start the day.
I am scheduled to work with teachers in Cagliari for two days starting tomorrow, so I have today free to wander and explore. A poster is tacked to the lobby bulletin board for a special exhibit this month at the Bastione Cagliari: Strumenti di Tortura fra i Siecoli – Instruments of Torture Down Through the Ages. Cool. I will get over there this afternoon and see if I can learn something useful.
All the Sardi I meet are, without exception, warm, kind and helpful. They are quick to assist, eager to talk and laugh. Whether bus driver, newspaper seller, desk clerk, waiter or teacher, I have never felt more welcomed. So much so that I am able to deal with the dinner hour here — ten o’clock — not so unreasonable when in such fine company.
I do have to give the would-be traveler one fair warning. I have found, speaking in general, and based on a very small sample, that Sardinians drive as if they slip in and out of consciousness.They are not the rabid, noisy, aggressive, crazed drivers one would find in, say, Naples or Boston, but more like sleepy, or distracted, like they forget they are at the wheel. I rode with six different drivers here, men and women, and quickly learned not to speak to any of them en route, and to close my eyes. I count it as one of life’s miracles that I was not killed.
I have been working in Italy for nearly four months, and I have to say this short assignment across to Sardinia has been very enlightening. Bill Bryson once said, “I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything.” I agree whole-heartedly, based on this first-hand experience. I came to Sardinia to coach teachers, but I have learned as much, if not far more, than I taught.
If you have found these short views of Sardinia of interest, you will like this brief encounter with indescribable Sardinian cuisine: Dining Out in Cagliari
They are eating … what?
Wow!
Love these travelogues!