We were rather unpatriotic again this year as we spent the 4th of July in Italy. With Ryanair offering such cheap flights, we couldn’t resist a last minute trip to Sardinia. We flew into Alghero, which is a very charming town on the western coast of the island. For five days we escaped the daily grind and indulged ourselves with sun, sea, sand and gelato.
The first beach we hit up was Lido. Conveniently located near most of the main hotels, Lido beach offers a sandy beach and wonderful opportunities for people watching.
But when we walked 10 more minutes north we found exactly what we were looking for at Maria Pia beach. Miles of white sandy beach and clear blue water that went as far as the eye could see.
We spent the next few days building sand castles, competing for a tan as golden as the Italians and swimming in the warm blue sea.
[caption id="attachment_1359" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="We bought the inflatable swim toy from a beach vendor"][/caption]
Down the street from our apartment was a wonderful grocery store stocked with everything we needed for breakfast and snacks at the beach.
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For lunch we found out restaurants don’t open until 12:30-1ish. Snack bars are typically open, but for a restaurant we had to wait until later afternoon. Restaurants also close around 3pm and don’t open for dinner until 7pm.
Our favorite restaurant ended up being the Lido Pizzeria, situated right on the beach. Very thin, fire baked crust with a thin sauce and excellent quality cheese paired with a glass of vino made for one of the best meals we’ve had.
[caption id="attachment_1362" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Mr. Wright enjoying some vino in peace"][/caption]
We went to Alghero for the sole purpose of rest and relaxation. No agenda other than beach, beach and more wonderful beach. One morning was overcast, so instead of gambling a possible rainy day at the beach we decided to try one of the many boat tours offered down by the harbor. The boat ride to Neptune’s Grotto offered dramatic views of giant rocky cliffs submerged in the deep blue sea.
Walking through the caves of Neptune’s Grotta had me feeling like an extra in Indiana Jones. Mesmerizing and a bit creepy at the same time, but definitely worth the visit.
[caption id="attachment_1367" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Neptune's Grotto via iphone"][/caption]
After a fun day at the beach we showered up and would head down to the city center of Alghero for dinner and exploration.
One place that got our eyes wide was this pirate candy store, loaded with sweet treasures.
The Italian culture was every bit as dreamy and romantic as I imagined it to be. The food was phenomenal. The language simply gorgeous. The speedos abundant and the hospitality so warm. We were swept away by the beauty of this incredible Italian island and know we will definitely be going back again.
[caption id="attachment_1285" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="The husband and me in Zadar"][/caption]
I have really missed blogging and have been wanting to write about our trip to Croatia for quite a while now. But....
Life happened.
A few weeks ago we had a health scare with my little dude that resulted in an ambulance ride to the ER and kept us in the hospital for 3 nights. It was the scariest experience of our lives to say the least. Poor little guy ended up having 2 febrile seizures, 2 ear infections and tonsillitis! The whole experience is a blog post of its own, but the baby is doing great now! He is happy, chubby and back to his devilish ways and I'd have it no other way :) Then kindergarten was out for 2 weeks for spring break (in Germany preschool is called kindergarten), there was Easter and then I got sick.
*Whew*
I feel like things are finally *knock on wood* back to normal and so here I am again to write about Zadar :)
Zadar, Croatia
Day 1: Greetings to the Sun, the Sea Organ and Bruschetta Our first day, we spent the afternoon exploring the city’s shops and historical sights. One of my favorite things to take pictures of in every city we visit are the alley ways. They tell a story of the way people live. Whether there are bikes parked along the alley or children running through the streets, there is a certain quaintness to narrow, cobblestone streets surrounded by ancient buildings. In Zadar in particular just about every alley way was adorned with clothing hung out to dry.
It reminded me of what I’d expect to see in Italy. Which makes sense because Zadar is also a city in the Mediterranean and has a strong Italian influence. The architecture of the buildings was very beautiful and simply picturesque.
[caption id="attachment_1261" align="aligncenter" width="388" caption="Me and Little Wright in Zadar"][/caption]
After a day of shopping and sightseeing is was nice to grab a coffee(me), an ice cream(Little Wright) and a nice cold beer(Mr. Wright) and sit and listen to the harmonic sounds of the Sea organ while watching the sun set. The Sea organ, constructed by Nikola Bašić as part of the project to redesign the new city coast, is a man-made musical instrument of sorts that creates sounds caused from the movement of waves crashing into large tubes located underneath marble steps.
Steps of the Sea organ
As it started to get darker we could notice the "Greeting to the Sun" , which is a large circle 22 meters in diameter that soaks up the energy from the sun during the day and at night lights up to the rhythm of the waves. Also created by Bašić, the all-natural wonder truly was amazing. To read about the construction and science behind it go here.
Greetings to the Sun
For dinner we ate at Bruschetta, pronounced "brewshketa" by the people in Zadar, which came highly recommended by the staff at our hotel. And no wonder! The food was amazing. The pizza is some of the best I've ever had anywhere and is the sole reason I gained a few pounds on the trip. The first time we ate there I ordered a shrimp pasta with green noodles in a garlic and wine cream sauce.
Pasta at Bruschetta
Oh. My. Goodness.
This is my idea of good food.
After a long day of travel, walking, sight-seeing and then being stuffed fat with delicious carbs we were exhausted and grateful to have a nice place to stay.
Day Two: Local Cuisine and Ferry Ride to Preko The second day in Zadar was so warm and sunny we wanted to lay by the water. Though there are beaches, this isn’t the place to go if you’re looking for sand. The beaches here are pebbly, which wasn’t a problem for us. The water was clear and beautiful and Little Wright had just as much fun as she would have if it were a sandy beach.
Zadar's pebbly beaches
After soaking up some sun we decided to eat lunch at Nikko’s. Though we were warned it was very expensive, we were so curious to try local Dalmation cuisine and the restaurant was located right on the water. I think one of the best ways to truly experience a new culture is through the food. Honestly none of it sounded good: Octopus, Anchovies, Sardines…..uhhhhh not exactly my kind of food. But we ordered the appetizer platter anyway:
Dalmatian Cuisine
And after several large gulps of wine I swallowed a tiny bite of the octopus, but refused to eat the anchovies or sardines. Little Wright ate it up though.
After lunch, we decided to end the afternoon and evening with a ferry ride to Preko. Preko, located on the island of Ugljan, is a 20 minute ferry ride from Zadar. It would have been the best part of our trip had it not been off season. It was so beautiful and such a quaint town. I would have loved to peek into the shops and eaten at one of the many restaurants located on the coast, but such is life when traveling during off season.
Day Three: Exploring Nin When I did research before our trip, several people had mentioned Nin was the place to go for sandy beaches. Though Nin did have A sandy beach, it was located in a lagoon and didn’t impress me much. The town however was very interesting. It was so tranquil and serene. The town itself was so old and broken down it looked like none of the houses had been rebuilt or repaired after the many wars that haven taken place over the years. Yet still there was a beauty to it all. To see how simply some people live really put our own lives into perspective.
We putzed our way around for a while and then headed back to the hotel to let the kids rest a bit. We stayed at Villa Triana and loved our stay there. The great part about our hotel room was we had two balconies, both with a sea view! I specifically look for a hotel located on the water with a balcony, so that if we had to go back for the kiddos we could still enjoy the scenery.
In addition to being right by the city bus, Villa Triana was also right next to a small grocery store. We bought some juice, snacks and a few beers and were able to sit outside and enjoy the views of the sea with a bit of peace. It was wonderful and I highly recommend this hotel to anyway who travels to Zadar.
Three nights was just enough time to spend in Zadar, Croatia. I loved the culture, the people and how the whole city feel like old world meets charm. Until next time…
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