The
brief trip south from fascist Fertilia to marvellous camping Mariposa was in
step with the improving weather, and as we pulled into the campsite for one of
our earliest ever check-ins, we were pleased to discover that we could have any
pitch of our choice, including those on the front line that perched over the
sea, poised as they were on a low promontory overlooking the bay towards old
Alghero and its citadel.
Our
old friend Posidonia had also travelled with us and as a storm blew in across
the bay later that day, we could see more weed gathering, waiting to join the
earlier dumps that had made it ashore… Looking a little like a rocky shoreline
until you realise its actually stacked weed. As we were to discover, Alghero
was having a particularly hard time from its marine life and the stormy
weather…
After
the storm had blown over we took our first walk into the town to have a look
around, noting the difference between the reality of a lido on an overcast day,
and its poster version…
And
it didn’t take long before we could see the full extent of what a visit from
Posidonia can look like on what would otherwise be a clean and sandy beach…
As
we neared the town we could hear the sound of music drifting on the wind, as
well as the roar of well-tuned race engines…? Yup, you guessed it, we’d fetched
up at the headquarters of the Italia/Sardegna rally and as well as a
fascinating range of street food sellers, we were treated to a long line of
manufacturer/race teams’ mobile workshops, the cars being presented (with their
drivers) on a podium, and, of course, a display of the various facets of contemporary
Italian policing and its reputation for restraint…
What
wasn’t on show for the rally, and something we found interesting and a little
amusing, is that the Italians also have a branch of their policing dedicated to
more low-key affairs that includes monitoring the distance between the sunbeds
and umbrellas in the lido concessions to ensure they are accurate – and this
explains why we had seen much use of tape measures when we saw lidos being set
up for the season!
Deciding
that we’d need to come back and make a full day of exploring Alghero and the
rally, we headed back in time for the weather to end on a sunny note and we
enjoyed a sunset dinner, overlooking the bay and the old town.
The
next day saw us heading into town again to explore the back streets, as well as
some of the more obvious tourist treats. Founded by the Genoese in the 1100s
and subsequently captured by the Spanish in the 1300s, the local Sards were
expelled and replaced by Catalans, giving rise to the distinctive Spanish feel
that can still be found.
After
a fabulous couple of hours enjoying the architecture of the old town, the
quirky decorations, the posters depicting lots of Italian centenarians and
being blown around its walls by the strong island breezes to which we were
becoming accustomed, we had a go at tracking down a restaurant we fancied
trying later that evening. It was closed when we eventually did (for obvious
reasons when we saw its marketing strap-line later!) so we opted for lunch in a
proper tourist-trap place overlooking the bay and enjoyed a lush lunch under
blue skies with a fabulous view!
By
the time we’d walked back to the van we’d had a proper stretch and, not ones to
be easily put off, we decided to have a go at booking a table at Mabrouk, the
restaurant we’d tried to find at lunchtime. Reading more about it (only fish,
only fresh, only in the evening) Mr B managed to book a table later that night
(luckily, his limited Italian covers this!) and so with a good deal of
excitement, we wandered back into town, working up a good appetite by the time
we arrived for our 8.00 booking.
And
it was just as well we’d booked, as the place was packed, with a continuous
stream of people turned away at the door (except, of course, this being Italy,
a very well groomed and important looking couple who were suddenly found a
table!) The menu is easy to negotiate; nine seafood courses, with no choice
(except for dessert) as it all depends on what’s been landed that day, served
with pitchers of wine (replaced as soon as each one is finished) and limoncello
to finish. This is wonderful food, cooked with love and at €40 a head,
outstanding value. If you ever find yourself in Alghero and you love seafood,
it’s a must! (You may need to be patient for links to load from the blog!)
Apart
from the amazing food, we also picked up some rude Catalan, as in this part of
Sardinia it’s still spoken after a fashion, and, whilst the front of house staff
at Mabrouk were wearing the company provided T-shirt with the ‘solo pesce, solo
fresco, solo la sera’ branding, we spotted the behind the scenes staff with
their Catalan alternative ‘s’ull al cul’ which Google translate will tell you
is a worker’s retort if ever there was one!
By
the time we’d finished, darkness had fallen and we were treated to a very
lively and vibrant celebration of rally culture as we watched the concourse
turn into an outdoor disco…
with
the cars waiting to make another star turn on the podium;
the
nightime life of a rally mechanic (not only under the gaze of a passing public
but with a green neon clock giving them the count down to when they must be
finished by – 0605) …
and
we also discovered that the place where we’d first come across the rally at our
free camp near Argentiera, was in fact one of the final stages on the coming Sunday!
So, here’s a short clip of the Argentiera stage – and you can make out where we
were camped behind the dust of the racing cars!
We
really enjoyed our time in Alghero for lots of obvious reasons mentioned above,
but worthy of particular note is the fact that the town provides a free WiFi
hotspot for its citizens, and that our magic gadget – iBoost, as mentioned in
an earlier blog entry (see below) enabled us to pick up a signal across the
water from over a kilometre away and catch up with lots of email and
inter-webbing!
Waking
early the next day (yup – that 0605 rally start!) we realised that the time had
come for us to head off again and enjoy more of Sardinia, this time heading for
an exotic part of the west coast, famous for its ‘quartz beach’…
S&J
No comments:
Post a Comment