After a harrowing travel experience that I do not wish to recall anytime soon, I have made it to Sardinia. 4,396 miles across the ocean to the place that will be my new home for the next few years.
I arrived at the Olbia Airport and finally made it to Palau late in the afternoon. We checked into our Temporary Housing via the Hotel Piccada. Once we checked in, we were told that we'd be in a one bedroom apartment until we found our permanent house. The driver took us across the tiny town to Via Galatea to a three story blue apartment building. We were on the 2nd floor with 2 full balconies.
We headed out almost immediately to see some of the town. Terry had already been there for a few days and had some time to get to know the little city.
Before we go too far, let's get a bearing of where we are. We have to take a ferry or "traghetto" in Italian, from Palau to La Maddalena and Terry has to take another ferry to get to his ship. It's kind of a pain in the ass to get to the base to pick up mail or get groceries from the teeny tiny little exchange!
The ferry from Palau to La Maddalena takes about 25-30 minutes on a good day. Summer takes longer since they have to pack on more people and cars. It gets a little ridiculous! The first Italian phrase that I learned how to say was "Io sono residente" which means "I am a resident". That saved a lot of money since it was cheaper for locals on the ferry! Learning that one led me into my next Italian phrase.... "Un biglietto per andata e retorno" which means "One round-trip ticket." It's the little things that make me happy!
Back to the story. We walked toward the ferry port and the view from the top of the street {Circonvallazione Palau Vecchio} was absolutely amazing. Bluest water I have ever seen!
We headed over to La Maddalena from Palau on the ferry. Absolutely gorgeous!
La Maddalena is absolutely one of the most beautifully ancient working cities I have ever seen! It looks as though old and new have been entwined.
I am going to enjoy living here for the next few years!
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