Ritorno a Capo d'Orso

Went back up to Bear Rock today with a friend...

Capo d'Orso

So, Bear Rock, or Capo d'Orso is an ancient rock formation that from the water below looks like a bear. It's a bit of a hike to climb from the parking area to the top.. Which we did today!

That's my little white Prius about to park

Why are all of the photos of me? Terry HATES having his picture taken!

...and he always wears stupid shirts!

Vista da Casa Mia

"Vista da Casa Mia"

Translated to English View from My House

This is the view from the front balcony facing Via Cavour. The large concrete area is a playground for the local elementary school. It does get a little loud in the afternoons with the kids out there, but it's not too bad most of the time.

Our balcony on the front is small and winds across the odd layout of the house. There is room for a small table outside when we want to eat in the fresh air.

Those multitudes of trash bins.. yeah, these are mandatory as recycling is a law in Italy. There is a separate bin for paper, plastic, glass, and food. They do get pretty loud on the weekends when they empty the glass bin at 7 am.

View from the back of the house. That church bell tower in the background. That's about 4 streets over and it's a working monastery. That bell rings every day on the half hour from 7am to 10pm.

La Nostra Casa Italiana

La Nosta Casa Italiana
"Our Italian House"

We finally moved in! I think the view from the back balcony is going to be the most amazing feature of this whole place! The saying.. "I can't believe I get to live here has been said a few times already!~

Here is the front entrance. The double doors are our front door. There is a telephone next to it so people can call up from downstairs and we can hit the buzzer to open the front door down on the first floor. That bomb-looking thing at the end of the hall is a bombola, or the source of our heat, hot water, and cooking for the remainder of our time here.

Kitchen. So here's the big difference between American kitchens and European Kitchens.. When someone moves, they take EVERYTHING, including the kitchen sink! Everything you see here in the kitchen is sent over by the American Navy to use while we are in Italy.

Living Room:

Balconies:

Andata e Ritorna, Ancora

"Andata e Ritorno, Ancora"

Translated into English is "There and Back, Again."

Tuesday morning, just like most these days, I had to take the ferry over to La Maddalena to check the mail. {This is going to become very annoying VERY SOON!} 

However annoyed I am to have to go over to check the mail or go to the bank, I can still never get over the beauty that surrounds me each time I ride the ferry. Amazing!

Riding the traghetto or the ferry there are always so many awesome things to see. This time, there was a sail boat and a cruise liner.

Getting off of the ferry when you are walking is MUCH easier than driving. You just walk down the ramp and off of the boat. Done.

La Maddalena is absolutely beautiful. I have never lived this close to the ocean before and I think I'm getting used to it rather quickly! I love this place!

This is Piazza Garibaldi. It's named for Italian General, Politician and Naturalist Giuseppe Garibaldi. He retired on the natural preserve on the Island of Caprera just a shaky bridge away from here in in 1855 until he died in 1882. The middle photo is a monument to his wife, Anita.

There are two bars in Piazza Garibaldi: Maninoteca and Charlie Bar. Charlie is always filled with military guys and Americans, so I really never go there.

La Mia Serata en La Città

"La Mia Serata en La Città" 

Translated into English is My Evening in the Town.

There is a little Mexican restaurant close to my temporary house that we enjoy going to late in the evening.  Sit on the terrace and have a coffee or a beer and look out at the place where I am lucky enough to be allowed to live!

Tourist Season

So, this morning, Roselynn and I had to go over to La Maddalena to pick up the mail at the base Post Office. Let me tell you, this will be the thing that drives me the craziest while I am here.

It's the night of tourist season here on La Madd and it was made quite obvious by the fact that the parking lot at the terminal was FULL. I mean seriously full. There was not one place to park. Luckily, we walked over and didn't have to worry about finding a place.

I've not been here that long yet, so I look like one of the tourists and less like someone who will be living here for the next few years. It's still a fun game that we've been playing since yesterday.. the one where we watch people and try to guess where they are from solely based on their attire. Then we get close enough to hear them speak and determine the place.

We got on the ferry and headed back to Palau. I think I like it better over there. It's too early to tell just yet, but it feels less crowded and maybe a little more quiet on that side. i'm glad we'll be living on that side!

After we got back, we hung at at the temporary housing and drank some wine and had a little food. It was nice to have someone to sit with while the guys are at sea. Being in a new place and really not having a grasp of the language yet is difficult.

I took this picture looking into the hills of Palau just after the sun went down. It's amazing and I know I will say this a ton.. but...

I can't believe I get to live here!

Morning Ferry Ride

It's only about 5 miles across the water from Palau to La Maddalena. The ferry ride is actually very relaxing. This morning, I took the ferry across to La Mad and back. Here are the photos from my trip.

Girl About Town

Met some new friends since Terry went to sea and left me here to figure this all out on my own! Such is the life of a Navy Wife! We took a trip over to La Maddalena from Palau. The ferry port was fairly deserted for this time of year.

We arrived in La Maddalena and walked down the sidewalk to Piazza Garibaldi.

After we spent some time in La Maddalena, we headed back to Palau on the Ferry.

After we got off the ferry, we went to the next little town over, Arzachena, to visit some other new friends. It's nice to know more people now!

La Mia Casa è la Tua Casa

It definitely did not take that long for me to locate a perfect little place for us to live! It was the second place that I was shown in the city and it was within walking distance to everything! 

Our new house is located at:

Via Cavour 10, Apartamento Interno #5

It's a pretty sweet little place and about 1250 square feet. It's on the 3rd floor of the yellowish building below. We have full length balconies on both sides of the apartments. Lots of windows and natural light. Really looking forward to living here. It even has tub, which is really not that common around here!