Mal and Lauren

August 18-24

Escaping the heat and humidity in Washington DC, we headed west and up into the Colorado Rockies, where we spent a week in Vail. We were joined there by Jake, Kylie, Sofie, Emma, Ben and Taylor. The town is famous for its ski mountain, the largest in Colorado, but it is also a beautiful and interesting place to visit in the summer.

It is named for Charles Vail, the highway engineer who routed U.S. Highway 6 (now Interstate 70) through the valley where the town is located in 1940. The ski area was founded in 1962 by Pete Seibert and local rancher Earl Eaton. Seibert had served in the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division during World War II, and had trained at nearby Camp Hale. He was wounded in Italy at the Battle of Riva Ridge but recovered and went on to become a professional skier.

The town itself is basically a recreation of a European alpine village and walking around it’s easy to imagine yourself in the Swiss Alps. It is very pristine with beautiful flowers everywhere and a crystal clear mountain creek running through the center of town.

Along with the hiking and biking and other physical activities there are also a number of spaces for those seeking some culture. The Gerald Ford Amphitheater, named after the American President who resided in the town, is an idyllic spot to view a concert and we went along one evening to watch a Latin funk band.

It also has a quiet, serene library, where we stopped for a while to relax and catch up on some reading.

There is a great weekend market where you can buy all sorts of crafts and fresh produce, including the best smoked salmon that you will find anywhere.

For those more actively inclined, there is a gondola to the top of the mountain where there are various activities, including a bungie trampoline and a zip line for the kids.

Time for one last group photo.

July 21, 2022

We started the day having breakfast in the beautiful garden of the Hotel Lucrezia, a quaint little inn that was once a farmhouse. The hotel is tucked into a backstreet of the tiny little village of Riola Sardo.

After breakfast, we drove over to nearby Putzu Idu beach. Despite the early hour, it was already rather crowded.

So we didn’t stay long but headed off to our next and final destination, Gesturi. Like Riola Sardi, Gesturi is a tiny little village. Arriving at the village in the late afternoon, we immediately went exploring its narrow streets.

The main claim to fame for the village appears to be that it is the birthplace of Father Nicola da Gesturi. Born in 1882 as Giovanni Medda, he became a friar in his late twenties, taking the name Father Nicola and spent the rest of his life wandering the streets of Cagliari begging for alms. He became much loved in the city and during his wanderings many approached him not only to give money but also to ask for advice, comfort or a prayer. During World War II, Cagliari was heavily bombed and Father Nicola stayed in the city offering help among the rubble. He died in 1958 and about sixty thousand people attended his funeral. Apparently, traffic was blocked for hours during the funeral procession. His photo is on the wall of the church and his face is on a number of murals in the town.

We stayed the night a quaint B&B, called Cortis Antigas, that had been beautifully restored by our host.

Next door to the B&B was a charming restaurant where we had a great meal sitting in its courtyard.

The next morning we had breakfast in the inn’s courtyard. Like practically all of the food we have had during our trip, it was fresh and delicious.

After breakfast we headed to the airport, after a couple of amazing weeks in Sardinia and Corsica. We thoroughly recommend them to anyone seeking a Mediterranean holiday. Hopefully, we will get back there some time in the future.

July 20, 2022

Having crossed back into Sardinia, we drove down to Bosa. It’s a quaint little town with colorful buildings and a hilltop castle. We started with an espresso at one of the local cafes before setting out to explore the narrow streets of the old town.

July 20, 2022

With a couple of hours to spare before catching the ferry back to Sardinia, we once again took to the streets of Bonifacio. It was much earlier, much less crowded and much more pleasant than the day before.

July 19, 2022

We drove down to Bonifacio to explore its old town that sits high above a sheltered harbor. The old town is built within a fortress that clings to the cliffs, part of which dates back to the year 828 when it was founded by Boniface II of Tuscany. By the time we arrived at midday the town was already packed with tourists and the sun was scorching. We took a little train up to the city and roamed its shady and narrow streets for an hour before beating a hasty retreat back to the car and heading to the beach for one last Corsican swim.

July 16, 2022

Another day, another beach. This time we made our way to Plage de Palombaggia, a more open beach than the others that we have visited, but no less beautiful. On such a sunny day, le lait protecteur (sunscreen) was essential. Les sauveteurs en mer (lifeguards), not so much, with shallow waters and not a wave in sight.

In the evening, we made our way to Porto Vecchio for dinner in the lively old town. We loved the fact that even late at night everyone was still out and about, from families with small children, to roaming groups of teenagers, to older couples. From what we could tell, most were French. We didn’t notice any of the Americans, Chinese, English or Germans that you often come across in Greece and Spain and other European tourist destinations.

July 15, 2022

We took a two hour drive across the island to the hillside town of Sartene. It dates back to medieval times and granite buildings from the early 1500s still line some of its streets. Apparently, the town was a frequent target for pirates. One of the most infamous attacks happened in 1583 when pirates from Algiers took aways 400 of the town’s citizens. Today it is a sleepy town and on a hot day there was not much going on in its ancient streets.

After lunch in the town square and a mandatory gelato from a little mobile mint green gelato stand, we started to explore its narrow streets. However, it wasn’t long before our group decided that on such a scorching day, a better course of action would be to head to the beach. So we drove down the stunning coastline and headed toward Plage de Rondinara.

Arriving in the late afternoon, we found Rondinara to be the most beautiful beach that we had come across so far in Corsica. It is a perfect horseshoe shape with only a narrow gap to the open ocean. Like all of the Corsican beaches that we visited, it also had a great beachside restaurant, so as the sun went down we enjoyed a beautiful meal and a couple of drinks before setting out on the winding road back to our AirBnB.

July 15, 2022

Named after one of Corsica’s patron saints, Santa Giulia, this beach set in a horseshoe bay, is one of Corsica’s most popular. As such, it was very crowded when we were there. Unfortunately, it also attracted more than its fair share of seaweed.

July 14, 2022

We spent the morning hanging around our beautiful AirBnB. The house was built in the 1970s but looks much older, having been constructed with hand carved stone.

In the afternoon, we drove to nearby Saint Cyprien for our first swim in Corsican waters. The beach was beautiful and not too crowded and the water was clear and warm. There was also a restaurant and bar right on the beach that sold excellent fresh food and refreshing drinks. It was a far cry from the fast food and supersize sodas you commonly find at American beaches.

July 13, 2022

We had a look around Santa Teresa di Gallura while we were waiting for our ferry to Corsica. The town’s small crescent shaped beach was very crowded so we walked up the headlands overlooking the beach for some spectacular views.

Then it was on to the ferry for the short ride across to Corsica.

Time to show off our new tattoos (temporary).

After a short ferry ride we pulled into Bonafacio, the home of several massive oligarch yachts and a centuries old fort.