Alghero, Sardinia
Rows of olive trees grew on hills leading to the sea and the coaches pulled to a stop in front of our first archeological site in Sardinia. Low and crumbling stone walls didn’t seem to be much at first glance. As we got closer we realized that these stone walls made near perfect circles, doorways and stairs, and at the back of the site, the Nuraghe Tower. Built in 1,500 B.C. the Nuragic Complex of Palmavera provided shelter to the ancient people of Sardinia. Wandering around it was hard to imagine this ruin as a busy, thriving village. The people farmed, kept cattle, fished, and defended their lands from invading pirates. Before long it was time to go from this site. Most took one last look inside the beehive shaped tower; wonder of how these people once lived filling our minds.
Like the olives, perfect rows of grapevines stretched to the horizon and the coaches drove us through the countryside and past vineyards. Our guides told us of the winemaking of the region on our way to the town of Alghero. The lovely city charmed us all with narrow cobblestone streets and tall stone buildings, classics of the Mediterranean. Our guides led us on a walk through the town down to the waterfront. They made certain we all had a chance to pick out a favorite flavor of gelato at one of the many shops on our route. Arriving at the docks and contentedly slurping gelato cones we crossed the gangway and boarded white tour boats with comfortable seats for us to enjoy a ride back to the ship. Strong seas made trips to Neptune’s Grotto, a cave carved into the rock, impossible. They had closed the cave and would not allow us to land inside. But, these boats were our ride back to the ship, so we all sat and enjoyed a larger type of boat tour. Rolling and bouncing on the ocean swell, we made our way out to Capo Caccia. The limestone cliffs rose dramatically from the sea. They were carved into many interesting nooks and crannies, small caves seen at every turn. Finally, our tour boats boldly dropped us off directly on the National Geographic Explorer. Each guest bravely stepped off the smaller ship onto the bigger one, while many helping hands reached and lifted as we made it safely between the rolling ships.
Thinking our day was pretty much done, we were starting to rest easy and think about cocktail hour when one more exciting event occurred. Our Expedition Leader announced that an octopus had ridden up the anchor chain and was sitting out on the bow. Grabbing for cameras once again nearly everyone bolted for the decks. There, indeed, was a small Mediterranean octopus crawling along. A deckhand was dispatched to get a bucket of salt water so it could be kept around long enough for everyone to get a good look. David Cothran, our Undersea Specialist told us all about the lovely deep maroon colored female. As soon as she appeared to relax, we released her back into the sea. The day finally wound to an end as the ship rounded Capo Caccia and we were finally given a glimpse of the entrance to the famous Neptune’s Grotto, the steep staircase carved into the cliff face to provide access and more looks at the amazing Sardinian limestone landscape.
