05.10 The last "petit dejeuner" of the trip is finished. In two hours we will be on the way from the beautiful island of Corsica, the island which is the fourth largest in the Mediterranean. We have previously on our trips been to the largest, Sicily and the third largest, Cyprus. Today awaits the second largest island, Sardinia. It is also from there that the flight home will take place on Saturday.

06.16 The time has come to close the shutter. We are about to leave the room and hopefully the hotel and island. This is the day when nothing can go wrong. We must get to Sardinia or we will not get home.

06.33 We got out of the hotel and to the harbour. We got a ticket each and included in it is a seat in a salon. We are awaiting the green light to go on board. It appears that no other passengers are here. Today it is less windy and the sky over the eastern hills is lit red by the rising sun.

07.19 A half-dozen other passengers boarded and we decided to do the same. Now are our backpacks are in lockers 13 and 15 and we are in separate comfortable seats.

Early morning in Propriano ferry port.

08.46 We have around an hour late started leaving Propriano. I slept a little since we got here. The armchairs are soporific comfortable and everything is quiet and calm. Au revoir Corsica!

10.14 The ferry La Meridionale bows across the Mediterranean with us and some elderly people on board. We are heading for the Bay of Asinara, a bay I never have heard about. There has been an almost desperate search for a place which offers something to eat. The restaurant, the café and the snack bar were all closed. Then as the despair was about to peak, did we find out that the cafeteria had opened. Now we have consumed coffee, croissant, a small biscuit and juice. This was what was offered on the breakfast tray we bought. All around us we have French pensioners playing cards.

10.58 We have been out on deck, enjoying the sun. The wind was fierce and the enjoyment is limited. It was also limited by the fact that some French old ladies persisted in smoking around us all the time.

Good bye Corsica!!

We are approaching Porto Torres.

Our ferry prepares its arrival to Sardinia.

11.42 We are heading towards land. A harbour and a city have been sighted. We are almost in time. Were we less late than I thought? Have we picked up time? Who knows? Now it's time to unlock the lockers and bring up our backpacks.

11.55 I just got a phone call from the South African bus company Intercape. This was just like the ones to Christer yesterday about the trip on the 6th of July. The ferry's speakers started in the middle of the conversation. I didn’t hear much of what they had to say.

ITALY

12.09 Now we've left the ferry and were shown into a bus which just started to roll towards. Well, what do I know? I guess we will find out soon.

12.17 We were brought out of the harbour area. Now I sit on an iron bench on Piazza Garibaldi. Christer has left the square to see what is offered here in Porto Torres in Sardinia. A place here at the square is called "Bar Piazza Garibaldi". The first “a” in the Piazza hangs below the other letters. It is therefore possible to read both piazza - Square and pizza - pizza.

12.45 Christer has located where the bus is leaving from. The question now is if we will buy a ticket on the bus as we did in Bastia or should we buy it in a kiosk or bar as the guidebook says?

Piazza Garibaldi, Porto Torres.

Volti estranei! (Strangers, return!), yes we will, but not until Saturday!

Torre Aragonese.

13.19 We are going to wander around a bit here in Porto Torres. First, Christer will call a Somali interpreter. It was busy the first time but now he got an answer. The code he should use is 7580.

13.37 Our urban hike took us to the town hall and a church. It also gave us the insight that it is siesta right now. Several places are closed. Among the closed sites are the kiosks that sell the bus tickets. The interpreter that was called for is required for one of Christer's student conferences next week. The code should be stated with if the time is changed or the meeting in cancelled.

13.49 A bus from the company a.r.s.t will take us south to Alghero. We will, since the kiosks are closed, buy our bus tickets when we arrive in Alghero. I gave 50 cents to a cycling guy before we boarded our bus. He needed it for the bus.

14.27 We are travelling through a hilly, rural landscape in north-western Sardinia. Here and there we can see some low stone walls. Those who once built the walls are probably dead since several years ago but their walls remain. Most students on the bus are on the way home from Porto Torres to various villages. They are dropping out of here and there and then continue to their parents' cars waiting at various intersections.

15.04 We have reached the last destination on this Easter trip, Alghero. At arrival, we went and bought a ticket for the journey between here and Porto Torres. We will not go back but it is simply paying for the trip we had just done. However, we can not show the ticket to our driver. He has driven on. It is however good to do the right thing. The man before us in the line spoke in a very bright, falsetto voice. Is he the last castrato singer? Now we will go to the pre booked accommodation.

15.37 We proceeded to the Bed and Breakfast, Lloc d'Or (http://www.llocdor.com) and were met by a locked door. Christer called our host and he came and let us in. We have our own small apartment. We are thinking about what we shall eat, how much money will be withdrawn and something more. This town is multilingual. They speak Italian and Catalan. Our accomodation's name is Catalan and means "golden place".

Torre di Porta Terra, Alghero.

The flag of Sardinia.

17.00 We walked from our B&B and reached Alghero's center. Money has been withdrawn but we have not found a place to eat at yet. It is either too expensive or too closed. The places that had good prices and were open had no service. We sat down and there was no interest in assisting us. Sure, we've found some cheap kebab places but with bad plastic chairs. Now we are down by the sea on the outskirts of the old city with a large catapult and a beautiful view in front of us.

17.41 Things are all but fine. Christer's mobile does not want to shoot any video clips and we can´t find a place to eat at. Sure, we've found a nice Sardinian restaurant but they doesn’t start to serve until after at 19.00. The place is also a small covered market. You can buy salads, vegetables, cheese and meat. On the positive side, the filming seems to work again. We are about to see more of old Alghero and Christer will do a test film.

17.54 There will be no sightseeing right now. We've arranged with a little to eat. We needed it. We have ordered sandwiches and sodas here at Lo Jutge which is a small bar near the tower, the Porta Terra.

The jetty in Alghero.

We are walking along the sea.

Christer sits in front of the old town in Alghero.

Alghero was protected against enemies with these machines in the old days.

19.40 We walked a little more in the older parts of town. Alghero has a really nice old town part. After that we went and shopped at Supermercati Sisa. For example, we bought three bottles of wine, two to be taken back to Sweden and one that we should consume tomorrow night. Now we are back and gather strength. We saw a three-legged dog near a wall. It seemed to do well and moved around quite smoothly.

20.44 We're back at Il Ghiotto, the pleasant Sardinian restaurant we saw earlier today. We just ordered dinner. Behind Christer are shelves after shelves of wine bottles. Along the way here we passed a man with a massive bass voice. He was a clear counterpoint to the man at the ticket booth we heard earlier today.

21.57 It was really good food at a good price. I ate squid. Now we will relax a little, it is after all vacation.

23.51 We enjoy life in our apartment and enjoy our Sardinian beers, Jenna and Ichnusa.

Peter is ready for a huge meal at the restaurant Il Ghiotto.

Friday 13th of April

08.22 Buongiorno! It has been raining during the night. Today it was nice to not wake up as early as the past mornings. Within half an hour, our hostess Gemma will come and fix breakfast for us. This is perfect. Today we need our umbrellas. Hey, we have previously wondered about what umbrella is in Italian. I honestly do not know it yet.

10.08 It was a good, hearty breakfast here at Lloc D'Or. We have also received some information about bus schedules and more. Now we will begin the last sightseeing day on this trip.

10.43 It's a little chilly today. We've walked around in the old part of Alghero. The streets have both Italian and Catalan names. The latter is a trace of the Catalans that ones ruled this area. Older people still speak a dialect which is more or less the same language as the Catalan language spoken in places like Barcelona.

11.09 We finally have made contact with the internet again after having been absent from cyberspace for a few days. We borrowed the computers in a photo shop. It was anything but cheap but always good to get up to date on what's happening in the world and to give signs of life.

11.33 The sky is gray and we're sitting on a stone bench with a tower on our right, and the cinema Miramare behind us. People walk past, cars honk and someone has thrown her broken umbrella in the trash bin. Christer just asked me which of the tri´s destinations that I prefer most. It's a difficult question. Well, the question is simple; it's the answer that is more difficult. I will return with the question or the answer.

The catalan flag can be seen often in Alghero.

Historic atmosphere in Alghero.

Inside Chiesa di San Francesco.

13.11 I have thought about the question which was asked at 11.33, the answer is Genoa or Monaco. We have bought a bus ticket for the airport bus and walked to the railway station. On our way we passed a Q8 petrol station. A liter of diesel costs 1,82 Euros. Now we have bought a train ticket to the neighbouring city of Sassari and later sat down at a café, Caffeteria Pasticceria Etoile. Intercape has once again called Christer and informed about the change on the 6th of July. It did, however, sound as if they asked for someone else this time. It's getting pretty boring with these calls. The rain continues this gray and cloudy day.

13.24 We did, although the small café was in the outskirts of town, had company of British and Gothenburg tourists during our coffee time. Now we're going out in the rain to catch the train.

13.52 We are heading on in a small train of an older model. A bunch of young (school) people got off at the previous station. We and the others are travelling on. There is a large hill/height outside the train's right side. Beside us is a Swedish couple who read in a guide book about Sardinia.

14.13 Not much remains of the last train for now. We have just left the station in Molafá. The station building was a small whitewashed building with rocky slopes and cacti around.

We had some coffee and pastries at Caffeteria Pasticceria Etoile.

The train from Alghero to Sassari.

The railway station in Sassari.

15.38 Fate is not kind to us today. We did have plans to enjoy Sassari. It's raining and is windy though. We have seen 5-6 tattered umbrellas discarded on the ground and in bins. Then we went down an escalator during our visit to a mall a little earlier, I managed to slip and land on that place where the back changes name. It has been nearly impossible to find a place that offers food and is open. It is of course siesta. Now we have found a place, Bar Grandi, where we apparently can get food. Can’t the rain take siesta as well?

15.57 It was a simple lunch, food heated in the microwave oven and a beer to drink. The meal was disturbed by a goofy Swedish family that sat behind us. Why do Swedes act geeky as we meet them abroad? Is it the geeks who travel away or is it foreign residence that brings out that side of them?

16.37 It is time for afternoon cappuccino and espresso at Davidson Café in the mall Corte Santa Maria. Things happened along the way here. We heard a Swedish woman who thought that the shops were closed due to the rain. Has she never heard of siesta? Christer has buried his tattered umbrella in a trash can. It was more a mass grave for umbrellas than a trash can. Three other umbrellas already rested there. I have for a second time slipped and landed on my buttocks. Rubber soles and wet streets is not a good combination. Sassari is an unremarkable town with some beautiful houses. Maybe is it so that we have seen so much in the last week that we are not impressed that easily?

The church Santa Maria di Betlem in Sassari.

Siesta and rain makes Piazza d´Italia empty.

San Nicola cathedral in Sassari.

18.47 We caught the bus to Alghero. On the bus was that Swedish family who previously wondered about the closed shops. They had, however, later been aware of the siesta. They wondered why Sassari was built inside the country and not by the sea and why Sardinia wasn’t more developed. What is developed? What more is needed here? There is electricity, water, sewerage, roads and cars. It was explained to the children in the family that it becomes evening and morning since the earth revolves around the sun. The two geography teachers suffered in silence. Then we stopped in a small village the father said to one of the daughters; would you like to live here? No you would not like that, would you? A dark-skinned man on a bus just sat quietly and watched and listened to them. He probably didn’t understood what they said, but he seemed almost frustrated. Now we are back home again. Our host is sitting in the kitchen and awaits a guest from Germany.

19.58 We've been drinking coffee and eaten some delicious Sardinian pastries which we received this morning from Gemma. We have spoken with our hosts about tomorrow's breakfast. We need to eat a little earlier to catch the airport bus. Our host is still waiting for the guest. These guests will go out to have some dinner, Ciao!

Early evening in Alghero.

Christer has composed his own pizza with ham and ruccola salad!

21.57 We have seen Casablanca and Ingrid Bergman. Ingrid graced the menus and Pizzeria Casablanca offered pizza and other dishes. After the visit to Pizzeria Casablanca, we walked through the streets and alleys of Alghero. We saw a bar where everything was purple, Purple Bar. Now we are back for one last time. It is time to open our wine, Sanresu. I do not know how it tastes. However, we do know what the umbrella is called in Italian, we met a man with many who reached one out and said "ombrella".

22.47 The wine tasted good and was easy to drink. Now it is getting time to crawl into bed for the last time on the Sardinian and Italian soil for this time.

We are trying red wine at Lloc D´Or.

Local specialities.

Saturday 14th of April

07.03 I hear a car from the street outside and also the sound of splashing water. Almost everything is packed and we are soon ready for the journey home. A week ago we were still sleeping in our room in Milan. It feels longer ago.

07.42 We are, while waiting for our hostess and the breakfast, talking about different matters. There are things that are different between here and back home in Sweden, in the evenings here you see children, adolescents, adults and the elderly out on the streets. At home you can see hardly anyone. Here you dress up, go to the restaurant, greets the owner and eat well when the weekend comes. At home, it is chips, soft drinks and TV. But now we're more developed, or?

08.29 Gemma came around and arranged with breakfast. We were eating and conversed about Sardinia, Sweden, and how we travel. Christer gave her one of our cards and we promised to give positive reviews about Lloc d'Or. What else can you say? It has been great. The accommodation is truly a golden place. Now we have walked to the bus stop we came to on Thursday.

08.53 We have, without any problems, traveled to the airport of Alghero. Now we are about to go and brush our teeth, check in our luggage and wait.

09.26 The backpacks have slipped away on the conveyor belt and we are sitting on a bench. Here, we have counted our small change. It was a great deal. I have 4,41 Euros and Christer have 9,03 Euros. We'll see what we make of them.

Alghero has a small but modern airport.

We are soon leaving the airport in Alghero.

09.56 We spent some of our remaining money on a cup of coffee each. It was, as usual espresso and cappuccino.

10.19 We have now reached the gate and I have for a while left the queue to write this. Swedes in the queue are talking about the weather, the weather here and now, the weather next week and of course the weather back home in Sweden.

10.42 We are boarded and belted. Now we just will continue to wait. What awaits us?

11.42 We and some of the other passengers have bought and consumed food and drinks. The amount of small change has decreased. According to the pilot, it should be +4 degrees in Nyköping and snow in Stockholm.

SWEDEN

14.01 We have landed at Skavsta Airport in Nyköping. There was some applause after the landing. By the way, why do people applaud after an aircraft landing? Why is there no applause in other contexts, applause on buses, in supermarkets and at the dentist? On the conveyor belt was Christer's backpack the first and my came third, an unmatched record.

14.37 A spring sun is shining from an almost cloudless sky. We take a coffee and a sandwich. All around us jump eager jackdaws. They also want something to eat. We are waiting for a suitable bus to Stockholm.

Hungry birds watched us outside Skavsta airport.

14.48 On departure, we saw people from Floby Volleyball. Now we share the bus with JKS Basketball. They have been and played in Lithuania.

16.45 The Swedish artist Jojje Wadenius is singing from the speakers at Dagnys café. We've arrived in a Stockholm in winter clothing. It seems to have snowed significantly during the night and morning. There is not much seating at Dagnys so we wait a while.

17.39 The wait was not very long and it was again great with sandwiches and coffee. Now we are at the City Terminal. It's time to get rid of some of what we consumed in Sardinia.

18.37 If you sit quietly on a bench at the City Terminal you can hear bits of different conversations. We've heard a lady say that someone ought to get email. It was said, however, with Swedish pronunciation (ee-majl). A gentleman thought there should be established municipal or governmental toilets. He had after all paid taxes. An elderly woman asked a young man/grandchild if he had any girlfriend yet.

19.44 Yesterday we saw Ingrid Bergman and today we see Marilyn Monroe. Yesterday we went to the Pizzeria Casablanca and now we are on Maestro Pizza and Kebab here in Stockholm.

20.28 We were back at the City Terminal. We are about to buy a journey drink. In about 45 minutes from now will we be on the bus that will take us towards the north.

20.58 Once again, we are embarking on a Y-bus. The ticket controllers joy and charm was like sunshine above the Arctic Circle on a Christmas afternoon, non-existent. He complained and argued on almost everyone. Not booked?, Forget the trip. That bag is too large to take in! Do you have a laptop in your pack, take it out! No packing in the seats! Do you also have a backpack? *sigh*. Did he skip the company's charm course? Well, now we travel northward and homeward.

Sunday 15th of April

00.22 The bus has made a stop in a snow-free Tönnebro. Here, people have left the bus to smoke, talk on the phone and in my case, drink. It's hot in the bus. In the bus two passengers have lost their USB memory sticks. One of them has been found. Two hours of remain of the trip.

03.18 We are at last back to the origin point of this trip. Now we will sleep for a few hours before we start preparing ourselves for the rest of the spring and the summer's big adventure.