Sardinia and Corsica
Posted on Monday, July 29, 2013 |
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In the month of July I have been in Prague a total of two days so far. But I am not complaining, because look where I have been instead! Italy and France!
We flew into Olbia, Italy, which is on the island of Sardinia, and met up with the crew of the yacht we would be staying on for the next week. We stayed the night there, and then the next day we traveled to Bastia, Corsica (bringing my total of countries visited in one week to 5. Is this real life?!). The day we got there the Tour de France was passing through, which was really cool. While we were eating lunch on the boat we could hear all the cars honking as the came through town, followed by the cyclists themselves. I got a picture, but we weren't in town, so you can barely see them, haha (see the teeny tiny little figures below?).
After lunch, we took the dinghy in and went on a "walk" along a river with massive boulders strewn all over the river bed. The "walk" turned into a hike/wade/swim through the river as the path slowly disappeared and we were left to find our own way back into town. This was probably my second favorite thing we did while on this trip, because it was so beautiful and the water felt great.
Here is a not super great picture of the boat we were on, but I think it serves the purpose of showing you how awesome this vacation was. Pretty swanky right?
After Bastia, we went down to Bonifacio, which was also on Corsica. This was easily my favorite part of the entire vacation. This town was so picturesque, with its tall white cliffs and old town squeezed into the hilltop fortress and the azure ocean surrounding it. We arrived in the Bonifacio port in the afternoon and walked around the city for an hour or two before heading back to the boat for dinner (the boat was fully staffed, with maids, deck hands, a chef, and everything). I wish we had stayed longer in the city, but I've learned that non-American families don't feel this rush most Americans have to see everything physically possible while on vacation, which is just a different way of taking a vacation I guess. It's definitely very relaxing, which I enjoyed. I just might have to go back sometime and really explore, haha.
Old town Bonifacio
We went inside a church while we were walking around and after looking at everything, I turned around and saw Magda sitting on the bench with her hands together, slowly bowing her head up and down. She is seriously so sweet! I think she felt the peace and spirit in the church and this is how she felt she could express what she was feeling. I think of the three girls she is the most attuned to the Spirit. She can be really crazy spunky sometimes, but she also has moments where you can tell she is off somewhere else, even though she's sitting in the same room as you. I often think to myself that the Krseks would be great members of the church, if they could give up their one true love: wine. Then I think, yeah... that's never going to happen. Haha.
The whole group (minus me). From left to right: Tomas' niece Gabriella, Tomas' sister-in-law, Tomas' brother Markus, Tomas, Magda, Tomas' niece Theresa, Martina, Barbara (Martina had to hold her head facing the camera because she wouldn't look otherwise, haha), and Anna.
A really neat cemetery right on the edge of the cliffs.
We also climbed down the side of the cliff on these super steep stairs (see below) all the way to the bottom right by the ocean. It was really sweet... until we had to climb back up the cliff... haha. But it was definitely worth it, because the sea there is so beautiful and it gives you a different view than just staying on top of the cliffs would allow.
A view of the top of the boat we were on (the boat in the middle). Overnight they had another boat between us and the one on the far right. It was amazing how they could maneuver these huge boats into and out of these, well essentially, parking spots without running into any issues. It definitely takes a lot of skill to be a captain of a boat, especially these big yachts.
Bonifacio Harbor
The old town and fortress on top of the hill with the harbor below.
Bonifacio from the other side of the hill.
We had lunch and dinner out here everyday with beautiful place settings and delicious food.
After Bonifacio we went back to Sardinia where we spent the rest of our vacation.
Porto Cervo, Sardinia. This is the most expensive place to be on the island of Sardinia, as is evidenced by all the fancy boutiques and restaurants everywhere around the town. They even have a Harrods right on the harbor! We spent the night in the harbor and were able to walk around the town for a bit. It was mostly just a quick little look around, because I'm pretty sure that everything on that island was out of my price range.
Anna, Theresa, and Gabriella
Our last full day in Sardinia we spent the day in a small little bay relaxing and enjoying the ocean. I even got in the water and swam around a bit, despite the fact that shark attack stories were running through my mind the whole time. I wasn't the only one who was hesitant though. Barbara would not get in the ocean the entire trip because she was afraid she would sink and drown (even with floaty wings and a life jacket on, haha). The picture below is after her mom basically forced her into the water. She looks so traumatized, doesn't she? Not. She's such a little diva and I love it.
I also did a back dive off the boat a couple of times and everyone thought that was pretty awesome. Earlier in the trip I got a chance to go wake boarding from the dinghy as well, so combined with that, I was like some water sports superstar, haha. I neglected to tell them that back home on Beaver Lake if you couldn't do those things you were the biggest noob ever.
The girls also learned how to dive (after taking about an hour to work up the courage, haha).
Anna gracefully coming up from her dive. I thought it looked really cool just before she broke the surface. So naturally I had her dive about five extra times than she wanted so I could get the shot. I'm so mean.
The top deck of the boat had a jacuzzi and lots of seating, so we pretty much spent the entire trip up there. I even laid out and... suspenseful pause... got a tan line! Or at least I thought I did until Anna said after our trip "We all got a lot darker! Except you. You just got more red." Oh. Right. I'm still calling it a tan line.
The last night on the boat.
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Arkansas native.
Currently based in Boston. Travelling soul. "Unexpected travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God." - Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Contact
madeline.s.stoker@gmail.com
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