Surprise stop...Cagliari, Sardinia 4-17-08

The pizza was good. Kathleen got a Calzone!

The cut in the finger! She learned a lesson I hope!!

The palace at the top of the hill. There was no changing of the guard, darn it!

Look at all the steps. This was just one tiny section...it was quite the climb!

The Cagliari town station.
A view from the top of the hill looking to the north.
This picture is Kathleen and Nicky, sweaty after a game of pale tennis saying goodbye to a wonderful stop in Malta!
You never know when traveling what might be around the next bend! Two things happened to us. One, we were supposed to have a stop in Tunis, Tunisia. That is where we were to pick up fuel for the trip and for us explorers, to go see Carthage. Well, it seems that with gas prices as high as they are, a higher bidder came through the port an purchased the fuel that had been prearranged at a cheaper price for us! We then had to "skip" that port and look for another "gas station". While we were all sleeping, a guest on the ship had an unfortunate fall in his bathroom and broke 2 bones in his neck! He would require emergency surgery. The captain found the nearest hospital that was not Tunisia or Libya! That spot was Cagliari, Sardinia. It is an island off the coast of Italy. This port city was founded in the seventh century BC. by the Phoenicians. There is no better way to see this city than the way we did it! We walked, hiked, climbed all over it! We left the ship with an Italian map and just head up the huge mountain. It didn't seem like we were going up so high as we were always on guard to passing vehicles. You see, the streets here are about as wide as if you take a six foot man's arms an stretch them out! That's it. We were up against walls and cars all the way to the top of the mountain! We made it though! At the very top were spectacular views an the palace the once upon a time ago King/Prince lived. That was worth the hike for sure. We ran into some kids playing ball, a school of ballet, lots of dogs again. This time though they were with owners and on leashes! Charles was happy about that! After we mad the summit, looked around a bit, it was time to find a pharmacy! Kathleen ha been swinging on every pole in Sardinia, and finally one cut her finger pretty deep. All the stores unfortunately were on siesta! We found a pizzeria and a lady poured water on it and cleaned it out and she was fine. Although, Nicky though she should get a shot! We ended up making friends with the lady who did not speak English, had a pizza and then made our way own the mountain.