My final stop: Cagliari, la porta della Sardegna. It’s the biggest city I’ve been in since leaving Nice, though still in many ways distinctively Italian and Sardinian there is much more of an urban, modern atmosphere (although not a big city by American standards with less than 200,000 inhabitants). And as much more a of a tourist hub (I finally noticed some other Americans) it has many more of the gimmicks and traps that tourists attract: foreigners selling fake Pradas and Fendis, fast food, rip off souvenir shops, street performers (although I saw one of the most original yet today…a man who had some live mice and cats that were playing together on a stool and was charging for a photo), cat-callers. After feeling entirely safe in the other island towns it feels weird to have to remember to watch my purse again and navigate crowded, pigeon-filled piazze, and run across busy streets while vendors try to lure me into their kebab shop/jewelry store/pizzeria.
duomo and the old city
The hostel I’m staying at is great though. This is the first town that has actually had hostels in the traditional sense and I’m very impressed at how impeccably clean and well-run this one seems. The dorm style-room I’m in has 2 private bathrooms and stairs leading to a second level of beds (no bunks!).
I’ve spent a lot of time walking around in this final Sardinian city, from churches, to several museums, to the old castello district, perched high above with views of the water. And on my last evening I met two Canadians, from Calgary, who were in Sardinia as the final leg of a backpacking trip. We took the bus to the nearest beach, Il Poetto, to see the sun set and get dinner together and it was so nice to finally have some company…and people to speak English with! I felt so talkative, realizing I could say anything I wanted without having to think of the right words or wonder whether they would understand me. It was a great way to end the trip.
Il Poetto, the nearest beach to Cagliari
But I’m ready to go back to Paris, feeling worn out from the constant movement from one place to another, and the loneliness of traveling by myself. I’m looking forward to being settled in the Parisian apartment, where more adventures will certainly ensue (though of a different sort). Stay posted for news on life in the “City of Lights” and hopefully soon, all of the photos from this whole island voyage.
