Cagliari, 10000 steps

Today was a wandering day after a breakfast of champions….apricot jam toast, yogurt, watermelon and muesli! Then it was off to explore the old town of Cagliari….UP… old towns are always up…and a very cool 22degrees at 8.30am, very pleasant for walking…

Fresh as a daisy…after Malta humidity we felt like mountain goats on a spring morning…

The first of our many flights of stairs at the Bastion of St Remy, a monumental staircase, terrace with panoramic views built in the late 1800s.

Already at 9am, we realised we had thigh muscles….but manageable as hill top cobbled streets levelled out to just sow incline roads and pathways…

However the terrace view was amazing….looking back down over the town…

Looking down on the wall…

We carried on up…further into the old town…through the residential areas and archways…to the cathedral of Santa Maria …

Build in the 1300s….and restored over the centuries.

The houses perched on top of the wall, with views to die for….and somewhat breathtaking as areas of the sandstone appears to be crumbling! Out the other side of the hill top village and a coffee stop on the way…then down towards the other side of the old town

Past the statue of Nicola da Gesturi  born in 1882, a Roman Catholic friar who throughout his life encouraged and led charitable works in Sardinia. Containing around the remains of the Roman amphitheatre…

The Roman Amphitheatre in Cagliari is the most important public building of the Roman Period. It is inserted in a natural valley on the southern slopes of the Hill of Buon Cammino.

Between the 1st and 2nd century AD, the builders carved into the bedrock most of the bleachers, the arena, the corridors and animal cages…

Ok so now it was warming up, nearing midday and at the bottom of the hill we came across the botanical gardens (and a toilet) for the mere cost of €4 to visit, it was worth the shade and the comfort stop!

Jill chilling by the water fountain and the Lily pads….

The two or three Lilly’s out in the morning sun adding a bit of colour to the greenery…

Somehow they knew we were foreigners and have placed a special photo opportunity for the non residents….alien species from New Zeakand…

Another cooling effect with the waterfall running from the top end of the gardens…which sported greenery from all over the world!

Many if these large trees are throughout the park with amazing root structures above ground …. There is a Latin version but for us English speakers ….Moreton Bay Fig!

After this meander we had run out of water and were ready for some fluid refreshments…so we headed back (now going downhill) towards where we had started (we hoped) …. However at lunchtime the world looked very different, with all the shops now open and cafe tables once again on the street. We did a few circles and google checks and finally found ourselves at a small cafe for an early afternoon cocktail! Then through the streets….

Pirate sweet shops…. Shoe shops, clothes shops…all of which we entered, if only to enjoy the cool of the air conditioning! No purchases…as luggage capacity is limited! But by 3pm, Ten thousand steps under our belt, nine flights(by calculation) of steps up and down… an iced daiquiri for Jill and a cold Bud (US beer) for Sue! Here, we met a nice family of Italian ladies (three generations)…. Mum (our age) daughter and granddaughter and enjoyed a cool couple of hours! Now back at hotel for legs up before we hit the town ….at the sociable hour of 9pm for dinner!