Alghero, Italy

So I think I'm going to try a couple posts here back to back so make sure to catch them all avid reader.  Here I'd like to recount a few experiences of the Sardinian coastal town of Alghero.  First off, it was the off season so I'm pretty sure that Rachel and I were the only tourists on the island or at the very least in Alghero itself.  Flying in to probably the smallest airport of which I've ever flown in or out, we find ourselves on a rickety bus that probably can't go faster than 40 mph (note, that's miles, not meters).  It first takes us to Fertilia, which you can read a little bit about here, and then on to Alghero.  Rachel found this amazingly good deal for 5 nights of lodging for a total of €200.  We quickly found the address with the help of a map from a travel desk and discovered how perfectly located it is.  Pick any direction and you're 80% sure to heading towards the beautiful Mediterranean.  The grocery store was just up the street and downtown was only 5 minutes away.  Since we had a kitchen, we went shopping for food at the store.  I just want to say that it's quite amusing when you realize you're shopping in a grocery store in another country.  I don't why.  

Alghero is very beautiful and old.  The sea wall has seen some many centuries of wear and tear and the buildings have few to none modern brothers.  This town screams old and settled in its ways.  It was also very sleepy.  The off season is definitely for me I think.  No tourists everywhere, the beaches (sand and rock varieties) were devoid of all human life, save for the occasional local walking their dog.  Lots of dogs in the area that like to get walked it seems.  The old city sector had narrow streets, a sprinkling of Christmas decorations and a great many shops.  Nearly all of these shops were closed from 1 until 3 in the afternoon.  We concluded it was siesta time so we also would take siestas in the afternoon.  Anyway, these old city streets also had many alley ways that were kind of scary in the dark but exciting to explore in the daytime.  

The harbor was filled with boats of all kinds and I pined over several of the sail boats I saw.  One day...one day.  Next to the harbor, Rachel and I found a commune of wild cats.  No joke.  It was a little surprising.  I saw one cat (thinking of course this is no strange thing) and went up to it to try to pet it.  It scurried slowly around a corner and when I came around, there were about 10 cats visible amongst the rocks.  I briefly feared that I'd been led into a trap, but they were content to sit and stare at the human.  We realized these 'feral' cats must be getting fed and taken care of since they came right over to us after a few seconds, no doubt seeking food.  Walking along the harbor wall and looking down into the breaker rocks, I could see several more cats between the stones.  Who knows how many were there?

Staying in Alghero off-season for 5 days for Christmas was simply quite relaxing and the perfect amount of time.  We would wander the city for 2 hours or so, come home, eat, nap, go out and wander again, come home, eat, sleep, repeat.  We saw a lot of the city this way.  We now even have favorite spots, plus a place I'd recommend if you were thinking of traveling here.  Did I mention that the owners of this place are vintners and included a bottle of their wine for us!?  All in all, I could see myself going back.