Sardinia and its capital, Cagliari

The Italian island, Sardinia, is situated off the west coast of Italy and our first stop on the island was its capital, Cagliari. The city is sheltered in a southern harbour of the island and boasts not just a long history but also a beautiful old town called Castello (castle) that lies atop a hill. If you are fortunate enough to fly into the city with a window seat, it is possible to see the spiraling white limestone walls of Castello on the hill and the rest of the city spilling out from its epicentre.

A view over part of the Old Town from the Tower of San Pancrazio

We stayed at the T Hotel, the top rated hotel in Cagliari as voted by the Tripadvisor community.

It calls itself a 'design hotel' so the rooms are minimalist but with attention to detail. It's the first big hotel we have stayed in for awhile and was very much enjoyed. It's only downside was not being of a central location to the city but this was just a short bus ride and was very cheap (2.50 euro for an all day bus pass). Each hotel room at the T Hotel provided an information folder about Cagliari and how to get around, and it let us easily plan our stay, including a number of beach days.


Our first full day in Cagliari was spent exploring the city and doing a bit of sight seeing. We walked along the shopping streets of the city.


Ending up at the Bastion of Saint Remy tower.


Which is now an observation deck and terrace.


The Bastion marks the southern most end of Castello, and its a gentle climb up the hill to the small and quiet streets of old worldly apartment buildings, Cagliari Cathedral and other monuments and sights.


We were happy just to wonder the small streets, shadowed by the apartment buildings.



We found an old coffee shop fitted out with wooden cabinets and a piano, looking like it turned into a small music venue in the evening. The shop had wonderful and cheap gelato, and it was hot so we couldn't resist trying the flavours.


We made our way down to the Marina, the area of town that is on the port.


There were lots little medieval streets packed with shops, eateries and colourful apartment buildings.


One of our guide books told u the best coffee in town was at Caffe' Svizzero (links to Google map location). It read "possibly Cagliari's best coffee institution with a history going back almost a century... coffee and pastries served by smart waiters in an elegant setting under the high vaulted ceiling." And we weren't disappointed, especially with our smooth lattes.


After we made our way to the city's Botanical Gardens. There's a small entrance fee and it was lovely to be among greenery, but the gardens are nothing spectacular, if not somewhat neglected.


Right next door however is the Roman Amphitheatre which dates back to the 2nd century A.D. Depsite its age it is still used today to host summer shows.


The sun was climbing higher in the sky but we continued on back to Castello and to Piazza Arsenale which is the location of various museums including the National Archeology Museum which we visited.


We then found the Tower of San Pancrazio, a wooden tower with countless flights of stairs upwards.


One is rewarded for the climb with expansive views across the whole of Cagliari.


Our day ended at the T Hotel restaurant. The next few days were spent on Poetto Beach. Some 7km of pristine, sandy beach just a 15 minute bus ride from the hotel.


As the high season (July and August) was over the beaches were quiet and we rented sun lounges for all the days we visited the lovely Poetto.


Our days were long, sunny, punctuated by reading, eating, swimming and walks along the sandy shoreline. The waters were emerald and crystal clear.


To the south, Poetto Beach is overlooked by the Sella del Diavolo (Devil's Saddle) called so because of its saddle shape.


To the north, there are countless bath houses and huts which families rent to change and store their belongings for long days at the beach. At the time we were there, many of the huts were deserted.


For our last night in Cagliari, we visited the medieval streets of the city and found a lovely restaurant with wonderful seafood, such as this half stuffed lobster dish.


We were surprised by what Cagliari had to offer. It always felt safe and was easy to get around. It had a great mix of sights, history, museums, shopping and eateries. Poetto Beach really made it a wonderful place to relax and swim at the beach, definitely something we have missed about Australia after 3.5 years in the UK.

Cagliari would not be the end of beach days though. Our next stop was the very north of the island at a little beach town called Santa Teresa.

Florence, Fiesole and Tuscany

Our last European summer as residents of the UK were spent in Italy and France. Our first stop was Florence and Tuscany, where we attended an intimate wedding of friends who also live in London. But for most of our trip, we would spend on the islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). It was a late Friday night we left London for Florence to begin our European summer.


We stayed at a really fantastic B&B in Florence called Tourist House Ghiberti right by the city's Duomo (cathedral). It has been more than 10 years since we both traveled to Florence and Tuscany in our early 20s and it was great to visit the city and surrounds again.


Many people who go to Florence have told us how much they love the shopping. And I couldn't agree more. From markets...


... to high street stores, to little boutiques (like one of my favourites, the Il Papiro paper shop)...


... to luxury brands on the beautiful and historic Via Tornabuoni.

While we were in Florence and Tuscany, I was reading the book, The House of Gucci, a story about the Gucci family, the murder of one of the Gucci members and the building of the luxury brand. I didn't know beforehand, but the Gucci family originated from Tuscany, and nearby Florence was where a lot of the Gucci story takes place. There is also Florence's first Gucci store on Via Tornabuoni, which is still at the same site today. The rest of Via Tornabuoni is lovely, such as this former profumeria inglese (perfume shop) that now houses the luxury accessories brand, Hogan (below) which we visited on our first morning in Florence.


Florence being contained in a tightly packed space means that in one morning the wallet can get a good work out, while sights such as the Ponte Vecchio (the famous bridge dripping in gold jewelery shops) and Duomo can be seen and snapped on camera, all before lunch.


For lunch we with met up with Herlina's friend, Angela, who has been living in Florence for the past year having began her PhD. We've met in London before (where Angela also lived) and then again at Herlina and Damien's wedding in France. Angela took us to the local markets for a spot of food shopping and pasta lunch. Then we wondered around the city for coffee and chats before Angela was off to dance class and we had a taxi take us out to the Tuscany.


We stayed at the B&B il Trebiolo near the villa where the wedding would take place.


The wedding was on a Monday, but we stayed for the weekend to get away from the concrete jungle and crowds of the city. The B&B overlooked the peaceful and misty Tuscan hills.


On the Saturday night the to-be bride and groom hosted a fancy dress party with an 'Italian' theme. We went as gondoliers with gondolier hats from Venice Mum and Dad picked up 2 weeks before when they were visiting there.


Sunday, the sun was out and it was quite warm, so we spent the day by the swimming pool. We joined other wedding friends and guests for dinner in the nearby town of Fiesole (pronounced Fie-sol-ay). A pretty town overlooking Florence from the hills of Tuscany. When we arrived around dinner time, the sun was setting and the local flea market was just packing up.

Clock tower at sunset in Fiesole

Piazza Mino

We dined at a tiny place called Vinandro next to the Piazza Mino. A recommendation by Angela, and it was wonderful. Monday, the day of the wedding, the sun was out and we made another trip to Fiesole in the morning, this time to do a bit of sight seeing.

Fiesole we learnt, was a very old town. In fact it is older than Florence. The first record of Roman's occupying Fiesole was around 283 BC. The Roman presence can still be seen today by ancient ruins of an amphitheatre and baths, among other things. One can discover this and numerous little museums tucked away on the back streets of Fiesole.

Museo Civico

The amphitheatre, Teatro Romano. Despite its age, it is still used today for performances

Ruins of the baths

After a quick bite for lunch, we headed back to the B&B to get dressed for the afternoon ceremony. The day was turning out to be very warm, and very sunny. As the sun beat down on the rambling Tuscan villa and its gardens, the site of the wedding ceremony and reception, the bride and groom exchanged vows in front of a small group of people who had traveled from afar to be there. The ceremony was intimate and heartfelt, and the reception saw an abundance of spectacular Italian dishes serve by white-gloved waiters who bustled around the tables.


The next day we left Tuscany and flew out of Florence to Cagliari, the capital city of Sardinia to begin the beach holiday part of our trip.

Budapest weekend

Budapest is a fascinating and stunning city to visit. Over the August Bank Holiday weekend (UK) Mum, Dad, Geoff and I visited the capital city of Hungary. Budapest sits on the Danube River which splits the city in two, Buda on the west side, and Pest on the east.


Budapest is such a beautiful city that its the river banks and the city's most famous boulevard Andrassy Avenue (below) are all UNESCO heritage listed.


Budapest is known for being the Paris of Eastern Europe. It's not hard to see why with the city's never-ending, tree-line avenues and architectural style which is similar to Paris.


The colour of the buildings in Budapest are significantly darker than Parisian architecture, and there is a mix of styles as Budapest adopted a more stark Bauhaus architectural style in the 1930s and 1940s. The latter being that of our hotel, the Mamaison Hotel Andrassy.


The hotel was fantastic, the service was great and we were upgraded to big, spacious rooms. The hotel also had a great location on the leafy Andrassy Avenue. At the western end (closer to the city centre or downtown) the avenue is lined with cafes, restaurants and luxury shopping.


At the eastern tip, the avenue hits and ends at the vast Heroes' Square which honours Hungary's greatest leaders.


The Square is flanked on both sides by monumental buildings of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art. Behind the Square is City Park which is home to many attractions including a zoo, museums and Europe's largest thermal bath, the Széchenyi Medicinal Baths and Swimming Pool.


We arrived in Budapest Friday lunch time. The weather was sunny and warm and we explored Andrassy Avenue which is home to numerous museums, such as the House of Terror Museum with its fantastic overhanging roof. The museum remembers the victims of the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th century Hungary.


We ended up down town among the shops where we found the usual high street brands (Zara, H&M, Esprit etc) and also local wares such as crystal, some of which Mum ended up purchasing.


The weather was taking a turn for the worse and it was getting chilly. As the rain fell over Budapest there was nothing better to do than sit inside at a warm restaurant on the banks of the Danube with a bowl of Hungarian goulash. It's a soup or stew with beef, vegetables and paprika. Paprika is a popular condiment on any Hungarian dish.


The next day while the rain had passed, the overcast skies remained. We found ourselves sight seeing on the Buda side of the city which is home to the Buda Castle, the official residence of the Hungarian kings and built a top Castle Hill.


From Pest to get to the Castle District, you cross the Széchenyi Chain Bridge.


And take a little train to the top of the hill.


The Castle grounds are vast and everything is monumental in size, like the statues, buildings, fountains and these gates below.


We found the Castle Museum, a comprehensive museum that traces the history of life in Budapest since it earliest days. It was surprisingly empty (admission is also free) and Mum and Dad enjoyed not having to queue and elbow tourists after their Italy holiday.


We walked along the top of the hill to the Fisherman's Bastion, a pretty terraced area with views across the Danube River. The bastion was named after the fishermen who defended the city during the Middles Ages. Today it's filled with eateries and live entertainment. One of the most popular lunch places is right on the terrace.


But it does get quite crowded and tourists walk through the tables along the terrace, so we opted to dine in the tower.


We found ourselves a private outdoor dining area with uninterrupted views over the Danube and to the gothic Parliament House.


Not sure why people weren't keen on the tower. The terraced area is actually higher than the main one and the menus are exactly the same, serving up traditional Hungarian dishes. We got to enjoy lunch with views and without the company of other tourists.


After Castle Hill, we made our way back down and across to Pest to join the very popular Opera House tours.


The interior of the Opera House is a stunning sight. We only grabbed a few photos as it was quite dark and it cost extra, on top of the tour price, to take pictures. Below is the performance hall and the most expensive seat in the house.


The ceiling artwork in the hall.


And the entrance for VIPs only.


The tour wasn't very long, and it was very crowded. After a day of walking and sight seeing we spent some time among the Budapest cafe culture on Andrassy Avenue. Then headed for more food and drink at Menza, which our Budapest Wallpaper Guide describes as "communist chic." Menza would become our favourite eatery for the trip for its excellent food, drinks, service and atmosphere.


The next day we woke up to blue skies and sunshine, and thank goodness for that because we planned to visit the Széchenyi Baths. We started the day with breakfast at Lukács Cukrászda Patisserie (our second favourite Budapest eatery, which we visited again, the next day along with Menza).


The patisserie is co-located with a bank and has a really pretty dining room. The food and coffee were great too.


After breakfast, we walked up to City Park to find the baths. Lots of people had a similar idea as it was turning out to be a beautiful day.


Budapest lies on top of 130 thermal springs coming from 1000m below the ground. One cannot visit Budapest without experiencing the baths. Széchenyi is the oldest bath in Europe and its character shows, even in the changing rooms.


When you purchase an entry ticket, this includes a little change room for the day. There are literally hundreds of wooden changing rooms at Széchenyi and the complex also has a modern gym, massage rooms, eateries, a bar and of course indoors baths and a whirlpool.


The indoor baths have water ranging from 20 to 40 degrees Celsius. As the waters are medicinal, the indoor baths have a slight sulfuric smell, but you get used it once you are inside for awhile. We spent almost the whole day at the baths. Mum and I had massages, and all of us just let time pass as we soaked in the water.

Later in the day we walked to Margaret Island which sits in the middle of the Danube.


The sun was setting pretty quickly, so we didn't stay long after watching the musical fountain which plays music as the water dances.


We also paid a visit to the Parliament House. We would have liked to have toured there but time was limited and tours only ran for half the day over weekends.


On our way back to the hotel, we came across a Design Fair, which was fun to browse and where I picked up something little for Mel.


As it was our last night in Budapest and dinner at our hotel restaurant Baraka was booked.


It had wonderful, beautifully presented dishes and a moody atmosphere. Also the the best creme brulee.


On our final day, we squeezed in visits to our favourite eateries, Lukács Cukrászda Patisserie and Menza for breakfast and lunch. And then said goodbye to a wonderful and fascinating city called Budapest.