We wake up early and join the other guests in the kitchen at the B&B. We meet Mario who's busy fluttering around the kitchen attending to all of us. He's a big brawny man, meticulously making us breakfast and sweetly wiping up a small drip of coffee on the table. We don't get to speak with him or any of the other guests that much as we have to eat and run to catch the boat for the tour. Our packs are also extra heavy with bottles of Sardinian wine.
After dropping off our bags at the ticket office, we board the Punta Giglio. It's a whole days trip starting around 9am. we'll sail around stopping at different coves, visit Neptune's Grotto, have lunch on board and end at a beach before returning in the late afternoon. There are about 40-50 people on board, lots of families out for the day. We find a seat at the bow of the ship and enjoy the ride out to sea.
The boat drives through some choppy waters and we're bobbing vigorously. Some waves wash over the bow, driving away people from the side seats. This elicits some shrieks from some kids (and adults), which sounds like 80% fear, 20% excitement. Our captain maneuvers the boat into a small cove where sunlight streaks down from some openings above. He describes it in Italian...I google later and supposedly the rocks form the profile of Dante Alighieri's face....I don't see it, but it's a pretty cove to be in. Triumphant music swells from the boat speakers to complete the moment. We back out of there and continue on our way.
We stop in a peaceful spot for some swimming. Lots of people jump off the side for a dip, but I'm no swimmer and I'm not going in if my feet can't touch the ground. Sophia is the brave one and goes in for a swim.
We also break for lunch and we're served some tasty seafood salad. We also have some wine and shots of Mirto go around. Sophia gets some special beef so there's no fear of fish contamination. We meet Daniella and Titiano who are Italian friends vacationing together. We also sit with Marta and her parents who are from Ireland. Marta loves to swim and snorkel, but she says, "we'll be returning to Ireland on Thursday...unfortunately". Yes, who would want to leave Sardinia!
Our next stop is Grotta di Nettuno, where we take a tour of the stalactite filled caverns. We are allowed to take pictures in this grotto and it seems more extensive than the Grotta del Bue Marino on the east coast. We're told not to touch the stalactities and stalagmites or it will impede their growth.
You can also reach the grotto by foot on a set of stairs going all the way to the top of the cliff. Looking up, we're glad we took the boat. The Italians really let loose on the boat, dancing and singing along to the music blasting from the speakers.
Our last stop is a small beach where everyone tries to find a spot to relax. We sit in the sun on some rocks for a while till it's time to go. There's too many rocks and seaweed close to the shore to really enjoy it the water.
We head back to the marina, pick up our bags and head to the airport. Ryanair has a strict baggage weight rule. We have to get our packs to be around 15 kg. The ticket guy is happy to receive one of Sophia's bottles of wine.
It's a late night arrival in Spain and we still have to take a 45min. bus ride from Girona Airport to downtown Barcelona. We grab a cab to our hostel and try to quietly crash into our bunks in the dorm room.
