A magical moment

At half past five in the morning, the squeaky loudspeaker voice on the ferry woke us up and informed us without asking and in booming volume that breakfast was ready for us. Thank you, definitely not at this time! Instead, we packed our things and went up to the deck to observe our ship entering the port of Olbia. So this is Sardinia, our dream destination that we have been looking forward to for so long!

In a splendid mood, we soon rolled along the SS125 from Olbia towards the south along the east coast of Sardinia. A bakery at the roadside had already opened and provided us with super strong Cafe Americano and sweet pastries. At Orosei, we were able to take a glimpse into one of the impressive marble quarries of the island while passing by. In the further course, the road wound up into the Sardinian mountain landscape, and we got a first impression of what makes this island, especially for motorcycle travelers, so special.

During a stop in the mountains, a strawberry tree butterfly visited us. With a wingspan of up to 9 cm, it is the largest butterfly in Europe. Our specimen was definitely fully grown, and when it voluntarily settled on Steffi's hand and stayed there, it had something magical about it. However, had we known then that this pretty butterfly loves sweat and especially excrement, it would certainly have had to choose a different landing place. 🤣

It was very convenient for us to reach our hotel in Cardedu, near Arbatax, already in the early afternoon. After a short stay at the pool, we treated ourselves to a longer siesta, as is customary here, and only got up again when it was time for dinner. We fully enjoyed our first evening on the island on the veranda of the restaurant with a view of the wonderful landscape.