Invariably, a lengthy trip breaks down into many smaller trips, and this one was no exception. My final week was spent on an island off the west coast of Italy by the name of Sardegna (spelled Sardinia in English, but I like the Italian spelling better as it is less likely to conjure up images of small fish packed tightly into tin cans).

First stop on this subtrip was Hotel Le Dune. A fine establishment located amidst dunes of sand piled up along the southwest coast of the island (that coast being the one most exposed to the prevailing winds of the Mediterranean sea).

Mounted on one wall of the hotel, they had this nifty sun dial. I imagine that it needs to be calibrated as the seasons change, and this one was out of tune. The clock reads about 17:30; I took the picture at 18:06.

The coast near the hotel was quite lovely. A combination of rocky shores...

...and sandy beaches.

Large sections of beach were covered in lava flow rock which eroded in really interesting circular patterns.

At some point in our explorations, we discovered a structure built by other inhabitants of the island. We took this opportunity to document one of the intrepid explorers.

This was the first time I'd seen the sun set over the Mediterranean. Not too shabby.

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©2002 michael bayne  <mdb@samskivert.com>