Our parental leave road trip begins on narrow roads through southern Bavaria, heading towards Salzburg. In Obertauern, the little Smurf challenges us to a snowball fight with the last remnants of winter. We drive toll-free over the steep Karawanken Pass to our first stop near Villach, at a small farm. The landlady, originally from Berlin, has found her home and her calling. A little one is delighted by the trampoline, treehouse, goats, horses and a brilliant breakfast.
Early the next morning, we carry on over the Wurzen Pass into Slovenia. During the First World War, more people died here from hunger and cold than from the fierce fighting. Today, we have enjoyed peace for a long time. These days, peace is probably no longer held in particularly high regard. Uphill, whole squadrons of road cyclists battle their way to the pass summit in 25°C heat, sweating buckets. Downhill, one of them keeps in contact with our rear bumper for a long time through tight bends at 80 km/h. Unlike his forebears, however, he reaches Slovenia alive. (more…)
The lords of Galtelli Castle & good old friends in La Caletta
Relief from the loss of all 18 years of travel stories only comes the next morning. After a night with almost no sleep, I am infinitely groggy. But also full of hope when my good hoster Vautron writes that they were able to restore my 750 travelogues from several incremental database backups and also fix any database errors.
Without checking, we set off for the next destination on our journey. Galtelli is located in the mountainous hinterland near the famous Cala Gonone in the east. The time-honoured village is fast asleep. Like so many others before us, check-in is completely online. Our accommodation for the next few days is a real castle, the Castello Malicas. Directly in front of the castle is an ancient rock tomb, surrounded by the large green municipal park and behind it the 806 metre high rocky Monte Tuttavista. (more…)
I’m off then…
Spoiler: this travelogue has absolutely nothing to do with Hape Kerkeling, the Way of St James or self-discovery. But a hell of a lot to do with self-definition.
The colourful medieval houses of Bosa are enchanting without any official bans on the use of toilet stone colours. Even blind Italians probably have more reliable good taste when it comes to choosing the colours of their houses than Germans do when it comes to shoes in general.
Castelsardo, which is on the way, has changed a lot since my last visit a few years ago. The little girl’s comment on the oil-on-wood works in the castle’s “art museum” is enchantingly short and to the point: “bäh”. (more…)
Sant’Antioco, Chia & Punta Trettu
It’s been far too many years since we both last visited Sardinia. We know the north well. This time we are focussing on the south. From Cagliari airport, it’s an hour’s 80 km drive by hire car to the small island of Sant’Antioco in the south-west. Our accommodation is located right at the highest point of the beautiful old town next to the basilica. Flamingos dine in the surrounding lagoons at sunset.
Even after Easter, Sardinia is anything but awake. Everything is empty, stress-free and cosy. 25 to 30° is much more pleasant than the constant 13° of rain I experienced on my last visit at the same time of year. You can still kite on almost every beach that is closed from June at the latest and wild camping is still a mass sport. (more…)
Ciao Sicily!
In the last of my five weeks in Sicily, the Scirocco churns over Lo Stagnone for a few more days. The heaviest day drops back down to 12 degrees and peaks of up to 45 knots. Hardly anyone is outside, and even the friends and locals who ride this ultra-strong storm with the smallest kites don’t break their best marks.
I take a break and don’t go out again until a day later. The Scirocco continues to blast along at a slightly less rough 20 to 35 knots. I no longer fulfil my “Don Dodeci” mission, but I am satisfied with the 9.4m height I have achieved. The last few days my knee finally gives out. I can’t even edge without screaming – let alone jump off or even land. (more…)
Sirocco in Lo Stagnone
My friend Wilko is visiting me from Berlin for a good week. For most of the week, the Scirocco blasted along at 18 to over 30 knots. On one day, it even reached a top speed of 46 knots. Definitely too much for our smallest kites. On the other days, we test all the spots in the northern lagoon of Lo Stagnone. On the few windless days, we toured western Sicily.
We start the first session at Wind, Water & Wine. The spot is run by the lovely Austrian Lena. It’s easy to set up on the grass. As with most other spots, there is no infrastructure. The only bars are in front of the kitesurfing resort – and all of them are still closed. You pay five euros a day at Lena. Carry your kite to the water’s edge, launch and head out onto the water. There are no dangers here apart from a few cacti on the narrow beach and a clearly visible rock in the water. (more…)
Sicilian post-corona blues
I was absolutely certain: corona is a mental illness and it mainly affects those who don’t have it. I was wrong. Just two weeks after testing free from my corona infection, I’m still finding it hard to breathe. I set off on my first big trip in two years and fly to Sicily for the first time with Ryan Air. The checkout is a true masterpiece of superfluous “offers”.
The taxi driver charges me €50 for an eleven kilometre journey from the airport to my first accommodation. The hostel manager confirms that the price is the same everywhere. Nothing mafia. Just Putin. The driver said it was because of the petrol prices. They are currently about 40 cents lower than in Germany. (more…)
Kite Spots Sardinia
Porto Pollo is only the most famous but by no means the best kitesurfing spot in Sardinia. Due to the jet between Corsica and Sardinia, the wind here usually blows at 5 to 10 knots more than on the northern west coast when the mistral is blowing – but it is also significantly stronger, especially when the mistral blows from the south. Porto Pollo works in all westerly winds, the main wind direction in Sardinia.
The beach is wide, coarse sand without stones or other obstacles – at least in the low season. There is no standing area at all. The waves are quite choppy, especially in strong winds over 25 knots, but there are no big ones in the bay. On some days, they come from all directions like a bathtub – especially near the Isola dei Gabbiani. (more…)
And I could walk 5000 years!
The day before yesterday, the Sardinian wind showed its teeth for the first time on the west coast in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the millennia-old mines of Sulcis Iglesiente. It was blowing full offshore at 15 to 30 knots, gusting west of Iglesias over the old silver mountains and steep cliffs with mine ruins reaching down to the water. My breakfast baguette flies for a swim.
The coastal road to the north leads over breathtaking rollercoasters on steep slopes through old mining towns such as Nébida. The stub roads into the mines above Buggeru are completely unsecured and therefore offer sweeping views. On the motorway, the Sardinians really do slow down every farting hobo at 30 km/h – but if you need a jeep and blinkers to get up a mountain, there’s definitely nothing at the bottom. (more…)
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.