Alghero

Fresh grilled seafood!

Is Arutas, the quartz beach

View from our terrace in Cagliari

Hey hey heyyyyiii!! We got up early this morning, packed, left the airbnb in Cagliari, and started driving to Alghero. On the four hour drive there we had a few stops! The first place we stopped at was called the Nuraghe su Nuraxi, which is this old, ancient settlement- sort of like Pompeii! But you see, right before we were going to go in I got a reallyyyy bad migraine that I couldn't just push through so while everyone went to go see the nuraghe, I just stayed in the car and tried to sleep through the pain>:{{{{!! 

Once they got back after an hour or so we continued on driving for an hour to this really awesome beach called Spiaggia Is Arutus. By the time we got there I was feeling much better!!!!! ;)))!! Also on the beach there was this crazy seafood beach hut restaurant that we never even knew was there so it was a FANTASTIC surprise!!! The chef had out a grill and was just grilling up the fish, shrimp and other seafood right in front of us. Mmmmmmm nice and fresh!!!! Needless to say, we got a HUGE seafood plate and it was basically finished in under 5 minutes!!! It was SO GOOD and fresh and tenderrrrr. So we ordered another whole fish and 6 more shrimps!!! Hahhaha it was definitely worth it!! Also, at the restaurant guess who we saw??? Our friends from the boat tour last week!!!!! It was the same couple and we just coincidently bumped into them at this little seafood shack on the not so popular beach HOURS and HOURS away from the town we saw them at quite a few days ago!!!! Talk about fate!! 

After that 10/10 top notch but low key meal we walked down to the beach. This beach is special because the sand is made up of the pearl pebbles!!!! It's not sand - it's these shiny little pebbles! Oooooooo and at the beach I saw my new idol!!! It was this crazy dude wearing a long, red wig and dressed crazy and he was running around the beach and screaming in this really high voice!!! He was selling coconuts so he would scream at you to buy them and then run around throwing them in the air like a crazy person and pretending to cry when people didn't buy them. He looked like an IDIOT!! It was killing me! I was peeing from laughing so hard!! I just secretly followed him around the beach the whole time just to watch him act stupid!!!! Ohhhh Italians ;)!!! 

After the beach we continued on our long journey!! In the car Tobin, Nana Mary and I were all crammed in the back like always and Tobin was really sick!!! He had such a bad cough he would start barfing!!! And he kept telling dad to pull over cuz he had to barf but then he never did!!! Every time he got out of the car he would do this weird thrusting thing with his body cuz he said it helped him!! You know what it looks like when a dog gags and tries to throw up? Ya well he looked like that!!! I felt bad cuz the whole family were just laughing their heads off cuz Tobin looked so funny!! Sorry Tobin but that video I took of you is gonna be GOLD in the future!!!! Eventually he did throw up into this bag and then he kept it in the car and it was dripping everywhere and oh my it was DISGUSTING!!! It made me want to throw up!!! After a VERY LONG (and I mean it felt like it look 10 years) we FINALLY arrived in Alghero and Tobin FINALLY threw out that stupid barf bag!!!! 

Once we arrived we all took a rest and cleaned off. Oh we also we blew the whole electricAL system!! So mum and dad had to call the owner and figure that whole thing out!!! While they were doing that, Nana Mary, Tobin and I went out to go explore our little town!! It's so stunning here!! It's your classic quaint, little cobblestone Sardinian town!! There are so many little side streets with bakeries and restaurants and tiny little boutiques!! And the duomo here (huge church) is rainbow coloured!!! We have a perfect view of it from our apartment terrace!!!! 

While exploring, Nana Mary and I picked out some pizza to bring back home for dinner. The whole family enjoyed our tasty pizza on our beautiful terrace! After dinner it was pretty late but Tobin and I went out to this cafe beside our place and got a fruit smoothie!! They were fruitalicious and the people in there charged us 8 euro instead of 10 just because we cleared our table!! Sweeeeet!!!!! 

Back at the house everyone went to bed but Nana Mary and I stayed up and read our books very very late!!!!!!!! Goodnight party people!!! Remember to creep it real-mimirockzzz king Julian

Cagliari

The view of Cagliari from the tower

Creepy hands dragged up from the sea

Tiramisu heaven at the Antico Café

My new favourite treat!

Sa Calonia beach in Chia

Ÿoÿoÿo everyone it's Mimi!!!! This fine morning we got up and went to a cafe where we got our breakfast for FREE!! It was all paid for from the owner of our apartment! Yipee!! We all got SUPER TASTY pastries and after that they kept just bringing us more stuff we never even asked for - like pudding!!! Hahahaha I like their style! 

After breakfast we were planning to go to the beach but the second we got in the car (and trust me, that takes a while to do) it started POURING. Which I mean I love the rain so I immediately got excited but this meant we couldn't go to the beach!! Instead we thought we would take a train tour of Cagliari! So we went back inside, put on our rain attire (I finally got to wear my comfy leggings and "The Who" t-shirt, my classic outfit I've been DYING to wear all trip) and went back out into the rain. But then can you guess what happened when we went outside? It stopped raining and got really hot!!!!! This time we weren't going to give up on our plan though! We went to take these elevators that take you to the top of the walled old city to catch the train (you can only get there by elevator) but now guess what happened?!! The elevator was broken!!!! Ahahahhaha of course!!! Once again, we changed our plans!!! Now we started walking to the huge ancient museum!! But the museum was ALSO closed! Jk, I think we would all collapse if it was closed we would be so angry!! I'm glad we ended up coming to the museum because I really enjoyed it!! It was an anthropology museum, with TONS of ancient artifacts! My favorite exhibit was this one where they scooped up all the old bits of statues and busts from the bottom of the lake. Like parts of clay arms and faces and hands. I don't know if that makes sense but it was very interesting!!!! 

After walking in the museum for a while and looking at all the intriguing artifacts we went up this tall tower!!! To get to the top you walked up all these old, not very stable wooden stairs that surprisingly weren't that tiring!! At the very top we got a 10/10 #swaggy view of Cagliari! The wooden barrier at the top wasn't that sturdy so of course I kept rocking it and scaring everyone and mum had to leave. Also I kept hitting Tobin with my map and got in trouble. Wow that view at the top-you could see all of Cagliari. Like for real you could see the whole entire town and the tops of all the colored buildings!!! 

After this ligitness tower we walked for quite a long time to get to a cafe for lunch. But this wasn't just any cafe - it was a vintage one that had been here since 1855!!!!!! I felt super old when I walked into it!! The food there was OUTSTANDING!!!! I got gnocchi but it was the tiramisu that blew my mind!!!! It was HUGE and the whip cream on it was so thick and voluptuous!!!!!!! Creamyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! We then walked home along the main drag where I saw so many great stores teasing me but they were all closed. This town is a ghost town on Sunday, everything shuts down!!! 

Back at the house we rested for a bit and then decided we would know drive an hour away to Chia beach (from this morning) to swim for a bit and watch the sunset!!! At the beach Tobin and I played racket ball and changed out record from 5 to 42!!!!!! Amazing!! Also, I freaked out because they were selling the COCONUT CUPS!!! Tobin, Nana Mary and I just had to get one. It brings back so many great memories!!!! I read my book (well actually I finished it) called "Flowers in the Attic" while the sun set. The whole family also all picked out special rocks and threw them in the water and as soon as they were thrown in the sky started turning all different pinks. It was very special moment!!! 

On the drive home we saw FLAMINGOS flying!! We saw them on the way to the beach but they were all flying up in the sky on the way back. I had never seen a flamingo fly (I didn't even know they did fly!!) so I thought it was crazy!!!! For dinner that night we had reservations for 9:30 at a very good restaurant but we didn't end up going because we Couldn't. Find. Parking. Isn't that crazy?!! We had to actually miss our dinner because it was so busy we couldn't park. Like for kilometers and kilometers all the spots were taken so it was pointless. We ended up just going home and then mum and dad and I went to go pick up some take away pizza for all of us!!! But like I said since it was Sunday EVERYTHING was closed so it took us over an hour just to find a restaurant!!! We got there just as it was closing and they were kind enough to make us some pizzas!!! Back at the house we thankfully indulged in our pizza and then hit the hay like cows!!!!! 

Goodnight to all and to all a goodnight!! Isn't that from that Christmas story?? CREEP IT REAL around the world-mimirockzzz king Julian

The murals of Orgosolo

Ok so that's where we are!

So many cool murals in this town. It's hard to pick a favourite!

New hat!

Picasso style

Sitting with all the nonnas!

So long, fare well, it's time to say goodbye!! Yes you heard it, today we are leaving Cala Gonone today :(((((. I will miss this place a lot!!!! But now we embark on a new journey!! We left our hotel after breakfast for a FOUR HOUR CAR DRIVE!! But I guess I actually liked it because the drives are always so spectacular!!!!!!! The scenery is crazy!! We constantly pass farm animals, and endless rolling hills, just tumbling and tumbling!!!! 

On the way to Cagliari we stopped in an AWESOME town called Orgosolo. This town had a festival going on in it today because today is a national holiday in Sardinia!! When we drove into their little town, the very generous, saviour people greeted us with lemon cupcakes and wine!! For everyone, for free! Free food!!!!!! The town was decorated with streamers and there was a huge pig roast going on!!! Also the town is known for their graffiti murals. On every single wall there was some type of graffiti artwork!!!!! Basically the artwork documented major events over the past 30 years plus it mimicked the style of world famous artists like Picasso, Muro, and DaVinci!!! They were all painted and colorful and I would love to live in this town and wake up every morning and just go for a walk and look at all the graffiti because it's so fascinating, interesting, artistic, abstract, PROVOCATIVE and all around EXTREMELY WELL DONE!!! I love art!!!!!! 

We went into a little gift store and I got A HAT. Which if you don't know RIP to my classic, Texas hat that I left in Kelowna so I got a new Sardinian hat to TEMPORARILY replace it!! I also got a sling shot that is gonna be very handy to me!!!! I almost had to sling shot someone on the street because I was just casually taking a photo of one of the murals and then some dude came up to me and started freaking out and said "NO PHOTO". So I just said "ok" but then quickly snapped it and BOOKED IT!!! Hahahahahahaha! I'm now wanted in this town, jk!!!! 

For lunch we went to the pig roast. Well I didn't have any of the pig (even though I'm trying to eat meat) cuz it was actually a full big pig and it was gross!!!! I got a tuna sandwich is instead - I guess that still counts as meat!! 

After exploring this super, super, super, dazzling town we continued our journey and drove to Cagliari. Our flat we are staying in is pretty small and squishy, but it'll work. We are only here for two nights! We rested a bit at the airbnb before heading out for dinner. So for dinner we thought since it was a holiday here there would be fireworks along the water!!! And we heard of this whole boardwalk along the water at Poetto Beach with lots of restaurants and people walking around and a market and all that jazz! Or so we thought!!!!!!! Once we got there (after taking the classic bus) it was super cold!! I never thought it actually got cold in the summer here! For once we weren't dying of heat!! For a while it was nice but then it actually got reallyyyy cold and realyyyy windy!!!!!!!! Also the whole boardwalk (that lasted for 6km) was absolutely DEAD. There was no one there because it was cold - I think??! Idk, but there were hardly any people there!!!!!!! And all the places to eat were just like little beach huts that all looked the same and were all empty and quiet. It was so cold and we were SO HUNGRY so we just gave up and went to one. The food wasn't very good but I will say the smoothie I had to drink was very delicious!! 

After dinner we were kind of trapped at the restaurant because there were no buses running because of the "holiday". After a long time of random people calling taxis one finally came and took us home. Also there we no fireworks:((((((((. But hey, you win some you lose some!! Am I right????;))))))!!!!! Once we got home we all went to bed!! Haha whoop fun!!! Well actually I read my book for a bit, ok goodnight!! CREEP IT REAL-mimirockzzz king Julian

Boat Tour of the Most Fantastic Beaches in Sardinia

Cala Goloritze from the sea

Taking the plunge!

Golfo di Orosei

The day has FINALLY come to go on the boat tour!! After breakfast we got picked up in an 11 passenger boat to go to three of the best beaches in the world and pass by many more. On our way to the first beach we passed many giant caves, grottos, and rocky mountains. 

 The first beach we went to was sort of like a secret cove from Bachelor in Paradise you could only dream of – it didn't even seem real it was so spectacular. The water looked like it had been photo shopped it was so blue and crystal clear. We only had an hour at this beach so of course I swam around with my goggles and admired it. 

The second beach (Mariolu) we went to started off very peaceful and nice with only a few people there. This beach was a lot bigger and had lots of little rocks you could swim around and a big cave you could swim up to. We were just sitting on the beach enjoying our picnic lunch, when out of nowhere the biggest boat I have ever seen in my life somehow docked on the beach and then came the prowl of the lions. One by one they came in like marching ants – hundreds and hundreds of people just kept coming off the boat and filling up the beach like sardines. Then when we thought it was finally over......ANOTHER boat came with the same amount of people just coming on to our previously nice, quiet beach – ha hahahah ha haha hah! It kind of destroyed my mind!!!  

One thing I really liked about this beach was that you could go cliff jumping. The cliff wasn't too high so I easily jumped off it into the white waters. On the way to the next beach the boat driver just stopped in an area of the ocean away from the beach so that all that was around us was the soothing waters. We all got to swim around a bit and it was the nicest clearest waters I have ever seen in my entire life. 

 The last beach (Cala Luna) was more open but in the back there were sand dunes and little trees and huge mountains if you explored. Remember in Madagascar when they are running into the jungle and there are all those signs saying 'turn back because of hyenas' and then they do get attacked by hyenas? It looked exactly like that! Of course, I went to go explore back there and was amazed by what I saw. I was the only person out there and I walked in the middle of two mountains on these huge smooth rocks like something out of a movie. I also walked down this little path that was so small I thought it was for a rat but it was calling my name so I thought it must be special but after 30 minutes it just ended so I ran back and stubbed my toe and it was bleeding – OUCH! But it was ok because I got to see the rat trail!! I wasn't WEARING SHOES THE WHOLE TIME....I hate WEARING shoes. 

After a long day, the boat magically brought us home along the turquoise waters. At home Nana Mary and I chilled at the hotel and we were ready to go out for dinner because we were SO starving!! The only person we could find was Tobin!! I swear we explored the whole town and we were going crazy because we were so hungry and we couldn't find mum and dad anywhere. We even took the elevator the very top of the hotel because we thought mum and dad would be up there. When we took the elevator Tobin pressed all the buttons so we went to every floor and we were going crazy. Well we were just walking down the streets looking for them where we saw the COCONUT CUPS FROM TWO DAYS ago. We just gave up and got them. It was funny because we were looking for them earlier and we told Nana Mary they were just called “coconuts”. So she was going into cafes and resturants and just asking them if they had coconuts!!! Hahahahahah it was killing me!!! FINALLY after our coconut cups, we found mum and dad just walking around clueless that we were going out of our minds we were so hungry!!!! So obviouslt we went for diner!! 

At first the restaurant told dad they didn't have enough room but Nana Mary and I were so hungry, we couldn't take no for an answer!! So we had a little chat with the waiter and basically forced them to seat us!! For dinner I got the BEST PASTA I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!!! It was penne noodles with basil and SPICY tomato sauce. I cried it was so good!!! 

After dinner Tobin and I went to the outdoor market and got some nice bracelets and can u guess what the whole family got???? GELATO!!! Hahahahaha!  Olé! Goodnight everyoe!!! Creep it real-mimirockzzz KING JULIAN straight savage life

Jazz in Berchidda

Brandinchi Beach, aka, Little Tahiti

Travelling jazz band in the streets of Berchidda

Louis Mahalo Mahalo on drums!

Would you believe it if I said we are going to Tahiti today?!!?!?! Hahaha...well not really, but somewhere close!! It's a stunning beach in Sardinia called "Little Tahiti" because it's so similar to the real Tahiti!!! We drove there after breakfast. It was an hours drive away all stuffed in the back of the stinky car but it was worth it!! Little Tahiti was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen in my life. The beach was huge (even though it's called Little Tahiti) and the sand (no rocks!!) stretched along the shore for miles. As for the water, it was CRAZY! It was so clear it was like looking into a magician's crystal ball!!! Oh yes and it was so shallow!! You could walk 100 feet out and still be up to your ankles. Eventually it got deep though which was really nice!! The water was like ombré coloured!! It was white near the shore, turquoise in the middle and then dark blue far in the ocean!! AND let me just say one more time, THE WATER IS SO WARM!! Like a hot spring!!!! At the beach I read my book for a long time and OF COURSE went swimming with my two best friends...my goggles and Nana Mary!!! Ahahahahaha!!!!!! Also I got this coconut ice cup that is my new favorite thing ever!!! It's kinda like ice cream, with frozen coconut with REAL coconut chunks in it. Oh my goodness it was so good!!!! 

You know those people that walk around the beach selling clothes and stuff just out of a bag?? Ya well one was selling CASHMERE scarfs and mum just wanted to look at them, but the guy brought ALL the scarfs out of his duffle bags. Holy moly, there were so many different types of cashmere scarfs and mum didn't even want one but she kind of had to buy one after all that!! The guy had spent over HALF AN HOUR showing us so many cashmere scarfs and I swear he was gonna kill mum if she didn't buy one!!! We had wasted so much of his time so mum got one of his CASHMERE SCARFS!! Oh well she'll always have a funny store to go with it when she wears it!! Ahahahaha! I don't know why this is so funny, I just find cashmere scarfs very funny!!!! 

ANYWAYS, after the beach we drove another hour into the mountains to get to Berchidda to see a jazz show!!!! The drives in Sardinia are always on narrow, tiny roads along rolling hills and farmland, which I really find gorgeous, even if I do get a little car sick!!!!! We were greeted in the town by this jazz band playing on the street!! They were so amazing and it was sort of like a parade because they would play their instruments in the street and we would walk behind them and follow them! Yes, a parade!! 

Now listen closely when I tell you this because you're not going to believe this!!!! This...town...didn't...have...PASTA!! Yes, you heard that right, THEY DIDN'T HAVE PASTA!! Nor did they actually have any place to EAT FOOD!! They only sold drinks there!! We ended up just going to this bar where they agreed on putting something together for us in the kitchen! But of course, the ONLY place that sold food was a pizza by the slice restaurant. Obviously, Tobin and and I got that too!!! As for the jazz show, I LOVED it!! It started just after 9:30 pm and lasted until 11:00 pm!! It was a mixture of a trumpet player, a pianist, a trombone, two saxophone players and a CRAZY good drummer!! It was all free jazz, on the spot and making music as you go!! The type of music was sort of South African!! The drummer was the only renaming member of the original band (the rest died) so he recruited all the other instrument players to play with him!! I much enjoyed their groovy, unique sound! After their show ended we still had a TWO HOUR drive to get home!!! We were all so tired when we got home after 1:00 am so we just crashed. Zzzzzzz. 

Creep it real to all-mimirockzzz KiNG juLiAn$$

Hiking to Cala Goloritze

Overlooking the Su Gorroppu Gorge 

After a LONG hike, finally, Cala Goloritze

Mega waves

Stunning rock formations

Well so much for plans!! We were supposed to be going on a boat tour today to all the little beaches on the Orosei Gulf, but it got cancelled because of "strong winds"! Oh well, we will go on Friday!! Instead of going on a nice, calm, soothing, peaceful bout tour we ended up going on a treacherous, uphill, deadly hike!! And by that I mean a veryyyyyyyy hard but STUNNING hike through the gorge to the beach. We drove the rental car for an hour and a half to get there!! 

The hike started uphill on this huge slope of rocks - not even a path!! This was only one-tenth of the hike...the rest was allllll downnn hilllll. Down, down, down, steep, steep, steep. The whole time I was just walking on harsh, downhill, loose shale. One wrong step and you would break your ankle!! The most dramatic devastating blow!! I ended up walking the whole hour hike by myself because Tobin and dad were booking it (who knows why?!!??!) and Nana Mary was slow (well fast for her age) so mum was back with her. I was in the middle of the pack and doubtful Nana Mary was going to make at all!! All throughout the hike I passed weird rocks and caves that looked like they were from dinosaur time. At the end of the hike I came out on a beautiful, secret tiny beach cove!! And let me to you the waves here were GINORMOUS, like mini tsunamis!!! For me, this is the best thing ever!! I LOVE BIG WAVES!!!!!!! 

When I got to the beach, dad and Tobin were already there and mum and nana Mary showed up an hour later!! But anyways...in the water I would stand before the waves and wait for the giant tsunami to come over my head and bring me into the water!!! I would stand in front of the wave and then get choke SLAMMED by it!!! I swear I flashed everyone on the beach at least once!!!!!!!! Hahahaha of course!! The waves were that crazy and deadly!! It would be all calm and then BANG the wave would come and slam my body to the ground like a wrecking ball and I would get swept away!! I would be just standing in the water and then the HUGE wave would come and I would practically be drowning-but it was fun drowning!!!! I find it soooo FUN, like an amusement ride!! Whenever a wave came I would just scream "SWIM 4 YOUR LIVES"!!!! And listen to this, you're going to be really proud, I didn't wear my goggles the entire time!!!!!! Well it was because I was terrified they would fall off and I would lose them. It wouldn't be the first time :(((. 

When Nana Mary finally showed up she wanted to go swimming in the water too!!! I tried to warn her this was a bad idea because of the harsh wave conditions but she insisted on going in!! It was all fine and dandy when we swam out further where the waves weren't that big, but when we tried to swim back in, that's a whole other story!! I told her we needed to bolt back to shore before a wave came and that's exactly what I did! As for Nana Mary, she didn't really listen!! She was just walking back to shore, taking her time, when the biggest wave I had seen all day started coming towards shore!! I could see it starting to come over her head so I shouted "RUN!!". But she was too slow. The wave pile-drived into her, sending her into an under water hurricane!! Dad had to run into the water and save her life!! Don't worry though, she ended up being ok!! But I swear if someone got it on video and added the song "wrecking ball" into it, they would be youtube famous!!! Ahahahahhahaha!!!!! Sorry Nana Mary!!!! 

On the hike back I practically died. The rocks would slip under my feet every two seconds and it was so hot and so insanely steep. I was also dying of exhaustion. Every time I turned a corner I thought the hike was over but it just kept going on and on. FINALLY, after what seemed like 7 hours I made it back home, so relived the hike was over and I actually made it home. ALSO I am super proud of Nana Mary!!!! She was the oldest person by far there and she made it though the whole hike!! Yahoo!!!!!!!! Overall it was a very hard, tiring hike but definitely worth it!!!! 

The drive home was so gorgeous along the hillside. We drive past so many farm animals and huge canyons and mountains. The sun was starting to set too so that made it extra amazing!!!! At home we ordered takeaway pizza for dinner, we were soooooo exhausted. But a day isn't complete without a gelato!! So before bed we headed out to the gelataria to get our daily dose of deliciousness. I got white chocolate flavoured...yummmyyyy. Soon after we all went into a deep sleep, BEAT from the hike today. All our energy was spent$$$!!! 

Don't forget to creep it real-mimirockzzz KING JULIAN;)))!!!!

Sardinian rain

Beach storm

Enjoying the water in the rain

Visit @mimiplaystherecorder to see the rain in its ultimate glory

Yahoo!! Free breakfast at our new hotel! This breakfast is nothing compared to the heaven we were having at Villa Ketty. Nothing can ever compare to my precious Nutella cakes :(!! After breakfast Nana Mary and I chilled for a bit in her hotel room, before heading out to do some souvenir shopping!! We went to a shop mum and Tobin told us to go to and once we walked in the owner went "Nonna Maria!!"!! He already knew all about us although we never even met him!! We are famous here in Sardinia. Everyone knows about the crazy grandma and her granddaughter!! Jk!!! I guess mum talked about us earlier!! I picked out some snazzy presents for my friends that they are gonna LOVE;))))!!! 

While we were just walking around in our town, looking in all the little shops, it started raining. Hard. It was raining swordfish and tuna!! Get it? Instead of cats and dogs, because we are in Sardinia!!! Hahahaha. Ok, so nana Mary and I got a STUPENDOUS idea to make a RECORDER VIDEO!! I'm telling you, the fans are starting to riot because they are demanding more recorder videos!! Anyways our hotel was a 15 minute walk away which means we would get SOAKED. But we didn't care!!! Nana Mary and I just ran and danced in the rain as we made our way back to our hotel!!! Cars were honking their horns and yelling out their windows things at us because they enjoyed our dancing so much!! It was pretty funny and and crazy!!! Everyone was hiding inside of restaurants and looking at us like we were insane while we just danced in the rain!! Once Nana Mary and I made it back to our hotel we were dripping buckets of water as if we just jumped into a pool. We were so soaking wet, mum wouldn't even let us in the hotel room!! But of course once we got my recorder and went back outside, it stopped raining!! Nana Mary and I were very determined to film us playing the recorders IN THE RAIN so we decided to film it later. We had a feeling the rain would start again!! 

The sun was coming out again, so mum, nana Mary and I decided we would go on a hike to a different beach. Well it wasn't really a hike, it was just a walk all along the water and board walk and through a few trees to get to another sandy area!!! We read our books on the beach and picked out cool rocks but didn't really go swimming cuz it was still a bit cold from the rain!! At the beach it started dribbling again so we took cover in the forest before walking back home. On the way home we stopped while walking along the water to go for a swim in the ocean. Just Nana Mary and I went in because it was raining just a bit and mum ran home!! As Nana Mary and I walked home it really started to rain really hard again!! Perfect timing!! Time to play the recorder!! This time we were prepared so we ran down, jumped into the water and started making lovely sounds with our instruments in the ocean. Tobin was our loyal filmer! Nana Mary and I laid down in the ocean and played our recorders to "Umbrella" by Rihanna while torrential downpour drummed on our heads. We looked like little seals playing recorders in the rain!!! After our AMAZING video, we dashed back into our hotel rooms and dried off and I took a shower!! I'm surprised my phone didn't break when we were filming, the rain was like bullets it was pouring down so hard!!!!!! 

Mum, dad and Nana Mary went out by themselves that night to eat a pig for dinner and Tobin and I weren't allowed to go! So Tobin and I went out for dinner by ourselves!!!! It was funny because when I told the waiter "for two" he said, "Two ice cream cones?" Ahahahahah!!! Tobin and I went on a hot date and got pizza with a salad. But when our salad came it was just lettuce (not with tomatoes like we asked for) so we gave the salad back and made them put tomatoes on it!!!!!! 

After dinner I saw on sign saying "disco tonight" so I took Tobin to come find it with me!!! Whoops, turned out the place had been closed for two years!!! We ended up just exploring our town and getting delicious lemon gelato!!!!! We then said hello to the sandman and goodbye to the world!! Goodnight!!! Creep it real everyone-mimirockzzz king Julian

Cala Gonone

Super clear water!
 

Secret rooftop with Nonna Maria

Crazy storm in the clouds above Cala Gonone

WAKE UP!!! King Julian was awakened from his magical sleep this morning and told we had to be checked out in 5 minutes!!!! After quite the frantic awakening, we managed to get up and get our luggage stored in the hotel lobby!!! This wonderful morning we are going to rent bikes from our hotel and go bike riding along the seaside!!!! Well it turned out they only had two bikes so we walked down to a different rental place but all their bikes didn't work!! Of course, by this time I was starving so I just took one of the free bikes from our hotel while my parents tried to find a bike rental place. I had a very nice bike ride by myself in the old, quiet, colourful town!! I stopped and got a Nutella crepe with freshly squeezed orange juice!!!!! The cafe I sat at was so nice and I watched all the people go by as I ate my DELICIOUS NUTELLA CREPE MMMMMMM!!!!!!!!! Also I had my bike parked against the side of the building but when I went to leave it was gone!!! I was sooo worried someone stole it and I was running around asking everyone if they had seen it!! It turned out someone just moved it a bit down the street cuz a car couldn't get through! Wowowow smart!! SO IT TURNED OUT WE COULDN'T RENT BIKES AT ALL BECAUSE NONE OF THE BIKE RENTAL PLACES ACTUALLY HAD BIKES! Who would've thought?!!!!?!!? At least I got to have a spectacular bike ride by myself!!!!! 

We all left the hotel for good with all our luggage and drove to the beach!! The beaches here are INSANE. I can't get over how clear the water is!!! Like I don't even need my goggles because I can see 20 feet down to the very bottom without even going under water. It's so clear!! Well actually I always need my goggles cuz water gets in my nose but that doesn't change the fact that the water is SO CLEAR it's like looking into a crystal ball!!! Speaking of goggles, at the beach there was this little Italian boy snorkeling and all you could hear was him screaming through the tube of the snorkel. But it was like screams of joy and he was dancing around and doing all these weird things with his body and I just thought it was so funny!! He was so excited to be looking at sand, it remind me of myself!!! Anyways, we only stopped at the beach for a bit and Tobin and I played with the ball before heading on to the next place we're staying at called Cala Gonone. It's always a PAR-TAY in the backseat because Tobin, Nana Mary and I are all crammed in back there!!! 

Once we reached Cala Gonone, our hotel room wasn't ready yet so we went back in the ocean and swam around some more. Actually I'm just gonna refer to it as "a bowl of soup" because that's how warm it is!! We also all got super creamy gelato and I got creme brule flavoured!! Our hotel was ready but Nana Mary is staying in a different room so I just left ours to go hang out with her in her room!! Goodbye family! After checking in and resting for a bit we went to go get some groceries. On the way there we saw this really fancy hotel with a crazy bar patio so we went up there to check it out!! Turned out it was closed but there was no one up there so we just took some fancy photos! At the grocery store we got many great foods including these icing sugar cookies with peach jam (I know jam doesn't sound good but trust me when I say it was)!! We walked back home and the parents enjoyed their wine from the grocery store on our balcony and I enjoyed my cookies ;)))))))!!! 

For dinner that night we went to this pretty fancy restaurant! The chairs were all outdoor set under these huge olive trees. Also above our heads were the string lights which you I know I always love!! For dinner I ordered this giant grilled swordfish steak that was soooo unbelievably good!! It was so tender and juicy and is making my mouth water now just thinking about it. I also ended up eating three pieces of Tobin's pizza, a huge salad, a bowl of mum's soup, a lot of Nana's fish plate and three pieces of bread that chef cooked for us for free!! Yum I love food and I was beyond ready to order the homemade tiramisu for dessert that looked crazy good! One of the best tiramisu I had ever seen! But my dreams were soon crushed when I tried to order one and was told they weren't making anymore :{{{! Heart=broken. 

After dinner we walked home and stopped to listen to a live band perform on the streets. They were really good and mum, Nana Mary and I all danced together to the groovy music!! Then we made it back to our hotel and went to bed without having to climb over any gates or ask old men in their underwear to help us get in!!

GOODNIGHT and creep it real to all-mimirockzzz King Julian :}}}}

Off to Sardinia!

Seaside concert in La Caletta

San Giovanni Tower

Off to Sardinia! We got driven to the airport early and were ready to fly off!! At the airport there was another person added to our party of five when we checked in. They messed up and thought we were six people and there was another person named "Edwin Gardner" flying with us!! Hahhaha! We got it figured out but the funny thing was the rest of the time Nana Mary went around asking everyone, "Is your name Edwin?!" so we could figure out who he was!! She would ask random people who didn't even speak English and they would get so confused...it was hilarious!!!!!! Unfortunately the fun stopped for me because I got a very bad migraine before we boarded our flight :(((((. I just tried to shake it off and I slept the whole half hour flight! 

Once we got to Sardinia, which is this small island in the Mediterranean, we got our rental car and drove to the village of La Caletta, where we are staying at a hotel. The hotel was huge and had two swimming pools! Nana Mary and I are staying in one room and the rest of my family in the other! We headed straight to the pool and met Tobin there. But we are in Sardinia, we didn't want to swim in the pool, we wanted the ocean!!! Determined, we left only in our bathing suits and no shoes (not really thinking ahead) and headed to the beach. To get out of our hotel, we tried to climb over the fence!! All the Italian men started yelling at us from their balconies and we quickly got down! They were actually nice and showed us the proper way out!! Eventually, after asking many people the way, we reached the beach. Tobin didn't want to go in the ocean so he just stayed at the sketchy little playground. At the beach there was an ITALIAN WIBIT!!!! You know the inflatable water course?!! Ya well it was like that and Nana Mary and I (of course) snuck on!! We fell off the equipment a few times before the security started yelling and pointing at us so we got out off there!!!

After our quick escape, we left the beach and went to pick Tobin up from the park, but he wasn't there!! We were so worried some Italian creeper stole him so we got home as fast as possible!! Tobin had gone home by himself and mum and dad had were confused and no idea where Nana and I had been that whole time!! 

Once we got back, Nana Mary and I went out again to get some drinks to have on our patio. We got a little side tracked and got gelato too!! I got smurf flavored!! Like the little blue things, smurfs!! It was amazing and tasted like Lucky Charm marshmallows!!! 

After our big adventure, the whole family walked to go see an artist play guitar on the water. The setting was crazy!! He performed in front of this ancient tower on the ocean with all these rocks you could walk on!! Ooooooh and the water here is so warm!!! It's like soup!!! And it's also so clear, like it's not even blue, it's a crystal white color!! Anyways, the guitarist was amazing! His playing was so soothing as we listened to it while sitting by the ocean and tower. For dinner that night we went to a restaurant close by and we got fish, and pasta and pizza!! All the typical Italian things we get every night! It was amazing, as always!! 

We walked back home after dinner and everyone wanted to go to sleep but, of course, Nana Mary and I wanted to go back out and explore the night life!! So we went out and convinced Tobin to come too!!! The streets of La Caletta were hopping at night!!! There was a whole market going on outside and the streets were so packed it was hard to move!!! There were so many candy stands and at the first one we tried this really tasty frosting candy so then every time we passed a candy place we got it again!!! Also there were people up dancing on stage and they were doing the dance we knew from Ischia when we danced in the square with all those people!! Immediately I just ran on stage and started dancing with them as if I had been there the whole time!!!! 

After walking through the market that stretched through blocks and blocks, we walked back home. But the gate at our hotel was locked and we didn't have the key!! So we decided to climb over a different fence to get in - wow, that's the second fence climbing today!! Tobin and I made it over fine but Nana Mary got stuck at the top so we had to climb back over and get her down and we were STILL locked out!! Tobin then climbed back over the fence, went into the our room, got the key, and then let us in through the gate. But you see even though we were finally inside the actual hotel at the hotel by 11 pm, Nana Mary and I didn't get back to our room until midnight! Since we are staying in a whole different area of the hotel than mum, dad and Tobin, we have to go through all these other gates to get there!! But they were all locked and we were trapped!! The entrance was all the other side!!! I swear this hotel is like a labyrinth, we keep getting trapped or locked out everywhere!!! Nana Mary and I walked around the whole hotel, looking for a way in and after 20 minutes we found one and got into our hotel!! But then it was the WRONG ONE!! It was a different building that looked exactly like ours!! Aghhhhhghhhgggghhhh!! Nana Mary was so fed up and tired she just went into someone's apartment and asked them for help!! An old men came out only in his thin tighty-whiteys, that was it!! Oh my, it was disturbing but HILARIOUS!! He ended up being very helpful and showed us the way through the maze and back into our room!! Took us long enough!! We were so tired once we got home past midnight, we just crashed and went to sleep!!!! First day with Nana Mary was crazy, as I expected!!!! 

Creep it real my friends-mimirockzzz king Julian 

Guess who's here?!?!

Yay!  Nana Mary is here!  This is the view from our window!!!!

The Colosseum at night

The Colosseum

Up the stairs we go! We left our house in Torello this morning. You know how we had to take our luggage down all those stairs when we got here? Well, we now you had to do that again...but upstairs AND without any help!! Everyone thought I was taking so long to finish my Nutella toast and said we had to go but then I just booked it up the stairs with my luggage over my shoulder and I got to the top first, before everyone (although I was dead by the time I reached the top!)! Our driver, Stefano, was waiting there and once everyone was in the car, he took us to the train station in Salerno. The train was two hours (thankfully, we took the fast train!) and took us to Rome where we impatiently awaited the arrival of the one and only...NANA MARY!! 

The view outside our apartment was insane!! You just looked out the window and then, BANG - there's the Colosseum!!! Like the REAL DEAL right it front of us. It was unreal (even though it's the real deal haha)!! Within minutes of Nana Mary arriving, we where all laughing so hard because we played such a funny joke on her! We told Nana that there were nuns living upstairs and this was "a house of silence" so she could only whisper!! She actually believed us and starting whispering "oh sh*tttttt" and then Tobin pretended to be a nun and using a high voice said, "Be quiet! We can hear you! This is a house of silence!" Nana got super scared and I was peeing of laughter! Eventually she found out it was Tobin and we were joking!!! 

When Nana Mary got there I finally had my partner in crime with me, so we went out to explore the streets of Rome together(which I already know pretty well from coming here a couple weeks ago) while the rest of the family rested at home! I took Nana to the Spanish Steps and all the famous buildings and sculptures in Rome! We even passed the hated Nespresso store!! All this only took under two hours!! We were supposed to be home just after 7:00 because we leaving at 7:30 but we ended up rushing into the door at exactly 7:30!! Whoops!! Classic move! Tonight we are going on a night tour of the Colosseum in Rome!! Before that we had to quickly rush and get something to eat at a restaurant down the street. We all got pasta and even though we were in a rush, we couldn't help but order the tiramisu that looked DELICIOUS! And of course, IT WAS. 

The Colosseum at night was amazing!! There were no tourists and there wasn't scorching hot, which made it so much more enjoyable!! We got to walk inside the Colosseum where the gladiators actually fought each other. We walked all up in the stands where people watched from and got to see underground, where slaves lifted animals up on platforms! I thought the Colosseum was in great shape for how old it was and thought it looked way bigger in real life!! 

After an awesome experience in the Colosseum that I thought was so interesting we walked back home! Back at the house it was pretty late so we hit the hay!! Goodnight everyone and creep it real-mimirockzzz king julian