We had to completely replan our day and our New Year’s Eve celebrations in Alghero when we found out that the stage for the town concert would be sited on the carpark that we had intended to camp on. This has been a handy central spot last time we had visited. We had also got turned away from the National Park in the morning as dogs (were not unsurprisingly) not allowed. So instead we decided to visit Fertilia, a small seaside town across the bay from Alghero.
It also meant a change of plan on services and a quick supermarket shop followed by finding a petrol station that allowed waste disposal for campers in their designated spot. We had yet more sat-Nav adventures on single track bridges and 90 degree turns to get there but came out unscathed.
We were parked up in Fertilia along the seafront with a couple of other vans by lunchtime though and went to join the crowds of locals having lunch in the sunshine. We then took the girls for a stroll to visit the Roman bridge which used to connect the villages of Nure and Carbia, renovated in medieval times and now sadly falling into disrepair. However, it is on a lovely quiet spot on the river and worth a visit.
As the afternoon progressed more vans arrived. A young Dutch couple John and Victora, who work 4 days a week from their van as a software developer and illustrator respectively. They have Starlink fitted, the first van we have seen in Europe with it. We have been interested in getting it for a while but have been waiting for some of the more recent dish innovations to come to Europe. Was good to talk to John about his experiences with it… very fast indeed.
By evening another German and Italian van arrived along side us, plus infact another 2 which arrived sometime in the late evening only spotted this morning! We headed in to one of the bars and the waiter was horrified when we asked for a table as they were fully booked. Although, he then happily gave us a table we could drink at. When we had ordered a drink we asked if there was any food we could order and was offered 3 separate menus, including the special NYE menu offered in the dining room literally through an open archway from where we were sat. So I am not sure where the hesitancy at our arrival came from. We were a little overwhelmed by the scale of the food choices available and opted for pizza which was delicious.
We headed back to the van before midnight as intermittent fireworks had been going off since before it even got dark and we wanted to check on the dogs. We brought them out to a bench on the promenade to watch the fireworks in Alghero across the bay just before midnight and were soon joined by quite a crowd. Including unfortunately some teenagers with firecrackers which greatly distressed Lola so I had to rapidly return her to the van and sadly missed midnight at the water’s edge. Kev came back with Lizzy (entirely fine with the fireworks) shortly after carry plastic cups of alcohol from happy Italian revellers and reported on the very cheerful communal celebrations at the front. The fireworks were by now being released at random all around us and so Lola and I were happy to cuddle up together in the van. Kev returned to the fray and was invited in for whisky by a French motorhomer nearby with a Mercedes Sprinter based van a bit like ours who he got chatting to. However, he resisted the hard stuff and returned to the van for a glass with me.
It’s been an epic year for us for our travels with 5 months away and a great tour of France, Spain, Portugal and Sardinia. Looking forward to many more travels to come in 2023. Happy New Year everyone.
In for a Penney 