11/15/2021 | Bo10gna> az if we haven't had n'uff of Antonioni (rewatched his trilogy last 3 nites) we rewatched Red Desert, timely b/c it Bgins in Emilia-Romagna + twards end there'5 a 5cene in 5ardinia (where we'R headed domani) 4 contrast > Antioni's use of culur is astonish'n, but then we was watch'n this french interview w/ him after where he talks about how they painted n n-tire 4est gray + then ended up not using the 5cene b/c the sun was 5hining (it'5 foggy the Ntire movie)... makes u wonder how much of the Nvironmental degradation potrtrayed in the film was fabricated, wich is f'd up > R last nite in this airbnb, won't miss it 1 bit, not even anything intresting 2 show in a kitschy way

11/16 | Gesturi, Sardinia> woke up + went 2 a taxi stand but there were no taxis > went in2 a cafe + got a coffee + asked the barista perché hanno un taxi stand senza taxi + s/he just shrug'd > after 5 minutes another customer came in + s/he said if we needed a taxi this persun had a «blue taxi» so we went w/ them, 2 the airport > we'R anxious about flying right now but figured who'd B fly'n 2 Sardegna right now, rite? wrong... flight = packed > we'd paid 4 a seat (these shitty Ryan Air flights where the ticket = 14€ but if u want 2 reserve a seat that's N extra 50€ or so > we wd of just purchased 3 seats so we cd have a row 2 ourselves 4 the 2 of us but there's no way 2 + we figured who'd pay 50€ for a middle seat? wrong > sum 1 did > so we paid 7€ to switch seats 2 the back row wich was the only row w/ 3 seats 0pen > + of course the plane was over an hour late, stood packed together in line like cattle... fly'n is truly the most Dhumanizing thing ppl do + c0vid hasn't changed it 1 bit, they still pack every in like 5ardines > but we got hear > we've bin 2 Sardinia b4 but it was a short trip (only 2 Cagliari + the SW part of the I-land) 10 yrs ag0

> s0 we arrived in Cagliari, went 2 get the car we (foolishly) book'd thru Ryan Air/ Carrental.com @ sum place called B-rent... shd of known just by the name > we show'd them our voucher + they said it wasn't «real» + that we needed 2 cancel it + redo it (all in Italian), wich was annoying 2 say the least b/c we'd already paid 4 this other policy + s/he told us we'd halve 2 call «them» point'n 2 a +44 # (UK) > then s/he told us we needid N «international» driver's license, wich's the most absurd thing we'd ever heard b/c we've rented cars dozens of times in Italy (including a month or 2 ago) thru every rental agency in Italy + our U.S. license worked just fine > s0 we told B-rent piss off + stood in another line (@ Sixt) while calling the carrental.com customer service # + it was just sum long prompt in Italian even th0 it was a UK # > all Sixt had left was a BMW s0 now we have a Beemer 4 the fortnite! not that Xpensive either > hard 2 get used 2 as it doesn't have a key + took us a while 2 figure out how 2 get it 2 run + adjust seats, etc. + then when we started 2 drive it was like a driverless car that kept taking control of the wheel, witch was unnerving 2 say the least when U'R merging on2 busy narrow roads > we eventually figured out how 2 get the auto-steer function off + startid figuring out all the fancy gadgets like built in GPS that directed us rite 2 our hotel witch otherwise might not halve bin easy 2 find as it was up in all these random nameless back alleys > we ring the bell + hear sum 1 inside saying, «chi è? chi è?» like we're coming 2 rob them + we're like, um, Derek, abbiamo prenotato una camera > they din't have our reservation s0 we had 2 send our confirmation (we even prepaid) 2 them b4 + they had 2 run it up the horn while we stood in sum back alley w/ these chickens staring @ us + making strange clucking noises > finally they let us in, saying they were about 2 shut down the house b/c no 1 else was there > s/he made us sandwitches + gave us a much-needed beer + show'd us how 2 connect 2 Inurnet wich was key b/c our bedder-½ had N important call > anyway, s0 we're the only ppl stay'n in this amazing castley palazz0 (Borg0 Antic0 XIX sec.) wich has bin turn'd in2 a bnb... it'5 insane, grand pian0, pool table, 0pen bar of wine + beer + liquour that she told us 2 help ourselves 2

> all these travel headaches got us 2 rethink'n our 2-month 25th anniversary trip in December + January when we were plan'n 2 g0 2 Puglia, Calabria + Sicily > covid #s = rising in Italy + surrounding countries R locking down + Italy is instituting this new rule regarding green passes that have them Xpire after 9 months + since we both got vaxx'd in March ours wd Xpire early December + it's impossible 2 get a booster in Italy unless U got an Italian health card > not sure what we were think'n think'n we'd just travel around for 2 months eating in restraunts every nite (+ on top of it our bedder-½ has the dreaded J+J), guess a few weeks ag0 when we book'd everything everything was hunky dory > the other thing is when Italy goes in2 lockdown it's uber draconian, u halve 2 get permission 2 g0 out 4 a loaf of bread, getting a pass w/ the Xact route U'R taking map'd out + if U DV8 from the plan u get shot on the spot + they'R on the verge of going in2 lockdown again > fortunately we had the 4-site 2 make all our plans refundable s0 we went + cancelled everything + changed our ticket back s0 we can g0 home + get boostered + figured @ least we'd Njoy this 4tnite in 5ardinia

> 4 dinner we 8 @ the onely restraunt in town (La Taverna del Conte) + were the onely 1s there, had spahgetti w/ bottarga + our bedder-½ had culurgiones, wich R like a Sardinian pierogi, really tasty, amAzing meal + then slept in 1 of the most comfortable beds ever

where we'R writing from #953

taverna where we 8

17 Nov | Arbatax, 5ardinia> woke up in Gesturi, @ 4:00 a.m. b/c our bedder-½ had a call w/ Sri Lanka > had breakfast then wint 2 see these wild horses (only wild horses in eUrope) in Giara di Gesturi, intresting swampy plateau

goat skull + nuraxi

Giara

wild horses

nuraxi

> then wint 2 Su Nuraxi di Barumini, this fortified cluster of circular towers + huts

Nuraxi Barumini

hard 2 get a perspective s0 we stole this shot from Inurnet

inside the tower looking up

> then a long drive on narr0w windy roads 2 the eastern coast > we made this roadtrip mixtape 4 the 0cassion, w/ songs that halve 2 do w/ Sardinia + us turning 55 next week (song5/album5 that were top of the chart5 the week we wa5 born (nov 1966), or the week we turn'd 16):

murals everywhere in Sardinia

goats of courser, th0 they'R rather shy here

close Ncounters of 3rd kind

> got 2 Tortolì+ walk'd thru sum industrial area w/ speeding cars everywhere (even th0 it was a dead end road 2 the beach) 2 walk on the beach + got oysters then went 2 this massive restraunt where we were seated by ourselves w/ n0 remotely near us + we had bottarga on a bed of celery + culurgiones as a primi + then sum 1 comes in + they sat them @ the table right next 2 us even tho there was around 100 empty tables spread out all over... mind-boggling, 99% of ppl R covidiots w/ no commun sense

18 Nov> dreamt about ourself in 3rd person (for 1st time ever) doing mindless tasks like tally'n up sum #s + then wondered (in R dream) if we'd wake up dead b/c it's like the myth how if u die in your dream u die in real life > woke up (not dead obviously) + googled «what does it mean if u dream in 3rd persun»