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February 20 Monday Bicycle touring Italy Sardinia from a forestry hut high in the mountains past Oschiri Sardinia to Giant's Grave Sardegna We bicycle toured the main road from Oschiri to Olbia. Lots of trucks, but the wind is behind us and we make good time. At Olbia the road turns skyward to Arzachena. We cycle to the sacred burial place of Li Mura, entailing an ugly bike ride to the top of a dirt, rock, sand road. The circle of upright sharp rocks represent knives and guard the tomb in the center. A box on the side was meant to hold food offerings. Our next cycle touring stop is the Giant's Grave -- so named because of its dimensions. The burial chamber is about twenty feet long and resides behind an opening in the large centre stone. The opening is there because the ancients believed it enabled the spirits to come and go. They buried people in the trench side by side. I took a picture of the sun behind a notch in one of the semi-circle standing stones that were erected in 1800 - 1200 BC. We set up our sturdy bicycle touring tent in a pasture below the ancient graveyard. It was not a peaceful night. A pack of dogs barked and howled. Sheep ran back and forth all hours of the night, their bells clanging like some crazed lunatic fringe. It was clear and cold. Then it clouded over and I got too hot. Then it cleared again and I became freezing cold. Not enough clothes, too many clothes, not enough, my backside got cold. Not much sleep after riding a fully loaded touring bicycle a 100 kilometres into the wind. |
