Catherine’s Cagliari Travel Blog 2022

 Paper Recycling Plant On Wednesday we visited a paper recycling plant. We all looked very goofy in our helmets and vest. Above in the photos are goofball Alec and Bridget. Alec wasn't given a vest 😣 . Bridget loved the pulper💅.  We got to see the whole process of the paper going through sorters and then being mixed with water. We watched as the new recycled paper was made. At the end they showed us some of the products they make with the paper. Below is one of the bags they make. 

Barbagia We woke up bright and early at 8:30 am to begin our treacherous 4 hour long bus ride, which many of us were not prepared for. As you can see to the left, Elliot made himself quite comfortable in his bus seat. Our travels led us to an area of Sardegna called Barbagia. It is known for the rough hills and mountains and the lack of human presence. Barbagia is actually one of the least populated areas in all of Europe and due to this the natural beauties of the island are well preserved. This area is also home to many centenarians. Sardinia is one of the five regions with a high concentration of centenarians. In fact, for every 100,000 people there are about 34 centenarians. People think that this may be because of their fresh unprocessed diet as well as their ability to work all of their lives. Our first stop on the trip was at a small farm tucked away in the mountains where Shepards produce all of their food. The farm itself was full of fresh fruit like little cherry trees, lemon...

Trash Trucks Trash truck driving up the street on our walk to school Separate collection truck driving within city Waste to Energy Plant Pre energy recovery tour Separation Plant A little truck at the waste separation plant Part of the waste separation plant Conveyer belt with waste that will be separated Me next to loads and loads of trash  

  Foresta di Is Cannoneris We took the LandRovers up through the Foresta di Is Cannoneris Sunday morning. It is an ancient forest and it is one of the oldest in the Mediterranean basin. The ride was very bumpy as we trekked our way higher and higher. As we looked behind us we had a nice view of the ocean and a little glimpse of the city we were leaving behind. After a long and almost car sick ride, we made it to the top of the mountain. The wind was extremely fast and aggressive. It felt as though we were on a roller coaster. It was funny to look around and watch everyone stumble around on the greenery and rocks. We enjoyed a little pastry at the top of the mountain and then hopped back into the LandRovers to make our way on over to our next destination.  Cheese Making, Farm Animals, and Lunch Our next stop was a farm where we learned how to make cheese! The cheese man stirred a ginormous put of fresh milk and a special enzyme. He showed us that is had somewhat congealed and t...

 Arborea Waste Management Complex   Trash time! On Thursday we headed out to Arborea to explore their waste management complex. The first part of our tour consisted of exploring the plastic sorting center. In this area, they sift through loads of plastic and separate it into sections that are usable/unusable and different kinds of plastic. We learned about optical separators which function as a device that sort the plastic into different types using sensors. Once the plastic type is sensed it gets shot with a jet to go one path or it does not to go down the other path. As the plastic moves along the different conveyor belts it gets sifted through so that the plant can eventually sell certain types and so that it can deal with the unusable plastic. After learning about the plastic sorting we explored the compost and landfill at the plant. We learned about the way the plant deals with the odor that the air can carry. They send the air through a thick layer of compost where micro...

 Sulcis Sulcis is a region in the South of Sardinia. It is especially known for its mining and the rich history behind it. We started off our ride to the mines in LandRovers! We drove through the countryside to see the vast green hills and never-ending ocean. Along the way we made a few stops. Our first stop was at a little coffee shop where we enjoyed the sun and some of us even hopped in on a little soccer game. For the rest of our drive, we explored the "ghost world" of the mining complexes in Sardinia. We stopped at a town on top of the mountains that was extremely quiet. We only saw a handful of people during our entire time there. It used to be a very lively city but after the mines shut down many people left. There were many abandoned mines and mine towns that were starting to crumble. It was interesting to see the impact of these mines. We saw streams that were red due to the iron mining and piles and piles of waste from the mining.  Piscinas Beach After our LandRover...