It was an overcast day but not chilly when we decided to head up into the mountains for an afternoon walk with friends. We weren’t in search of anything, in particular, just the meeting of new people, dialogues, laughter and panoramic views that stretch as far as southern Corsica to Limbara and to the northwestern tip of Sardinia. Pure Sunday bliss in my books, a perfect Sunday spent between mountain and sea. We walked through cow dung and chatted about jobs, recipes, future vacations, goals and dreams. An odd burst of colour made a startling contrast to the deep greens and earth that surrounded this lonely flower. 
We traversed ancient stone walls to find a better nook to seek out the splendid panorama. The clouds and impending rain weren’t a hindrance to how high we would climb, and at just below 500 meters above sea level we sat down on moss-covered granite boulders and shared a warming sip of mirto as we took in the splendid view from this corner of the Gallura.
The afternoon wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t take advantage of that placid sea, we piled into the car and drove the 7km down the winding mountain road to a place where underwater fairy tales come true only at sunset.
We strolled the promenade as the salt water effortlessly lapped at the shore. Locals walked their dogs and chatted about local politics and that evening’s choice for dinner. Fishermen’s boats clanked at the docks as we walked between the fingers reading out the name of each vessel and laughing at the ones we couldn’t pronounce. It was a perfect January afternoon with friends, between the mountains and the sea.
At the end of it, we came away with newfound friends, an afternoon spent between contrasting elements of mountain and sea, a stomach full of local pizza and peppery homemade red wine, and 21 fresh asparagus shoots from a quick forage at 500 meters above sea level! Such an excellent way to spend an afternoon in Januray.
What do you do to break the monotony of winter? Can you forage for anything in your area?
