Once we arrived to the small turistic village of Baia delle mimose, we started wondering if it was really situated near the sea. All we could see (beside the hotel and houses) was the rich
Mediterranean macchia (shurbland biome).
The beach was actually very near, but you have to cross the macchia covered sand dunes to see it. An amazingly beautiful award for having to climb up and down under the burning sun.
What I found particularly beautiful and interesting walking to the beach, were all kinds of plants, including flowers, growing in the sand.
This tree shows quite clearly the harsh weather conditions, especially winds, it is constantly exposed to.
Climbing to the top of the last sand dune you simply have to stop for a moment, take a deep breath and enjoy the beautiful, relaxing view... kilometers of sand beach and the endles blue sea... usually calm, but...
...on days when mistral wind is blowing, forget about swimming or the strong waves will simply suck you in.
Once the mistral has calmed down, the sea becomes flat and calm again, and there's plenty of things you can do, unless you prefer just being lazy and enjoy the sun...
...until the sunset...
I have more pictures to show, but the visit to Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) deserves a separate post.