For the past few years I`ve been monitoring and envying groups of SUVs visiting Sardinia (often reffered to as "pearl of the Mediterranean"). I saw their pics and log books showing what a great time they always had there. There`s beautiful landscape scenery overe there, historical towns and small villages where time seems to have stopped a 100 years ago. Lots of dirt tracks going through the mountains and gorgeous small beaches, to some of which you can get with a 4x4 vehicle and camp right there. You can have a roof tent a normal tent or sleep in the car if you wish or you can go to a regular camping site and rent a bungalow. To me it looks like an ideal place to go with your SUV for a partly active, partly relaxing vacation - do some sight-seeing and local food/wine degustation, some light off-roading through the mountain and down-to-the beach trails, swimming and snorkling, renting boats for sea excursions, etc. And it could be a perfect place for some of us Europats to meet, get to know each other in person and just have a great time with our "little" Jeeps. Of course Europe is big so the potential participators would be limited by a reasonable driving distance to his nearest ferry port to Sardinia - I don`t dare specify any "reasonable" distance, since to someone 1000 kms could be too much and someone else can do 3000 kms without a problem. For me, the driving distance to the nearest port (Genoa) is 1100 kms, but from there the ferry to Sadinia is long and expensive so it might be worth driving a couple of hundred more kms down south to another port/shorter ferry. Since people would be comming from different directions, it would be all up to them to select their port of choice and get to the randez-vous place on the dream island.
Anyways, I don`t want to go into any details since this is just a probe if there would be anybody at all interested in joining in the 1st International Europat 2009 Expedition across Sardinia. The best month would definitely be September - still nice warm air and water but not hot, much less tourists than in June-August and possibly cheaper off-season prices. So here`s a brief recap of the idea:

WHAT: Europat on/off road Expedition 2009
WHERE: Sardinia, Italy
WHO: any and all european Jeep Patriot owners from any distance they care or dare to drive from
WHEN: September 2009 or alternatively May/June 2010
LENGHT: at least 7 days net time on the island
GEAR NEEDED: Jeep Patriot, camping stuff, money

Theoreticaly any number of cars could join in, but I think more than 10 vehicles would be a little overcrowded and some of the "wild" camping sites might not be large enough for more. The minimum binding participants should be at least 6, because as life goes anything can happen unexpectedly to any of us (health, family, work, etc. problems), and so even if 50% had to cancel at the last moment, there would still be 3 Jeeps left to go, enough to be called a group, have some fun and of course be an aid to one another in case of any emergencies. If it turns out there are people interested, we would still have 3 months time to get our Pats, gear and ourselves ready and discuss all the details. As an alternative, if 3 months is short notice for some and there wouldn`t be enough of us to go, we could plan the same trip for May/June next year. That would give us a whole year to plan and prepare :)

So then, all interested Pats are warmly welcome as well as any comments.

BG (the DD)

P.S. See attached pics to get some idea ...

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/85/l_108e192f3f3547038bdea320f26e05fc.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/93/l_d21f556f276e4c38b8360d53d415c378.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_a98082ca084e43b48f10e52164e05f1f.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/100/l_0acaf9a7154843d1b2c3f994446f749d.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/87/l_1d9de00ca4af448991d970bf954e3033.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/76/l_76d64bb1e2f444b6a1d5e5a969e334a6.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/72/l_3901221c6a78470ab8e0059cecb88fa2.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/70/l_cd25385585224765859c450f39afc4dc.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/107/l_127c528d57ba4c44b869542ead60d1cf.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/94/l_4ad74c407acb46629b7cd1c19a983f90.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/112/l_c1886b179a8c428bb3978344b6d77ef7.jpg http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/102/l_566bdd90946645ca9081b1e63652db9f.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/91/l_173b0bb54dc34d49a857dcf0a3264f23.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/82/l_ae3f505c570a48e8b7960b5053df2bbe.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/111/l_c637715d9b3043609aae10796254abfc.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/67/l_fd0ed91e05e94b0d835a1a6be7d93da1.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_efd28be23a964702a987ef98fde73810.jpg http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/94/l_155b563b05f44a07a3823d44fae43ca3.jpg
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/107/l_727709c1311c41419dde0f472d03b3f1.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/80/l_2f1a115251a04731ae4d84c823a9fd70.jpg
http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_1b0f82c544f342bcbc4a5b36c5d4bf04.jpg

MORE SARDINIA PICS:

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/69/l_9c37d0f9aea04395b157299c2f971382.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_8a6075ea17964292abf1745a305fcb04.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/97/l_f27118e9382f4b97a52fdb3aea568d84.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/93/l_c13365b4be2a473db89068fcf8b278d8.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/80/l_7840d50ede1243649f9bd8376952ac6f.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/73/l_ed08273f8eff47d98c4530c15795513d.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/88/l_a4c25e7e385043dbb6062a5c7853a298.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/83/l_1961fba3633f4308aa4b405b2fb44ca5.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/74/l_973582682f98405990bc2848695102df.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/97/l_1c147414a0c74a07aa39d598c7f225ce.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/92/l_256bfe4aac064a5e9457dca7d6294b93.jpg http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/71/l_63464948311446e48eac2bec70273db3.jpg

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_1506a11e2ec141f086445bac7cb5ef91.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_c109d0be70274c40ba3ba90b9832816d.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/85/l_9624abdb2e9b484592e8a2e0c855cbcc.jpg http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/74/l_b90f829bdbef49bea42ca58c1e1c892b.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/66/l_21fd71bcce884dcb988e19395f6bce06.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/80/l_6bd1b9a550424d528053d0f78a3c242a.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/77/l_fc945a7ccd06451382343d1a8f21059a.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/82/l_6eb8216b4f2b4434910a7ca555915589.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/101/l_d3055fe5f79f4af1a51f9a9542d9d5ba.jpg

AND FINAL PART OF SARDINIA PICS:

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/103/l_d97ace8528f44a579b1953bc5f1eb939.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/72/l_eb0bed5b180e41a7b3fedeb615146280.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/104/l_29911304d350461c896d29aec7b93e57.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/73/l_a89df3ebfa9d46bca78f8d87ee0ed449.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/74/l_c837f5c48221441e90ae1a5609f00dc2.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/101/l_2353a1393dba4e4f8bd252b5768bf125.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/72/l_783a464e3973435fb2139bf1aa7adc93.jpg http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/78/l_825f591d210441a6ac1006d8937fa6df.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/90/l_88fe093ffeaa45f19b77c8bbe2e930fb.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/109/l_75645233141b4d2684262929bc11a139.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/83/l_c1e410a0391c44409112f512c98c3f82.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/67/l_d07233d8bf0247478140bde26f757d60.jpg

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/70/l_df24210744f44619919227214f72ec6a.jpg http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/108/l_ff016edee3d546e5b3a014768f1e82c3.jpg

http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/112/l_2e0d07c5f25c4fec96e9c0879f414ad3.jpg http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/107/l_dcf81c1db307442fa41416a58700fda2.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/67/l_9dc294ef9b3b429980a74edb0204f3c4.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/101/l_5b461d8369df49bb849dcb8c142dc2e8.jpg

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/69/l_b378eeb328e0437998a937456e0ce0b9.jpg http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/84/l_310fe6bf63d140d1bbabd2e2765d4409.jpg

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/66/l_ac712e1faa7d4233bbabbf17b4d0a458.jpg http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/84/l_d4fe9d28b9314ba5ab79367a7c18c66c.jpg

Those were some awsome picture. I lived in Lamadelana for 3 years and traveled all over Sardina. Thanks for the pics and traveling back in time.

Did not saw this post before... If it was last year, I would certainly say YES, as I am from Montenegro (not that far away to drive), but I just got twins and it is impossible for me to leave the babies home, but for next year, lets say that, if I do not loose my job, I am 90% sure to attend!

Greetings from MNE!

Or, if interested, we can organize next year EuroPat on/off road expedition Montenegro 2010.
We have some nice beaches (although I just adore some of those you posted on Sardinia).
I can post some photos of MNE, as well :)

Pls post your pic of MNE Hogar and let`s see if we get some attention and interest for Sardinia or Montenegro ... I think either of the tours would be a worth while expedition. And as for me, the distance to both locations would be about the same ... :smiley_thumbs_up:

Might be, but no ferry needed to come to Montenegro (unless you are coming from Sardinia:) )... Pics of Montenegro:

http://montestate.net/offer/images/stories/cg%20gradovi/montenegro.jpg
http://www.houseinmontenegro.com/images/montenegro-houses.jpg
http://www.geographicguide.net/europe/pictures/montenegro.jpg
http://www.discover-montenegro.com/Foto/Skadarsko-Jezero/montenegro.jpg
http://www.montenegroproperty.org/images/montenegro01.jpg
http://www.imaginemontenegro.com/Large-picture.jpg
http://www.tourismroi.com/uploadedImages/Home_Page/montenegro4.jpg
http://img2.travelblog.org/Photos/5475/65142/f/409550-Montenegro-0.jpg
http://www.montenegro-info.net/2004/Fotografije/IM000116.jpg

And some more... off-road photos
(sorry for low-res pics)

http://www.montenegro.travel/scms/media.php/12848/off%20road.jpg
http://www.montenegro.citymax.com/i//tn_Ispod_planine_Zurim.jpg
http://www.montenegro.citymax.com/i//tn_Kolona_na_Sinjajevini.jpg
http://www.reisenews-online.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/g2_1241776131-468x351-300x225.jpg
http://miomirmaros.com/tekst%2034_files/image001.jpg
http://miomirmaros.com/tekst%2034_files/image002.jpg
http://miomirmaros.com/tekst%2034_files/image003.jpg
http://miomirmaros.com/tekst%2039_files/image001.jpg
http://caffemontenegro.info/slike/caffe42/dzip1.jpg

Beautiful pics Hogar! I just looked at a map to refresh the location of MNE ... pretty down south, almost at Sardinia level. Well a few years back we were in Chroatia for a vacation (the most popular destination for Czechs - about a million of us go there each year) and we stayed at the peninsula Peljesac in a small solitare house in the vineyards with a spectacular view of the sea. The distance to get there was about 1.500 kms (1.000 miles) so I guess it would be about 500 kms more to get to MNE. Not a mission impossible :) but a long drive all the same. How would you go about comming to Sardinia? Ferry to east cost of Italy, drive to the west coast and another ferry to SRD? Or drive all the way around on the mainland? That would probably also mean something like 2.000 kms!

Well, according to the ViaMichelin, Prague to Rome is cca. 1300km, and Prague to Podgorica is cca. 1300km. So, same distance to drive, but no ferry.

Having in mind prices of ferry from Bar (Montenegro) to Bari (Italy), it is most likely that I would drive all the way around (Croatia, Slovenia, Italy) if I go without babies, since it is much cheaper to drive (with the prices of fuel and fuel consumption, it would cost me less than 100EUR to drive the distance (1300km podgorica - genoa (1000km on motorways) approx. 16 hours - one day drive) (fuel only)), while ferry is for car only cca. 400 eur.

OK, nobody joined in so far ... so I`m leaving for Sardinia the following weekend all on my own just with my Jeep Patriot a tent and sleeping bag and will be exploring the island for two weeks. Hope it`ll be a great adventure. Have to arrange and prepare so many things before I leave though, that my head is spinning and I simply won`t have time for the Jeep Pat forum untill I get back at the end of September. Hope all will go well and that I`ll be able to post some itinerary, experiences and pics after that :D

Boy George over and out ... Sardinia heeeeeeere I come .... :Racing:

I'm very envious of your road trip. I hope you a safe and fun journey. Montenegro looks awesome too.

The wife and I have been talking about the Dalmatian Coast for a few years now. The stepdaughter's boyfriend is Croatian (or is it Croat?). My wife needs to finish school for her 2nd career and I've got to find the time and cash to make the trip happen. Maybe next year is what we always end up saying. It looks like our stepson may end up in Prague for a while and that might be a good starting point. Some good airfare deals out of Toronto come up often for that part of the world.

Anyways, have a great trip!

perfect hogar

OK so I started out just with my son, the Pat loaded to the roof with camping stuff, food, water, beer, etc. none the less. The drive from Prague CZ to Livorno IT is about 1.200 kms (750 miles) all by higway, so a bit tiresome and boring, except a nice change when going through the Austrian Alps. Slept at a camp near Livorno and next day went by ferry to Obia, Sardegna ... about a 7 hour cruise ... very nice if the weather is OK and you can hang around on the outside deck. From Olbia we went casualy along the East coast stopping at interesting places and different camp sites ... the pics will say more than a thousand words :p
Finaly we ended up in the capital - Cagliari, where my son Martin (having exhausted the remainder of his vacation) jumped on a plane and went back home. So during the next week I stayed with my daughter ... she`s been living in Italy for the past 15 years, 12 years out of that on the Sardinia Island (Cagliari), but I never visited her there before being to busy all the time but she would always come to CZ for visits instead. So she and her partner showed me around this time and it was really enjoyable and fun - again pictures speak for themselves, so I don`t want to bore you with some :blah::blah::blah::D Shame that my daughter`s soon-to-be husband`s yacht was in the docks for engine repairs at the time of my visit, otherwise my joyfull experience would probably be even more overwhelming ...

Going with just a single car, I had to leave out any off-road adventures down rocky paths to the beautiful hidden deserted beaches or up the mountain trails where only goats and sheep keep you company. That would be too much of a risk in case of an emergency. I guess at least 3 vehicles would be needed for that kind of ventures to help each other out if needed be. So it was just plain asphalt driving most of the time with some gravel road interludes.

After 2 weeks I started out back for home sweet home. Not too much sweat ... 300 kms highway drive back north to Olbia ... ferry ... Livorno - Prague with a few hours sleep crouched on the front seat of the Pat. I was just too lazy and tired to go to a camp, shuffle through all the gear and put up a tent. Especially when the Jeep was completely loaded with my son`s stuff which he left behind after his previous 18 month stay there and wanted me to take everything back to CZ for him :icon_rolleyes:

Well, that`s that ... it was an enjoyable experience and I`m looking forward to future trips there... or elsewhere :) Oh and BTW ... my Patriot had no problems whatsoever :smiley_thumbs_up: ... and I really did appreciate the swing down rear speakers while camping, stopping for snacks, etc.

I haven`t seen a single Jeep Patriot on the way, yet everywhere I stop people gaze and seem to like and admire it. So why don`t the folks buy Riots instead of the volks wagens then? Well, anyway it makes me feel like owning something rare and special. And the fact is - there really isn`t anything like the Pat on the market. Mercedes made an effort with it`s angular GLK ... it`s not so bad really, but it doesn`t have half the originality and personality of the Patriot ... and the base model costs at least twice as much ;)

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JwW7wV99Kf8/S02n9R7q1tI/AAAAAAAAA1c/ajGtiSC7zxc/s640/DSCF1111.JPG

CLICK GREEN LINK BELOW FOR SLIDE SHOW

Mind you there`s 464 pics so take a sixpack of beer a snack, popcorn, bucket of ice cream, etc. ...:p

See bottom line menu to set photo interval (default 3 seconds), pause, continue and use F11 for full screen mode and F13 to donate some funds to Boy George by Pay Pal for his next adventures :D :D :D

Some pics have short comments at the bottom. Ciao all and lemme know what you think and if les fotografias estos attrativos para voi ...err ... I made that up, it`s proly more spanish than italian. The on-line Google translator says it should be: "fammi sapere se ti è piaciuto la foto" ...

http://picasaweb.google.com/boygeorgemail/SARDINIA2009#slideshow/5426177797278848722

Wow great trip, great photos, although a lot to go through, lol, and you have a hat from my Alma Mater too!

I hope you get more folks to go next time, too bad so far away for me, looks like a great trip.

I also wanted to say I like your seat covers. Were they custom made?

Mine look something like yours, and my wife made mine for me.

My seat covers are stock ordered from an internet shop. The front covers fit without any adjustments only the rear ones were custom udjusted for a good fit ... and I had the center armrest cover made from the same material leftover from the rear seats. My wifey`s not too good at sewing (even though she has a nice Singer sewing machine) so i had it done at a specialised shop :icon_rolleyes:

So I did it again!!! Went to Sardegna with my Pat for a whole month (end of June to end of July) and BOY (George) was it worth it! Fabulous trip, weather, sea ... everything! Anyone interested in my pics & videos can look here:

http://bambiko.rajce.idnes.cz/

the web is in Czech but you can just click around easily - manual/auto/full screen presentation, etc. I fell in love with the La Maddalena islands on the north coast of Sardinia - it`s a small paradise :-). Found a B&B place for just 25 european bucks/night (about 30 USD) with kitchen, fridge and TV. You can rent a 20 foot boat with a 40 HP engine for the whole day (including the gas) for just 100 Euro (120 USD), no licence needed and you can explore all the beautiful islands and hidden beaches on your own. I simply loved it and definitely want to go there again next year, so if anyone, probably from Europe I guess, want`s to join in, just let me know, OK?

Cheers, George

George, what a wonderful trip. Sorry we missed you during our Prague visit last month, but it it looks like you had a really great vacation. BTW, we didn't see a single Patriot in Prague or Pilsen. Are you the only one?:)

A fairly good number of all kinds of Jeeps over here Joe but during the past 2 years I`ve seen only about 2 Pats in the Czechlands - but then again I don`t do a lot of traveling around the country. There were quite a few Jeeps in Sardinia too and I even passed one Jeep Patriot there ... twas the same color as mine, couldn`t believe my eyes :wow:

wow looks like so much fun, i might honestly look and see what it cost just to travel there for s week or something amazing pics haha!!!

:drool:

I wish I could join your group. Looks like a phenomenal adventure!

perfect hogar

OK so I started out just with my son, the Pat loaded to the roof with camping stuff, food, water, beer, etc. none the less. The drive from Prague CZ to Livorno IT is about 1.200 kms (750 miles) all by higway, so a bit tiresome and boring, except a nice change when going through the Austrian Alps. Slept at a camp near Livorno and next day went by ferry to Obia, Sardegna ... about a 7 hour cruise ... very nice if the weather is OK and you can hang around on the outside deck. From Olbia we went casualy along the East coast stopping at interesting places and different camp sites ... the pics will say more than a thousand words




______________________
electronic books online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyzdom9_xIg)
electronic books (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyzdom9_xIg)

nikole, can;t wait to see your photos!

the pics will say more than a thousand words

But there were no photos in your post?