We haven’t had access to the internet for the computers since the 22nd of April, so we have made due with the iphone wireless to keep in touch by email, but the skype has not been working due to weak signals.
April 22, Friday – Our last day in Castellemare de Golfo. Today we have decided to go back up to Erice to see the Good Friday procession which starts at 3:00 PM and lasts approximately 4 hours during which they go throughout the town. Trapani also has one which apparently lasts for 24 hours, and very busy with lots of people watching, we decided to avoid that as these cities are not easy to get around in and we did enjoy Erice earlier in the week.
Today – the weather was totally different from the other day – I thought to myself – this wind must be like what sailors encounter when the big squalls come in. (Erice is not far inland from the coast) It was definitely nasty with a capital N!! Good thing we had come prepared with rain jackets and an extra layer beneath because we certainly needed it! As Jeffrey had been impressed by the Sicilian ceramic plates, when we were here earlier, we decided to find one for home. All three of us went into the shop – there were so many ceramic pieces on display - so we were all careful not to touch anything – with Teresa watching Jeffrey like a hawk. We let J make his choice – and a lovely piece he chose - we clearly saw Jeffrey’s appreciation for art. He really wanted us to buy one for our place in BC. “Boy mom- wouldn’t that plate look great at our place in Wycliffe” and indeed it will.
We decided to go for a coffee and sweet, as a way to get out of the wind and rain and stay warm until the procession started. While we were there, we met a group of Italians who were from the Tuscany area and were visiting Sicily for the first time. We struck up a conversation with a couple of them who knew how to speak English well and really enjoyed it. The gentleman, Frank, (Gianfranco Ephifani) invited us to give him a call when we are in the Pisa area – so we exchanged email/phone numbers. That was a really nice bonus to the afternoon. We laughed at the fact that there were places in Italy we were going to see first before them – although a number of them have travelled abroad. They were amazed that Mark was retired – they wanted to know what he did….
The procession was really neat. There was a band playing solemn music and there were 6 “platform floats” carried on the shoulders of men to depict the events of Good Friday. Each float depicted a scene, and also was adorned with huge bouquets of fresh flowers. The platforms were very heavy, as you could see the effort required by the men to lift each, and then they would only walk a few feet before a stop while resting the float on poles until it was time to proceed forward again.
When we left Erice, we decided to do some more exploring down near the water. We do enjoy driving around places and seeing what we come across, and have found we enjoy the smaller places much more than the cities. We found some neat caves but unfortunately, they were closed to the public, maybe they are only open in the summer when more tourists are around.
On another outing near Scopello we had noticed a good-sized hill/small mountain that had a flag planted at the top, that M and J thought quite reachable and that they would like to climb. So, on the way back Mark located the road near the hill. He pulled over and said, “Let’s go climb the mountain”. Off we set – down an embankment, which unfortunately some of the locals had used to as a bit of a dump. Vegetation was high enough to hide it until we started down the bank and began to step on old lawn chairs, scrap wood – not too impressive. However, we did manage to maneuver through the junk and make our way toward the hill. Through painful contact we learned to skirt a few plants they were prickly! About 30 minutes later, with Mark leading us via standard mountain route finding through the rock faces, we were atop of the mountain and pictures were taken and the view admired. We did make it down with a few prickles lodged in the mesh of our sneakers, one rip in the butt check of J’s new track pants and the mesh on M’s new $180 runners ripped (nothing that a little duck tape and crazy glue didn’t fix).
Once back at the apartment we decided to go out for dinner since it was our last night here. We parked down near the old castle and wandered up to find a little family restaurant to have dinner – it had 4 tables in the place. The menu was Menu con pesce or Menu con carne. We all chose pesce. Since we were their first customers of the night we had our pick of fish. They had fresh fish from the dock and they had one large fish and several small ones. Mark and I chose to have the large fish, Chafillo, done Mediterranean style (poached with tomatoes, capers and onions) – delicious. J had mixed fish grilled. They had pasta with mussels while I had pasta with sardines. All was enjoyed and another neat experience for us. Of course we had the house wine –served in the traditional water glass…
Saturday, April 23 – We awoke by 8 and packed and on the road by 10 (after our morning cap). Today we were travelling across Sicily to Taormina, on the east coast. We retraced our route through Palermo and then left Autostrada 20 to follow 19 through the central part of the island. Here we found the landscape was again different from what we had seen. It was much more hilly and some appeared to be rangeland. Again we marveled at the amount of money that has been invested in roads with many stretches (some 5 Km or more long) being elevated using bridge-like structures, rather than the cut and fill approach used for roads in North America.
We arrived in Taormina by 1:15 and tried to call the landlord of a next apartment. When we had no luck, we called the agency to let him know we couldn’t get in touch with the landlord for the rented apartment. We waited and waited, finally I reached the woman at 3 pm only to be told that she didn’t have our booking and her place wasn’t available until Tuesday. So, for another 2 hours we waited and tried to contact the rental agent who by now was not answering his phone. Meanwhile, Gisella (the landlady), was very upset that things got screwed up, so she tried to help by offering a place in Giardini Naxos (next town south) for a few days until her place was ready. I was not impressed. Still it was getting late (4:30) and no one else to help us so we agreed to take her up on her offer. J was absolutely wonderful while we waited, and did not complain once even though we had waited about 4 hours! He played his Ipod and we read the rest of 39 clues Book 6.
Gisella came to meet us in Taormina and we followed her to Giardini Naxos, a tourist town located in the cove below and south of Taormina. It has a very busy promenade, which seems to be the meeting place of locals to catch up with friends. The beach here is quite extensive and the bay is shallow. There were numerous restaurants and bars for people to enjoy. The apartment is just behind the first row of buildings facing the sea. It is very large, 3 bedrooms and well stocked. We went to buy a few groceries and wine of course. The landlord took J and Mark to the local butcher so we could get some carne, and J got to see a butcher at work. Then it was off to a nearby restaurant to have a bite to eat. I had Spaghetti carbonara – delicious, M and J had pizzas as well, we had some lovely calamari to start. I was exhausted after the fiasco with the apartment, so I went to bed early.
Sunday, April 24. Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny came for Jeffrey this morning. Upon opening the shutters of the apartment, we saw beautiful blue sky and sparkling water. We sat out on the deck for a while – catching a few rays and then having breakfast. Today will be a beach day – Jeffrey is itching to go swimming and play – so that’s the plan for the day. Coated with sunscreen and hats donned, off we went to walk down the promenade to find a part of the beach to explore. J promptly went into the water and stayed in until it was time to come out indicated by his skin starting to turn pink. J has remarked several times that he wished he had a complexion that allowed tanning, versus the one he and Mark have where they only get successive burns that eventually turn somewhat dark. We went in for lunch and then returned with sun shirt and football in hand to spend another couple of hours there. While Mark and J were playing catch with the football another boy about J’s age came over to play as well for awhile, a good treat for all involved. A wonderful way to spend the day and enjoying the scenery, both a bit of eye candy now and then and the landscape as well!
Back in the apartment by 6, we’re ready to cook our dinner and the gas stove won’t light. Not impressed is Mark – or I for that matter, so we decide to go out once again. We went to the same restaurant. I had a pizza for the first time since we arrived, M had sautéed spinach and veal parmigianna and J had swordfish and croquette potatoes. It was tasty, and then we walked back to the apartment. Tonight it is very busy on the promenade. Lots and lots of people out - visiting with one another. Maybe they do this regularly. I notice that most ladies have funky shoes, tight jeans or like to dress up. Most younger guys have the well coiffed hairdos. The majority of the young adults smoke.
April 25 – Monday - we awake to hear a clap of thunder and Teresa rushed to the deck to find the laundry that had been already to put away re-wetted by the rain. Oh well, we bring it in and hang it every place we can find in the apartment. Jeffrey had a sore tummy, so we decide to have a slow inside day. While investigating the potential causes of his ailment, we count the number of remaining chocolate eggs and conclude he likely ate 15 of them, perhaps that contributed to his issue today. Teresa and I decided to read all morning, and then each went for a nice walk around the area while the other stayed back with J. Oh, our landlord comes up to see about the stove and says – “the gas isn’t on” and proceeds to fully open the almost closed valve. Aahh, the light goes on for us – dinner will be in tonight!!! Chicken scallopine sauteed in butter, lemon, and rosemary accompanied by fusilli with “to die for” pesto sauce and wine of course. It’s become customary for us to have gelato each eve as well!!
April 26 – Tuesday – We awake to more rain today. We could hear announcements being made aloud by a vehicle driving down the road along the promenade, which, we assumed warned people to stay away from the beach. The wind had picked up as well as the rain. The waves in the bay were amazing! The beach seemed to disappear under the white foam of the sea! The force of the waves was incredible. Before we left Giardini, we drove down to the point at the port to take some shots of the wave action. Today we will be meeting Gisella to move into our orignally arranged apartment in Taormina. It is about 3 km to the north of Giardini Naxos on the hill overlooking the bay. Taormina is a tourist destination and arriving here it is easy to see why. The town is perched on the side of Mount Tauro – with narrow winding roads and lots and lots of rock stairways. What a beautiful town – homes and hotels perched on top of one another. Some places are only reachable by staircase and not by road. This is the case of our apartment. We parked for only the time it took to unload the luggage and then Mark moved the vehicle to a parkade about 3 minutes walk from the apartment.
Once we unpack our groceries, which on Gisella’s advice we purchased our groceries in Giardina as there aren’t as many supermarkets in Taormina – and we certainly could attest to that after we walked around. Apparently it rarely rains in Taormina and area, however, it’s here with us. The fog and mist obscures the hillsides and Mt. Etna has disappeared in the clouds. So glad we were able to see it clearly on Sunday!!
We decide to go for a walk and check out the Centro Taormina. It is basically a pedestrian roadway lined with designer and tourist shops. It was wonderful to see the lovely old buildings adorned with wrought iron balconies and greenery. It is a lovely site. Along the way there are many old structures, fortresses, and churches. There are many narrow stairways and many restaurants on and off the “main thoroughfare”. We do pick up a few other groceries at a grocery store we do manage to locate and then head back to cook dinner and unwind at the apartment.
April 27 – Wednesday – Another overcast and scattered showers forecasted for today, so we decide to explore some of the town of Taormina. Again, we venture out later in the morning after a good breakfast. We walk up the steps from our apartment (which is below street level) – accessed by steps only and cautiously walk along the road. This one-way street, one of the main ways down from the town of Taormina, is narrow and very busy – so we are quite cautious. The town site is full of activity with busloads of tourists who have come to soak up the magic of the place. We enjoy the sites and sounds as we amble down the pedestrian friendly “Corso Umberto”. Along the way we take pictures of the sites and scenery of the coastlines below. The buildings have such character – wonderful doors with wrought-iron knockers/handles many are very old. We come across a few churches to peer into. Chiesa Di San Guiseppe in Pizza IX Avrile in particular holds our interest and has us to admiring the wonderful frescos painted high upon the ceiling. J wondered how they could possibly do that in such an old church (built in the seventeenth century) – that couldn’t have the scaffolding like we have today…. We decide to go to the Greaeco Roman Theatre that is perched on the hillside. This theatre was built by the Greeks in 2nd century BC and then totally rebuilt by the Romans in the 3rd century AD is the 2nd largest of such theatres in Sicily. It is in a hollow in the hill and when standing at the top centre one can have a wonderful view of the coastline and of Etna (provided it’s a clear day) – we can attest to this from the pictures/postcards we had seen of this area. It was really neat with the tunnels and such that we could see in the ruins. We weren’t sure how many people could have been seated there centuries ago, as now its capacity is limited to 4300 for safety reasons.
We did enjoy a snack of pizza and fried mozzerella balls as well as a gelato while walking the streets. We came across a wonderful art gallery showcasing original oils by Italian artists. We admired a number of oil paintings – I imagine we will come back tomorrow to purchase one. Another pasta dinner was enjoyed tonight and a Chianti!
April 28 – Thursday. Our last full day in Taormina and with overcast skies but no rain we set out for Mount Etna after our routine breakfast and cappuccino stop. I am unable to find Mount Etna on the Navigon GPS (later when we get back to the apartment Mark fools around with Navigon and finds that I should have only typed in Etna, oh well another learning opportunity). Luckily, Mark had checked out the route to Etna via Google Maps, so using that we proceed – with only one missed turn which results in us having to travel on the autostrata for about 8 km before we could get off at the next exit to backtrack and take the proper exit. Our drive toward Etna leads us through various towns. Some of these towns have roadways which are made up of blocks of lava rock – very cool – we wonder how long it takes to make a piece of lava rock flat enough to be used as a paving stone? The road to Etna south base is winding with many switchbacks. It doesn’t take long to come across lava from days-gone-by eruptions. Today the mist hangs and at times rain falls as we ascend to the parking lot. We enter into the land of lava rock – with some vegetation growth here and there. One can easily see where the rivers of lava flowed and left the sea of black rock in its midst.
We arrive at the parking lot where there are some restaurants and gift shops. Everything looks quite new. We find out later in the day from watching a DVD about Etna that the eruption of 2001 (that lasted 23 days) destroyed the buildings, even though gallant efforts were made to redirect the flow of lava. We decide to take the Funuvia (gondola) up to 2500 mt mark. All around we see a sea of black sand-like surface as well as rock, some quite big. Once we are at the 2500 mt we decide to continue walking up the road plowed out for 4-wheel drive ‘buses’, which take tourists further up the mountain another 300 mt elevation. We walk amongst the drifting mist, climbing for about another 120 Mt elevation before J said that was enough. M and J have a snowball fight – which ended when their hands got too cold to hold anymore snow! From here we are able to see where climbers take a route to the summit at 3200 Mt. While returning to the Funuvia we are met by a mountain biker who his riding his bike up the road to the where the buses stop, and likely has ridden all the way up from one of the towns! We could tell he was in great shape and used to this kind of steepness as he wasn’t even close to the lowest gear. We all cheered him as he rode uphill by us. We discover that there are ski lifts here - a double chair, t-bar and a palma lift. Didn’t know you could ski Etna… The area which has been affected by eruptions is immense, and we have only seen one side of the mountain.
After returning from our walk, we look at pictures of past eruptions on the mountain. As well, we see that a DVD about the eruptions of Etna is in English. We sit for about 30 minutes and learn a great deal about this volcano and its eruptions and how man has learned a great deal from studying this volcano. Did you know that they can predict an eruption - they look for fissures in the surface of the landscape, gaseous output, surface temperatures, and movement of the ground surface. We also learned that a volcano can erupt laterally, meaning the opening to the surface comes out the side of the mountain versus the top, a problem as the lava flow starts further down the mountain and puts nearby towns at risk. Some really cool info was learned – and it was nice to hear English – the most we have heard for weeks (except our own voices).
The trip back home started off in thick mist, but as we descended, it disappeared. No issues getting home! By the time we reached the Giardini/Taormina area, we could see blue sky and no rain!! We decide to go back to the art gallery. There are 4 Giovanni Di Guido oil paintings that we see. There is one in particular which is the perfect choice for us as it so reminds us of here in Taormina. With payment processed and shipping organized for Calgary we head back to the apartment to make dinner.
April 29th – Friday. Today we will be leaving Taormina to go to Pizzo, Calabria. It’s a bright sunny day here and the sea is calm and that wonderful turquoise blue. We have enjoyed our three days here – it would have been even more enjoyable if the sun had shone more – we likely would have had another beach day. We left just after ten – we had our morning workout by lugging all our possessions up about 20 steep steps to reach street level.
The drive along the autostrata toward Messina took us along the seaside and through a number of tunnels. Arriving in Messina we now had to contend with city traffic and those crazy scooter riders. We were becoming accustomed to the driving antics – which Mark has learned, communicate with the horn, don’t hesitate or someone will cut in front of you. The scooters are another story – they just seem to appear out of nowhere coming up along side, cutting in and out of lanes to work their way up though the snarled traffic!! We do find the ferry terminal and arrive with time to spare for the next sailing. Armed with the acquired knowledge from the ferry trip over, we look for the ticket booth, sufficient money in hand, I go to purchase the tickets and then we proceed to get in line to catch the next ferry.
Leaving Siciliy behind – I think of the last two weeks. We’ve seen beautiful lush country ripe with oranges, and lemons, rows and rows planted with grape vines, olive groves and other planted crops. The landscape changed from seaside to rolling hills. Going to Mount Etna was very fascinating. I remember when we drove through central Sicily going from the west to east coast and coming around a bend and seeing Etna in all her glory – rising up to the sky. She was still snow capped and steam was arising from her! What a site! “ I remember us saying, “There it is! There’s Etna!” The history in the towns and cities is astounding – going back thousands of years. Buildings and structures still standing that are over 2600 years old! The people were friendly always ready to help out. Siesta time is still alive and well in this part of Italy – with many shops closing from like noon to 4:00 pm and then opening again until 9 pm or so. The Italians like to go out for dinner – but they start going out to dine at around 8 or so. It was nothing to see families with young kids out in what we North Am would consider late and the kids “witching hour”. The little family run shops are still very much alive and a strong part of the culture in the towns and cities. Food definitely is an important aspect of this culture as there are so many little bar, pizzerias, pasticerias, gelaterias around as we venture around towns. The small eating establishments are also a hub for friends to meet up and socialize
April 29th – Calabria - I phoned Tom Harty our contact for the next property ahead of time to let him know we have arrived off the ferry. After the fiasco with the Taormina property I’ve decided to contact the next property ahead of time to ensure there are no surprises…. Alas we do arrive in Pizzo and follow the directions to the Meet and Greet area, only to be told that we will have to wait as Tom has been delayed. Oh, thank goodness M nor J complain – we pass the time by reading the rest of the 39 clues book 7. I read it aloud as all three of us are now following the series!
Tom finally arrives- he is from Ireland and has been living here for 3 years. He takes us to our apartment in a condo complex. It’s relatively new and quite spacious – 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. It doesn’t have a TV so the boys won’t be able to watch soccer this week. Tom has told us that Calabria is still abit behind the times – and you can certainly see it in terms of the garbage lying about. Our first drive about does have us see many overflowing garbage bins – pickup once a week?? He did say that they are just starting to get into the idea of recycling – all I can say is hurry up please!
The area that we have arrived in is a mix of agriculture – with greenhouses abound and some apartment/condo complexes because the beach is nearby – a 5 minute walk from the condo. This area of Calabria has long white stretches of beaches, backed by mountains not far inland.
On Tom’s recommendation we drive through Pizzo to locate a grocery store – which is the biggest one we’ve come across thus far in our travels. We had to wait until 4 as the store was closed for siesta time. We enjoy walking through and picking up things we know we’ll want for the week to eat for the week. Mark even splurged on his wine purchases for the week, spending 7 euro and 5 euro on a couple! (A euro is about 1.4 Can$). Once back, we unpack and want to begin dinner, only to find that there is no gas for the stove burners! Tom had said one of his guys was to bring the gas. A quick phone call to him lets us know that he hasn’t. About 7:15 Tom arrives with the canister of gas, he and Mark hook it up and then we are finally set to start dinner. For tonight’s menu: veal scallopine, pasta as well as sautéed fennel (fennel is grown here in abundance as are many different kinds of onions).
April 30 – Saturday Pizzo. We awake to blustery winds and rain. J is disappointed that it’s not going to be a beach day. However, while reading the booklet about the area we come across info about a shopping centre in the area. I point this to Mark and we decide to put Navi to work and find this place. After having a workout and lunch, we venture off. A few wrong turns through lower Pizzo show us a few sites of things to explore and some backtracking, we are on our way.
The route to the mall takes us through some narrow streets, but we do manage to eventually reach it. The mall has a number of stores we decide to check out. We enter one store, equivalent to our Superstore and look for a few things on the list. A hand pump so we can deflate J’s soccerball when we go up to Germany, and a few ingredients for tonight’s risotto. We soon find that this store has a huge deli, meat and veggie section – biggest we’ve seen yet! The Italians love their cheese as evidenced by the huge amount of display counters for a myriad of cheese. We need to finish off what we have so far so we can try out some new ones we’ve never had before.
Our other mission is to find “Heelies” (sneakers with wheels in the heel) which seem to be fairly common over here. J’s birthday is coming up soon and this is one of the gifts he thought he might like to have. We come across a store (like Sport Chek) and so intent were J and I on getting to the sneakers displayed along the back wall of the store, that we didn’t even realize that we had walked right by them until Mark noticed, wandering in behind us!! We did manage to find them and he was very thrilled – although he won’t be able to get them until the 8th.
We also come across a store selling DVD movies – mostly older ones so we pick up some to play on our computer. Watching Italian speaking television is okay, but comprehending what they’re saying would be helpful!! Tonight we’ll have another great meal and watch “Wall-E”
Once back at the apartment we go out for a walk to check out the neighbourhood and the local beach. The beach stretches for miles and has fine sand. We come across Enrico’s Geletaria which is apparently locally renowned for its gelato and tartafulo – which is gelato encased in chocolate or cake. I have seen these frozen in the Italian stores back in Calgary. We stop in for a treat and I have a tartafulo, absolutely wonderful and J and M each have cups of gelato. We’ll be stopping here a few times this week!
May 1 – Sunday – Another overcast day – when we had hoped to have a beach day. We decide to go out in the afternoon and check out the beach. Armed with a football and soccerball, we head out. J and M toss the football around for awhile and then its soccer time. I also get into the game – J and T against M. Goals are set up using bamboo sticks which are lying on the beach - bamboo does grow around here- and we’re playing for the team who reaches 5 first. A lively barefoot game ensued in the sand. M’s victorious today, playing in the sand versus on cement gives M a better chance. It was a hard fought battle which resulted in a few bruised shins!
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