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10.02.2008

From Volcano to the Sea

If this is Thursday, it must be Syracusa! Holy cow, I'm losing track of the days already. But first, there was Etna...
Yesterday we left Taormina and took a tour of the Silvestri crater, one of the many thousand on Mount Etna. We were up about 7,000 feet but it was foggy and we couldn't see the peak up at almost 11,000 feet. althought the night before we could see the wicked lava flow. The black rock and crater were impressive .
Amazing to think this active volcano has wiped out Catania and Syracusa a few times.
What a contrast, huh?
Then it was on to Siracusa and the little island next to it where we are actually staying called Ortigia. It's beautiful, picturesque, seems not real - lots of Greco-Roman ruins. Last night we bonded with some of our tour mates at a great dinner (penne with eggplant, garlic, and tomato sauce - fantastic). This morning we toured Archaelogical Park of the Neapolis with a huge Greek theater, one of the largest in the world, carved out of the side of a mountain.
But today's highlight was an impromptu picnic with 4 others from our group - great Ted sandwiches, olives (I tried, really, but those are still yucky), and of course lots of red wine. It sprinkled, then rained, then poured on and off and we just continued our little party. Remember, a rainy day in Ortigia by the sea with new friends and good food and wine is better than a sunny day at work!
We are heading into the center of Sicily tomorrow so you might not hear from me for awhile. Catch you in a few days. I'll add more pictures soon.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds amazing - too fun - I wish I was there... You are correct when you say that a rainy day on vacation is better than a sunny day at work! :)

Anonymous said...

NO NO NO you can't make us wait for more postings... Love the pics and the details of your entries !!!! Keep it up!!!!
R

Marybeth said...

So what do you think I can get for that house? Way too cool, keep the post coming!!! More pictures! This is way too cool

Love ya!
Mb

Anonymous said...

Great pictures and commentary! Keep it up. There is no rest for the weary. You can sleep when you get home. Seen any good art? Take some photos of the advertisements and signs too. I'd love to see them. Also, what about a picture of some of the menus? They'd give us some good ideas. Winter is coming for some of us.
Take care and drink lots of wine,
Connie

Anonymous said...

Hey guys, Sounds like you are having the time of your lives. I am so glad to hear that, it is much deserved. Keep those posting coming. I really enjoy going in and seeing what the days events have been....