Advertisement
Published: June 26th 2017
Edit Blog Post
Geo: 37.8591, 15.2779
Monday 29.05.17 Castelmola Sicily
Time Check: 0700hrs European
405 Hotel Villa Sonia, Castelmola Nr Taormina, Sicily.
We are perched high on a rocky outcrop in a little fortified village called Castelmola. Below us is the picturesque resort of Taormina and beyond that and across the azure Ionian Sea far in the distance is mainland Italy. From our little balcony we have a magnificent view sweeping across to Mt Etna which dominates the whole region.
It is a clear crisp morning with a slight chill in the air. In far distance and at some 3,000m in height a few plumes of sulphurous gasses can be seen rising from the cone.
Far below me is a myriad of little hamlets that nestle in the gently rising verdant volcanic slopes that eventually give way to rocky larva fields and steep escarpments.
Europe's largest and most active Volcano has provided fertile soils enabling the locals to grow an array of crops such as olives, lemons and almonds but on the other hand one major eruption could destroy all before it. Only a month or so ago journalists were sent fleeing with minor injuries as one of the many fumaroles erupted.
Recap: Much
to our relief BA managed to reboot its corporate "laptop" and we departed on time at 0920hrs yesterday. Even at the last minute an Italian ATC strike threatened to disrupt plus the fact that where we are staying had hosted the G7 summit and was in lockdown the day before!!!!
Car Hire capers: As is tradition in the Hillman household we spend the first 30 minutes of any foreign driving experience sampling the local airport council estates and industrial parks. "TURN RIGHT ONTO VIA ROSSO" THEN LEFT ONTO THE A18/E445B"......"Squeaks" Cathy confidently as I "flap about" with the unfamiliar controls of our little black Diesel Merc coupe........"OTTO".........a few barking dogs and a disused AGIP Service Station tell me that we have already gone off course......not a car in sight but just a few swarthy kids doing wheelies on Italian Choppers tell me that this is the wrong road...
I turn round and venture up another side road seeing the main route the E18 far in the distance. What's slightly frustrating about this culturally invigorating detour is that Cathy resolutely turned down the complimentary Sat Nav from Avis.........and this is from someone who navigated her chums into the wrong US State back
in the 1980's!
OTTO is "UBER" techno. It took me 5 minutes to work out how to start him up. Nothing so ordinary as an ignition key as all you do is push "Zee Starrt Butonz" as the car knows it's you via your "dongle". No gear shift but just a discrete "flipper" on the steering wheel.....all very F1........and the hand break is almost impossible to find..... just left of the steering wheel by your knee........
We eventually find the E18 and head on cheerfully for 5 minutes before hitting a huge traffic jam which takes us past a nasty accident. Bits of Fiat 500 litter the road. Hopefully nobody was hurt as the passenger compartment looks OK.
Today we are taking the local bus down to sample the delights of Taormina a classic resort that was a favourite of the rich and famous both today and during the era of "The Grand Tour".
ITALIAN POLICE and OTHER LIKE FORCES.......He stood in the foyer........his tanned arm muscles bulging in his slightly too tight combat vest........ A GLOCK pistol was strapped to his Louis Vuitton tailed trousers just about in convenient reach.......a bronzed chiselled jaw with designer stubble glistened in the
early morning sun...... Cathy went "WOBBLY"......I let him go first through the door with a rather weak waive of my hand and cheesy grin of submission. The TESTOSTERONE charged FUG slowly cleared away and I realised that this was the land of seriously over uniformed "MACHO COMBAT" policeman who enjoy dressing up in a vast spectrum of uniforms ranging from ROBO COP to NAPOLEON. The only irritating thing is they don't half look the part.......whether they can "deliver" if the going got tough is another matter. We may need to look back in history to the joke about the Italian Tank in WW2 for guidance.....1 FORWARD and 4 REVERSE gears!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.245s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 12; qc: 54; dbt: 0.0684s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
katie.jenks28
non-member comment
No swarthy cop photos? I'm disappointed in you.