So by this part of the trip I am kind of into the swing of things. This is pretty much the heart of the trip where there is more time in port and less at sea. We were doing a port every day or every other day. I wasn't teaching classes and was soaking up the sun on the deck and sometimes hopping in the Mediterranean Sea-water filled pools. Life was good and I felt great stepping of the boat for a day in Sicily.
After a quick walk through the town which did not have all that much to offer, it was onto a train and up the coast towards a small town called Taormina. The train, like most in Europe was clean, quick and filled with people in ridiculous clothes. The ride up the coast was beautiful as I had come to expect from previous travel in Italy. The railroad ran right along the craggy dramatic coast out of the right side window and smokey Mt. Etna could was over my left shoulder. In the back of my mind I had only one thing on my mind though, CHEESE!
We got off at a station at the
base of a tall cliff on one side and the sea on the other. After a long walk (which we later found out was the long way) up the cliff through winding streets and superb views, we arrived at a small park on top of the cliff that had what appeared to be ruins that had been incorporated into the development of the park. It was a good place for Tomoe to rest after our climb.
Next, it was onto the cheese shop. Ohhhhh there were so many varieties. We stopped into a place that seemed pretty local and the guy behind the counter let us try tons of stuff. I was partial to the harder cheeses and Tomoe preferred the softer so we got a few hundred grams of about five different cheeses, some cured ham, and a loaf of bread. We headed back to the park for a picnic with this amazing view. The only thing that was really missing was a good bottle of Italian wine but that will come later.
after lunch the stroll around the beautiful ancient town was almost ruined by all of the tourists but what can one expect in Europe
in July? So we walked by the shit-shops and purveyors of all things Italian that are made in China and tried to appreciate the bakeries, architecture and locals.
After meeting some teachers and leaning the fast way back down the hill, a group of us headed back to the station at one point stopping for a few vinos along the way. By the time we got to the station we were all in a cheerier mood and one person in particular (one of my superiors) was trashed.
So back into Catania for some sundown pictures, calamari, pizza, wine and... oh crap! Is it really 6:30? I had to be back to the ship in 15 minutes and had no time to waist. I left some money for the bill, took a last bite and ran back, making it with minutes to spare. It felt like it was a full day in Italy even though nothing much was done. Life is good.
Italy's Flag
Map of Italy