http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Italy , Sicily , Catania en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:08:49 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:08:49 UTC Thursday 20th November 2008.Plan for today drive to Villa S. Giovanni go across on the ferry to Messina Sicily then drive to Acireale. Neither of us slept well not really sure why I had come down with some kind of sniffles and I think the air conditioning in the Hotel didn't help.We had breakfast at the Hotel as part of the deal. I surfed and caught up with the world a little bit.After set http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-347388.html Friday 19th SeptemberCataniaWe had the best nightrsquos sleep without Licodiarsquos nightly hoons on their vespas and carsWe decide that Friday had to be a lazy day because I was so behind on the blog and we were all very tired after our stay with family.We discovered that the cabin while very nicely decorated didnrsquot have a toaster or coffee cups but had 2 italian percolators and cu http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-331126.html Thursday 18th September Licodia CataniaWhen Kurt and I got up we started our final clean. Kurt took all the suitcases downstairs to the van and I gave the place a final clean. Zia Vincenziarsquos apartment was so clean that I felt I had to give the bathroom a once over and the floors a sweep.We stopped and had our final breakfast with Zia Vincenzia and her daughters Anna Maria and Angela. I http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-330987.html Wednesday 17th SeptemberLicodia VizziniZia Vincenziarsquos soninlaw Guiseppe invited Kurt Joshua and my Dad to go fishing in Lago Licodia. So first thing Wednesday they were up ready to go and Katelyn couldnrsquot make up her mind whether to go fishing or go shopping at the market with me. She was worried about the road and thought the market would be the same size as Licodiarsquos ma http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-330803.html Sunday 14th SeptemberLicodia Marzaronersquos Festa DrsquoUvaSunday morning did not bring good stuff for usMy Mum and I both woke up with the runs and later I threw up My Dad also had a throwing up marathon. But Kurt had had the runs for a few days. My Zia Mimmi from Switzerland had also been sick a few days earlier. So while we thought wersquod overeaten big time we may simply have b http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-326974.html Friday 12th September Licodia Donnafugata.. On Friday Kurt bought a telephone card from the local bar. Irsquom always so impressed when he heads out on his own with limited Italian and doesnrsquot hesitate to speak to the locals. After that he went to Giuseppersquos home my dadrsquos cousinrsquos son to use their internet. He virtually lived there during so much of our time in Licod http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-326849.html Thursday 11th SeptemberLicodia Market Campania We were very excited to learn a produce and clothing market came to Licodia every Thursday. There was heaps of cheese and salami and clothing everywhere. Katelyn loved it She took her allowance and loved the E1 and E2 stands. She pulled the clothes from the bottom of the piles turned them over and threw them back. Shersquod ask ldquoQuando http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-326710.html Tuesday 9th AugustLicodiaGiuseppe took us to the council to help us get our original marriage certificate back. When I applied for my Italian passport and wanted to have my childrenrsquos names added my marriage certificate was required. I donrsquot how it happened but the Italian consulate held on to my original marriage certificate and when questioned they said if I wanted to hold an Itali http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-326686.html Saturday 6th SeptemberNova Siri Licodia EubeaToday was going to be a big day with a long 6 hour drive through the region of Calabria and across the water to Sicily.The roads were fantastic and I couldnrsquot believe how big Calabria wasWhen we approached a toll booth and there was no person or section to drop the money we were all on alert for a ticket We found the ticket thank godAs http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-326421.html Sicily Back To Home RootsMy next relative stop over was the small town of Mineo deep in the middle of Sicily where two aunties mums sisters and one uncle have resided there their whole lives. Most of my cousins have since left for better prospects in bigger cities. A common trend for the younger generations leaving the much older folk and the very young the main life line of the town. But ev http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-322642.html July 18 2008Italy land of good food wine and love. We left Glasgow this morning raining and cold as usual to head to warm and sunny Italy. Rome to be exact. It was long day of travelling and we finally arrived at the hostel around 730 pm. After checking in we took care of a few chores and caught up on our travel blog. We sometimes get very behind and it is hard to catch up. We plan on http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-313861.html And so the creative juices couldn't produce anything better than a return for the 3rd time to Sicily. I remember getting upset at my grandson for not being able to make up his mind what flavor ice cream he wanted so he decided not to have any ice cream. And then I took a good look at myself and my in ability to choose a destination and hammer out an itinerary. So I have stayed close to home fo http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-306226.html Day 127 to 142 1429 JulyFinally we are at home Kico's home and my second home. We are greeted by Kico's Dad at the airport and he tells us we look like gypsies For Kico this timehas been a great emotional rollercoaster as his sister was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and one of his favourite uncles passed away 6th June. So this trip to Sicily was of utmost importance to see his siste http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-305510.html Catania Continued...And the last of RomeThe next day Saturday Jenn and I went to Museo dello Sbarco. This is a museum about the U.S. invasion in Sicily during WW2. This museum was very expansive and detailed. Jenn was a little happy that we were up so early but she did want to go. Haha. A guide took us around for a bit after they showed us an introductory movie and he explained a lot of http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-298002.html CataniaSooo thursday morning was crazzzzzzzzzzy I woke up early to catch my flight to Catania from Rome and I woke up to a text message saying Haley was engaged Crazyness Then I got a phone call from my parents and they started explaining everything and I just started balling What an emotional morning. Ooh I also forgot to note that Tuesday night we went bowling at a Roman bowling http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-297433.html I am off to the airport in a few hours for Sicily. I have more things to post but I do not know when I will have internet access again as the town is a few miles away from our apartments. Ciao http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-279887.html Morning alli tried to get a new entry on last night but the net was down here in the hostel. we had another great day yesterday spending the day up and down and around mount etna which was an amazing experience. however from the previous night i was worried that kerrys feet would have put the trip on hold and the night before i was a bit worried that we would have to go to a docs coz her http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-271446.html Hi allas requested im guna describe today as mega rather than the over used ace. we have had a great day in catania done loads in the baking sun lovely. last night was a heavy one drinking in the under ground bar which is in an old lava cave with a running river through it its amazing with a posh but nice young couple from cheltenham. he was in i.t really nice fella bit like tim nice b http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-270977.html hi allafter a day which started at half five of travelling across the island of sicily we have finally arrived very tired at our hostel in catania. it seems pretty good on first inspection and it has its own underground bar which serves cheap food and drinks which is ace. i think im guna have the seafood couscous which is pop in north africaninfluenced sicily. that and a large beer is http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-270517.html Ciao tutti I am so sorry I am so slack on writing on this travel blog. I remember reading one girls blog who went to Italy a few years ago and she only had 10 or so blogs. I had said to myself I am going to write all the time and have so many blogs. Well as you all know that is not true. It is difficult to find the time to sit down and write one of these. So yet again I am sorry Anyways t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-270468.html Right this second I am sitting out the balcony of my window eating an apple and watching Italian people do what they do on Saturday afternoons. I tend to do this a lot. I watch the woman across apartments from me and next to me taking laundry off the hooks and hanging clothes up to dry. I see the men below me unloading things from their cars. I watch many kids of all ages walking and driving t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-256415.html 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 Seawater filled pools. Life was good and I felt great stepping of the boat fo http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-254144.html Ciao Come state How are you all doing I have officially been here 1 month from today. It is a crazy feeling knowing I have only 4 12 more months here yet 4 12 more months till I see all of you guys. Anyways last week was a hard week for me. I did not get much sleep and I wasn't in the best of moods. I started to get irritated and frusturated with the language. Which I think is totally com http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-250318.html Ciao Ciao I am been so busy lately but at the same time it feels like I have a lot of free time. I am finally settling in at school well thats not true. Italian schools wow what can I say about them. They are very disorganized and not the cleanest schools in the world. I go to a school named Leonardo Da' Vinci. I have a schedule of classes I am supposed to take but most of them are wrong http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-247174.html I am going to add just a few pictures because it won't let me add a lot. I think I'm going to start a photobucket page so everyone can view all the pictures. Ciao for now http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-244435.html Ciao Irsquove been so busy lately. Irsquove started school fully and am beginning to take 2 hour Italian lessons. School is school. Italian schools are very disorganized with their classes and schedules. I have a mixture of classes I should not be in and so on and so on. I have been going to a lot of classes with Meri because she knows what she is doing. School is boring. I have no idea http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-244186.html Hey everyone I'm in New York for the night and just logged on to the hotels wireless. I left for my flight at 1250 from RDU to JFK. I had to find a shuttle bus in that huge airport. Let me tell you carrying 6 months worth of luggage through a long airport is not easy Anyways we had orientation and I met a ton of people. There is 40 of us going to Italy about 10 or so going to France an http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-238898.html Since I planned to leave this evening so I didnt go on trips and just decided to stay and go to the market to get some food famous from Sicily...Woke up late...woke Jen up later....and ended up heading out at 4 went to the big market in Catania....haa....they really have a similar food market culture to AsiansBought lots of food and realise that time is tight..but I still havent tried tho http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-215198.html Warm weather What I felt within 10 seconds off that train was the warm weather So niceArrived in Catania surprisingly the tourist office opened at 830 so got a map and went to Piazza Doumo where they have this nice church there and I met up with Eva Met her in Greece and gonna stay with her for the next couple of daysShe lives with a SIngapore girl and some other Italians all nic http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Sicily/Catania/blog-214069.html