Taormina

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Geo: 38.1922, 15.5566

We went out to Taormina a little hilltop resort town/city close to Mt Etna. The bus ride out was a bit of a challenge for the claustrophobic among us, with miles and miles of tunnels to go through, some if them very dark and very long, then to finish off a windy narrow road clinging to the side of a hill to get to the town, with other buses coming down the other way and roads not wide enough to accommodate them. The tour buses were not allowed to park in their usual park and had to do quick drop offs at the local city bus stop as parts of the city are being closed because the G7 conference is being held there and Donald Trump will be staying.

Cops, army and every other type of armed force you could think of, including what looked like the band master have taken over the place which made it very difficult especially when you factor in the zillions of tourists trying to move around the little narrow streets as well as all the extra delivery vehicles, security vehicles etc.

Our first stop was a Roman/Greek theatre which though it has partially fallen down is still used today for concerts etc. Really enjoyed our wander through and had a fantastic view from the top to the seaside way below.

We then had free time to browse the little shops and stopped at a cafe for the toasted cheese and ham sandwich I have been craving for days. Also required the facilities ....what a nightmare, you go into this teeny tiny lift which took you at snails pace down to basement level (so slow you weren't sure if it was moving), to a little enclosed room with two toilets off the main room. A man was leaving as I arrived and as he got into the lift and I got out the room went pitch black, the lights were obviously on a sensor and a timer and once I stepped further in the room in my panic they came on again.......freaky shit! Never peed so fast in all my life!

Lunch was good though and other than all the men running round with massive guns the town has a lovely atmosphere.

Meet up with our tour group and caught the bus back to town (Messina). After dropping off our stuff we decided to go into the shops,complete waste of time, the shops shut for lunch between 1pm and 3pm we found out so nothing was open, so back to the boat, sat on our balcony with a cup of tea and a bikkie and read our books, not a bad way to spend the rest of our afternoon.

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