April 12th
Messina, (Sicily) Italy
We docked about 1 hr early (10:00am) this morning which allowed us to walk into the city and explore for a few hours. We had a transfer to the village of Taormina at 1pm. Another warm sunny spring day….I was here in Oct. with my Mom, Sister, and Niece and it was raining so this was a plus. We walked to the downtown square where the astronomical clock is in the bell tower. It is an elaborate timepiece with figures that put on quite a show at noon, which we had to miss due to our tour. We walked for a few hours past churches, fountains and many Sicilians enjoying the weather. And also up and down many steep hills with fantastic views of the sea and harbor. Beautiful. Back to the ship for our transfer to Taormina which is about a 45 minute drive one way. We drove along the coast and up to the cliff-top Monte Tauro on a very curvy narrow road. Apparently this was one of Winston Churchill’s favorite vacation spots. Taormina is an ancient resort with ruins, boutiques, and restaurants located high above the Ionian Sea. The view was to die for. Warm, sunny and so clear we could see for miles. Mt Etna decided to start erupting that morning, so we had quite a sight of the mountain spewing ash high into the air. No lava, though still very impressive. We walked through the village on cobblestone streets, with shops lining both sides, and 4 different squares with fountains. Surprisingly there was hardly anyone there; except for the school children going home….it was marvelous. Of course Bruce and his mustache was the hit of all of the young school girls. I never heard so much giggling. We shopped and stopped for a bite. Bruce wanted to try the sweet cannoli’s, so we stopped for a sweet and some limoncello. Yum….I ordered what I thought was a Chardonnay wine, but it turned out to be Grappa. I did not realize there were different kinds of Grappa…..My first Grappa, yum, but very strong. It was a great way to spend a sunny afternoon overlooking the sea. I could really get used to this afternoon siesta time. Back to the ship for the sail-away at 8pm. It was so nice to enjoy a leisurely day.
Messina harbor
Mt Etna erupting
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