Last weekend Phil and I traveled to the west side of the island to visit with our friends, Maureen and Rick, who live in Marsala (wine, anyone?). Well, we didn't spend much time in Marsala because on Saturday morning we boarded a ferrry which took us to one of the Egadi islands, Marettimo. Marettimo is one of 3 Egadi islands and it falls in size and population between the larger Favignana and the smaller Levanzo. Most of the tourists here are Italian, but if you come to Sicily and overlook this place, you are really at a lose! It is gourgeous! Maureen had already set up our lodging and boat trip with a woman named Pina and her brother Pietro, both of whom speak near perfect English. They are brother and sister, and shortly after arriving I can tell that this is an island made of a close knit community as everyone seems to know each other and are glad to recommend sites which are run by friends or family members! Hey, you have to get business somehow, right? Well, Pietro was our captain for the day and he gave us a splendid tour. His boat was immaculate and included a galley kitchen, sleeping area, and bathroom. Apparently he used to take this boat every year to Alaska for fishing, but now has turned it into a business venture in his later years. As we cruised around the island, Pietro pulled into breathtaking cave after cave for our viewing pleasure, but we couldn't linger too long as other boats were right behind to take it all in too. We stopped about 3 times to swim, and it was on the second stop that Phil and I were introduced to Medusa.
We were swimming into a cave which Pitero told us would open up into a little beach area on the inside. Well, Maureen and Rick were ahead with the flashlight, goggles, and mask, so they had a pretty good idea what we were swimming toward (and what was swimming around us). Phil and I on the other hand were just swimming blindly and couldn't see if the little Medusa jellyfish were heading our way or not. Turns out that they were as Phil was stung right on the chin. As soon as I saw him jump out of the water, I knew what had happened, so let's just say I wasn't worried about getting to that beach anytime soon! We started swimming back out of the cave when I felt an electric shock right on my left hip bone--ouch, Medusa! Those things are not too big, but they still hurt! After we got back to the boat, I realized that I had actually been stung in 3 places and they were swelling up quickly. An Italian woman on the trip with us had been prepared for this, as she had ammonia from the pharmacy with her, which is supposed to help with the sting. It smelled horribly, and I felt really bad for Phil because he had to hold it right below his nose. Lesson learned, no more cave swimming when the Medusa are still in season! The swelling went down that night, so it wasn't too bad, and now we both just have little blisters from the initial sting.
I have pictures to share, but unfortunately they are from a disposible camera because our camera battery died as I tried to take the first picture. We are definitely planning on going back, maybe in September or October when the Medusa should be long gone.
For pictures of the island:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Egadi_Islands
http://www.world66.com/europe/italy/sicily/lib/gallery
Thursday, July 21, 2005
The Modern Stone Age Doggy
Is that Oscar in that picture or Dino from The Flinstones with that dinosaur-sized bone? If there was anything in the world that Oscar was depressed, worried, or stressed out about, he definitely forgot it all when he laid eyes on the treat that our butcher neighbor gave him! See, we have a butcher right around the corner from our house and we always see him on our daily walks. He loves Oscar and always waves us over to pet him. Phil decided that we should ask for a bone from the butcher to keep Oscar occupied. We just wanted something small, like a joint or something, but instead we got the bone of all bones! I don't even know what it is--cow, horse--but Oscar loves it and will not let it out of his sight!
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Missing in Action
Hello everyone out there in the world! Sorry I have been missing in action for over a month, but I promise to make it up to you all by giving you loads of information and pictures right now! Here goes...
Well, school is finally over for the year and summer has arrived! We kicked off the end of school by visiting the Greek theatre in Taormina again for one of the world premieres of "Batman Begins". Toarmina has a film festival every year, as well as other stage productions and performers, so they create a stage and lots of people come every year. So, for FREE (that never happens anymore, right?) we watched Batman Begins in a theatre from way back under an eerie moonlit sky. There were some famous people in town for the film festival, but ther person who was at the screening was Andie MacDowell because she was in a few of the films being shown at the festival and she received an award before the movie began. I was excited because she was in "Four Weddings and a Funeral", one of my all time favorite movies!
The next morning, my mom and stepdad arrived in sunny Sicilia! We welcomed them with a party on Saturday night with a lot of our friends from the base, as well as our Italian friends and neighbors. I was too busy to take any pictures, but it was fun and nice to actually meet some of our neighbors--they were all so sweet!
Since then we have been toting the folks all over this country. They've been up Mt Etna, shopping and exploring in Catania, Caltigirone (famous for its pottery), Taormina, Agrigento, etc. since they are not leaving until Tuesday. We also went on a side trip to the Aeolian island of Lipari, which is one of 7 islands off the NE coast of Sicily. It was amazing--we stayed for 2 nights and explored the city's ancient castle, nearby beaches, winding alleyways and streets.
Then we drove up to Rome for another 2 nights--we needed more because there is so much to see and do in Rome! We stayed a few blocks from Vatican City and walked for hours under a sweltering Roman sun to see sights such as the Colusseum, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Campo di fiori (market), Pantheon, lots of piazzas, etc. We tried to go into the Vatican museum and St Peter's Basilica the next morning, but we noticed that a lot of people were gathering there and that a lot of stores in Rome never opened for the day. We came to find out that Wednesday was St Peter's/St Paul's day and that the museum was closed and mass was being held in the church. We were totally bummed because we were planning on leaving for Sorrento that afternoon. We were about to leave after the mass ended, but we noticed that more people were gathering in St Peter's square and they all seemed to be anticipating some big event. Well, after sitting posed with my camera, ready for action, for about 10 minutes, a window opened in the Pope's apartment and he began to address the crowd! It was so unbelievable! He said a lot in Italian about the importance of the day and a prayer, but then he addressed the English, Spanish, and German speakers in the crowd. I'm not even a Catholic, but the event still felt so monumental, and we forgot our disappoint about missing the museum. Besides, now we have a lot of reasons to return to Rome!
Lastly, we drove to the city of Sorrento, which is just south of Naples. This area of the world is simply breathtaking! From our hotel we could gaze upon the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples. We didn't have time to visit Pompeii or Vesuvius, but we will in good time. After our exerting time in Rome, we just wanted to relax and let our sunburns take a break! Sorrento is known for the craft of inlaid wood, lemon goods, cheese, and the droves of Brits who just love to have their holiday there. It is also near the beginning of the infamous Amalfi coast. We stayed 2 nights, even though we had planned on 1, because it was so relaxing. On Friday we began the drive down the twisty coastal road on our way back to Sicily. I think the film "Mr and Mrs Smith" was filmed recently in a small town north of Positano on this coastline, as well as numerous films over the years. Many times when I was driving, I would meet a bus coming around a hairpin turn who was flying along--there wasn;t much to do except hold on and pray we would still be there once it passed!! This is a must see area if you ever come to Italy!
Now we are back in Sicily just taking it easy and preparing for the next adventure! Ciao for now, and I promise it won't be so long until next time.
Well, school is finally over for the year and summer has arrived! We kicked off the end of school by visiting the Greek theatre in Taormina again for one of the world premieres of "Batman Begins". Toarmina has a film festival every year, as well as other stage productions and performers, so they create a stage and lots of people come every year. So, for FREE (that never happens anymore, right?) we watched Batman Begins in a theatre from way back under an eerie moonlit sky. There were some famous people in town for the film festival, but ther person who was at the screening was Andie MacDowell because she was in a few of the films being shown at the festival and she received an award before the movie began. I was excited because she was in "Four Weddings and a Funeral", one of my all time favorite movies!
The next morning, my mom and stepdad arrived in sunny Sicilia! We welcomed them with a party on Saturday night with a lot of our friends from the base, as well as our Italian friends and neighbors. I was too busy to take any pictures, but it was fun and nice to actually meet some of our neighbors--they were all so sweet!
Since then we have been toting the folks all over this country. They've been up Mt Etna, shopping and exploring in Catania, Caltigirone (famous for its pottery), Taormina, Agrigento, etc. since they are not leaving until Tuesday. We also went on a side trip to the Aeolian island of Lipari, which is one of 7 islands off the NE coast of Sicily. It was amazing--we stayed for 2 nights and explored the city's ancient castle, nearby beaches, winding alleyways and streets.
Then we drove up to Rome for another 2 nights--we needed more because there is so much to see and do in Rome! We stayed a few blocks from Vatican City and walked for hours under a sweltering Roman sun to see sights such as the Colusseum, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Campo di fiori (market), Pantheon, lots of piazzas, etc. We tried to go into the Vatican museum and St Peter's Basilica the next morning, but we noticed that a lot of people were gathering there and that a lot of stores in Rome never opened for the day. We came to find out that Wednesday was St Peter's/St Paul's day and that the museum was closed and mass was being held in the church. We were totally bummed because we were planning on leaving for Sorrento that afternoon. We were about to leave after the mass ended, but we noticed that more people were gathering in St Peter's square and they all seemed to be anticipating some big event. Well, after sitting posed with my camera, ready for action, for about 10 minutes, a window opened in the Pope's apartment and he began to address the crowd! It was so unbelievable! He said a lot in Italian about the importance of the day and a prayer, but then he addressed the English, Spanish, and German speakers in the crowd. I'm not even a Catholic, but the event still felt so monumental, and we forgot our disappoint about missing the museum. Besides, now we have a lot of reasons to return to Rome!
Lastly, we drove to the city of Sorrento, which is just south of Naples. This area of the world is simply breathtaking! From our hotel we could gaze upon the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples. We didn't have time to visit Pompeii or Vesuvius, but we will in good time. After our exerting time in Rome, we just wanted to relax and let our sunburns take a break! Sorrento is known for the craft of inlaid wood, lemon goods, cheese, and the droves of Brits who just love to have their holiday there. It is also near the beginning of the infamous Amalfi coast. We stayed 2 nights, even though we had planned on 1, because it was so relaxing. On Friday we began the drive down the twisty coastal road on our way back to Sicily. I think the film "Mr and Mrs Smith" was filmed recently in a small town north of Positano on this coastline, as well as numerous films over the years. Many times when I was driving, I would meet a bus coming around a hairpin turn who was flying along--there wasn;t much to do except hold on and pray we would still be there once it passed!! This is a must see area if you ever come to Italy!
Now we are back in Sicily just taking it easy and preparing for the next adventure! Ciao for now, and I promise it won't be so long until next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
