Weekend in Marsala and Marettimo

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