Just ninety minutes away from Malta via a very sleek and speedy catamaran is Sicily. When Tom and I were talking about plans for my birthday weekend in Malta I told him I wanted to try something new and take the day trip to Sicily. It certainly makes for a long day. We were up at 4:30 a.m. and outside our hotel waiting for our pick-up by 5:15 a.m. We were on board the catamaran and underway by 7 a.m. and the day did not end until around midnight. It was worth every minute.
As we were leaving Malta we got some pictures of the sunrise. Here are a couple.
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| Sunrise marks a new day and new year |
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| Fortified walls |
Tom splurged a bit on the tickets so we could sit in Club Class. This actually worked out to our benefit twice. Because of the deck locations the Club Class section was the only part of the boat where you could be outside while the catamaran was underway. This allowed us to get these photos.
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| Sicily here we come! |
Below are pictures of our two means of transport - the catamaran and our double-decker bus.
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| The catamaran upon arrival in Pozzallo, Sicily - we're already in the bus |
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| Our coach |
The second benefit of being in Club Class was that we got off the boat first and onto our bus first. This allowed us to pick the best seats - second deck all the way up front. We were seated right above the driver and the roads he maneuvered (ones I would have been hesitant to take on in a Mini Cooper) inspired great awe and respect for his incredible driving skills. We gave the driver a VERY nice tip at the end of the day!
The drive to our first stop - Taormina - took about two hours. Here is some of the scenery along the way.
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| View of Mediterranean from Taormina |
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| Another view from Taormina |
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| Truly a city on a hill. |
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| Close up view |
Taormina is one of Sicily's prime tourist resorts and I can see why. It is a wonderful city to explore on foot. As is common in European cities there are lots of pedestrian-only streets. This is probably a good thing for all the tourists because you don't have to worry about getting struck by a car as you are walking around taking pictures and looking up at all the different sites and not necessarily paying much attention to anything else around you (i.e. other pedestrians and cars).
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| Taormina shops |
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| Corso Umberto |
We were definitely ready for some lunch so we wandered around a bit and came upon this cute little cafe up off the main thoroughfare. The cafe is up on the right but we took seats outside on the left under the umbrellas.
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| Lunch cafe |
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| Prickly pear were everywhere...even the rooftops! |
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| YUM! Lunch of champions. Fresh squeezed OJ and Sicilian pizza. |
The cafe was located above a small Greek amphitheater that has been excavated. The Greeks arrived in Sicily around 832 BC.
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| Lunch spot just above excavation - see the umbrellas? |
When Tom was asking me if I wanted anything for my birthday I told him the trip to Malta and Sicily was my present. I also told him that if I came across something special we'd pick it up. Well, we found a treasure in Taormina. We came upon an art gallery and found an oil painting by a local Sicilian artist. We talked it over and after the shop owner came down a bit on the price we decided to get it. Here are the steps leading up to the gallery.
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| We bought an oil painting here. |
The Germans love their dogs but the Maltese and Sicilians sure do love their kitty cats. Our kind of folks! I do think Bob Barker needs to do some education on helping control the pet population though. LOTS of strays wandering around. We happened upon these two cuties as we were walking back to the bus.
Next stop was Mt. Etan, the largest and most active volcano in Europe.
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| Road leading to Mt. Etna |
There wasn't enough time to do the 3 hour lift trip to the top and back so we just explored the base of the mountain. Namely the Sylvestri Crater - an eruption site in the 1980s.
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| Sylvestri Crater - 2000 meters above sea level |
It was the wildest weather because just a little while after taking the picture above this is what it looked like. Image captured by Tom's IPhone.
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| Fog rolls in |
I think you can almost make out the cables behind us for the lifts leading to the top of Mt. Etna.
After exploring Mt. Etna we boarded the bus for the trip back to Pozzallo where we got to stop for about 45 minutes before heading back to the catamaran. It was basically just enough time to grab a quick bite and/or walk along the boardwalk and the beach. We decided to multi-task. We cruised into the first gelato shop we could find and then took our treats to the beach. I got berry and Tom got coffee. The perfect end to a wonderful birthday!
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| Extra large scoop for the birthday girl - not sure I needed three cones though |
Tom splurged a bit on the tickets so we could sit in Club Class. This actually worked out to our benefit twice. Because of the deck locations the Club Class section was the only part of the boat where you could be outside while the catamaran was underway. This allowed us to get these photos. 
After exploring Mt. Etna we boarded the bus for the trip back to Pozzallo where we got to stop for about 45 minutes before heading back to the catamaran. It was basically just enough time to grab a quick bite and/or walk along the boardwalk and the beach. We decided to multi-task. We cruised into the first gelato shop we could find and then took our treats to the beach. I got berry and Tom got coffee. The perfect end to a wonderful birthday!
hey! love all the pictures...show us a photo of the painting you bought! THREE CONES! well...it was your magic day! :-)
ReplyDeleteDebbie D.
Hey Deb, Thanks for the two blog comments. Your wish is my command. I'll try and get a photo of the painting posted on FB in the next few days. I haven't unwrapped it since coming home from the trip. I hope you're doing well.
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