Messina, Sicily
We really were ready to not like this place from the Pilot Books, but have been pleasantly surprised. Jerry says it's because I like everyplace. We arrived last week, Tuesday, picked Erin and Nicolene up at the airport in Palermo for a week of fun filled activities in Messina. They really wanted to go sailing, but the weather was bad the 1st couple of days, and Erin had been up for about 36 hrs. She stayed overnight in Paris, but forgot to go to sleep. By the time we moved everything to make room for the girls to sleep there was barely enough room to get organized to go sailing. I told Jerry if we decided to sail to remind me that I had stuck a bag of stuff in the autopilot compartment. There would be no room for Otto to move.
We had rented a car, though. Sicily is a beautiful island. At first Etna hid her head in the clouds, but as we drove South to Taormina, she lifted her smokestack. As we took the shuttle bus to the top of the hilltop town, we could film Etna and her smoke rings at every turn. Taormina is an old Greek city which was having a film festival. We were lucky enough to see the Greek wagons with their costumed drivers and beautifully caparisoned horses dancing through the streets to the strains of the Greek music.
The girls got to go to the beach. They wanted to swim near the boat, but the water was swarming with jellyfish just waiting to stick their barbs in those tender morsels.
We are now getting ready to sail across the sole of Italy's boot. The diesel tanks are full, Otto has his space back, the refrig is stocked, so if the weather cooperates-it's a go.
Miss you all
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- June 25, 2004