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Siricusa
We took a bus from Sciacca to Siricusa (Syracuse in English, Sea-rah-que-saw, in Italian). We only got to spend a night and morning there. The history center was quite nice. We arrived in the city at eight o'clock at night and while walking to a hotel a woman stopped and offered us a room located in the Historic center of the city. We checked out the room and decided to take it. We went for a walk, passing this fountain... not finding the Duomo (Duomos are usually hard to miss), but finding a nice courtyard with garden with "modern architecture" (note, modern architecture is something of a bad work in Italy, especially in the historic centers), and walking all the way to the ocean-well okay it was not that far to the ocean, only about 30 meters from the room's front door.
Siricusa
This is one of my favorite photographs that I have ever taken. With the help of my beloved tripod I turned the flash off, set the timer and just kind of aimed the camera. . .
Siricusa
It had been a couple weeks, it seemed, since I had seen a blue sky. I really enjoyed the sun that we found in Siricusa the next morning. The Was taken at the Greek Amphitheater in the city.
Siricusa
Group shot near the theatre, in the stone quarry.
Toarmina
We arrived in Toarmina around 5 PM and had planned to continue on to Messina and then onto the Island of Lipari. however we ran into (again) Shannon, Jodie, and Annora and decided to spend the night in Toarmina. I am quite glad that we did, it was one of my favorite cities. Though a bit expensive and touristy, it was well worth it.
The seven of us met for dinner after we had settled into our pensione. We had a rather unsatisfying dinner. However, that dinner proved to be the lowpoint of our time in Toarmina. After dinner the ladies went looking for an establishment and I went out to take some pictures (after all I had 400 speed film and a beloved pocket tripod.
I don't know the name of this city, it is not Toarmina. Toarmina is located well, to be honest, on top of a mountain. This city is clearly not. I wonder what it looks like in the day...I took (made, if you remember your Italian lesson) a picture, but you will have to see it when I get back to the 'Merica....
Bitchin' stairs by night... As I walked through the city, I hear some music playing. I assumed it was a personal party, perhaps a school dance (as it was the first night of Mardi Gras. I followed the music and found a party complete with DJ, lasers, flashing light, and scantily clad dancing women (remember, this is still Italy) in the cities main Piazza. It was a nice surprise. I got some pictures of the party but you will have to wait on those too...
I got up before sunrise the next day and took some pictures around the city. . .like I said Toarmina is up on a mountain. The white mountain in the background...Etna the Volcano
The stairs by day...when I returned from my early morning photo adventure, the lady who ran the pensione asked if I had had breakfast and offered me something to eat. I told I had not eaten, and that I would eat with my traveling companions. She made me some coffee, which was quite good-though I only like coffee with a lot of sugar in it.
Group shot in front of Toarmina's Roman theater. Thought a little cloudy, you can see Mount Etna (yes, the volcano) nicely framed by wall behind us.
Amphitheater with a beach city in the background.
Florence does not have balconies. Toarmina does. This was taken from our Pensione's balcony. Toarmina is a very beautiful city, it is unfortunate that it is likely flooded with tourists in the spring and summer.
Waiting at Toarmina's Train station. There are worse ways to wait for a late train...
Lipari
From Toarmina we took a train to Messina where we (I) actually ran from the train station to the Hydrofoil dock (about 1 km, and I only ran the last hundred, hundred and a half meters-though I did have my bag on) to get tickets to go to the Island of Lipari. With beaches like this, I think it was well work the run....
I walked down to this beach, but did not go in because there about 2-3 million billion jellyfish laying on the beach. I had never see jelly fish in the flesh (or transparent fleshy jelly yucky stuff, I suppose). But you were not there, so I can lie. I went in the water, and swam, the water was warm (it actually was, I am not lying about that).
Lipari
I really like the picture. Sometimes pictures turnout better than reality. Sometimes Reality was better than the picture. I am not sure what to say in the case...
Lipari
I got up early on our last day of the trip and rented a scooter to ride around the Island. I found this place on the back side of the island. It was nice, though pretty windy. With the help of my trusty pocket tripod, which I set upon the hill, I carefully composed the picture and estimated where I needed to be-Just to the left of the tall blade of grass in the foreground. I set the 15 second timer and high-tailed it to where I need to be.
I did not make it in time...
Vulcano
This looks quite picturesque, and it was. The old drawback was that this was taken on Vulcano, where sulfur simply rises out of the ground. We had lunch about 30 meters from a sulfur mud bad that to say that it smelled like death was only technically an understatement...
Vulcano
A view of Vulcano on our way to the Island's Crater. Kristen and I tried to hike to the Island's crater while Lindsey and Alysia sat at the beach. Winter rains had created big gullies (20 feet wide by 15 feet deep, if they were an inch) which we were unable to traverse and thus we had to give up on the hike, but not before we got this bitchin' photo.
