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Debi ShawDebi Shaw
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traveled in 18 countries Read more
  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 76

    Streets of Taormina, Sicily

    June 8, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Woke up to brilliant blue skies so rushed out to get some photos of the town without all the tourists - yes we are tourists too. We didn’t realise that instead of people the streets would be filled with vans and cars, with the shops all getting their deliveries in.

    We did manage to get some good photos of the pretty laneways, lovely scenery, pretty shop fronts and window displays that we did not get to see in its best light yesterday. This is just a beautiful town with so much to look at. We love it.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 75

    Hello Taormina - Part Two

    June 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    With a big day travelling hunger eventually overtook us and as usual rain started to fall. It has followed us for most of our trip. We ended up in a very non Italian sushi and hamburger bar (an odd mix), the Wood House, and craving a big ole juicy hamburger, Brad ordered the Sicilian burger (at least it sounded Italian), and I got the classic. They would have to be the best hamburgers we have had and Brad’s was the winner with its cherry bbq sauce. Delicious!!

    Fuelled up and once the rain had settled, we explored some more of this lovely town. Even with overcast skies it is pretty special. We stopped at Ristorante L’Orologio for an afternoon drink while admiring the views. I love how the stepped laneways are filled with cafes, bars and restaurants with every possible space utilised and decorated.

    We haven’t had as many gelatos as we planned so we made sure we had one on our way back to our apartment. Our goal is to have one every day for our last few days here.

    Weary from our big travel day and with the weather not the best, we opted for arancini for dinner in our apartment, and they did not disappoint. Now that is very Sicilian. Early night for us and hoping for blue skies tomorrow as we have lots we want to see and do.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 75

    Hello Again Taormina, Sicily

    June 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After a long drive filled with roadworks and amazing scenery, we finally made it to Taormina, our second last stop before we head home. While it has been a long drive, it was also a surprising one, as we had no idea how green and lush, and picturesque, the countryside of Sicily is. We thought it would be more barren and dry but it is beautiful. If it wasn’t for the fact we had to drive at least 40km over the speed limits, I would have tried to take some photos. It was a very pretty drive.

    Once we worked out how to drop the car off, we found our accommodation, quickly dropped our bags off, and headed out to reacquaint ourselves with this wonderful town. We were here five years ago but due to bad storms were only able to spend one day in Taormina and really didn’t get to see as much as we would have liked. We couldn’t wait to get back here.

    Thankfully Taormina has lived up to my memory of it and it is a beautiful town filled with colour and vibrancy. And it is so clean and graffiti free. Yes, it is a tourist town but it still has a real authentic feel and we love it. We explored the streets we didn’t get to see last time, had a moment or two wandering down memory lane, and fell in love with this place all over again. It is so picturesque with every street and lane a photo opportunity. A photographer’s dream.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 75

    Salt Pans of Trapani, Sicily

    June 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We had an early start today, hitting the road for our big drive to Taormina. But before we left we grabbed a few more photos of the salt pans in the area.

    The salt pans of Trapani are part of the Riserva Naturale orientata delle Saline di Trapani e Paceco. The history of the salt pans has its roots in the time of Frederick II. At that time, salt was fundamental to preserving food and the king understanding the economic and commercial potential of the area imposed a state monopoly on salt production. After the Normans, the Aragonese privatised the salt pans. The economy increased, and Trapani became the most important European centre for salt production.

    The old star (or Dutch) mills are among the ten most beautiful in Europe, with their six wooden blades. Windmills pump water between the basins and are used to grind salt and a series of basins of different sizes and depths create the salt pans. In summer, thanks to a system of levels, channels and water passages, the seawater evaporates quickly and the salt crystallises.

    The Torre di Nubia, the Nubia Tower, is the tower we see from our balcony. It was a watchtower whose task was to warn the population about the arrival of Saracen pirates. An old mill, set in a 17th-century building called Casa Salaria, houses the Salt Museum and it is these buildings that look so great with their reflections on the still water of the salt pans. With the morning light the area looks different again and it was great to capture some more images before we left.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 74

    La Torre di Nubia, Sicily

    June 6, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After our day at Erice and with the weather still overcast we opted out of checking out Trapani and it’s beaches. Our time here hasn’t been what we thought due to weather but we have still enjoyed seeing different towns of Sicily. Every town has been so different.

    With not a lot of restaurants close to where we are staying, and because we enjoyed our lunch so much yesterday, we chose to go back to La Torre di Nubia for dinner. Unbelievably the sky cleared as we were getting ready to go, resulting in some lovely sunset photos. Even while we were having dinner sat overlooking the ocean we kept popping out to take some more photos. While they may not be as amazing as some I have seen online I am glad we managed to experience a sunset.

    For dinner Brad had a salt crusted fish which is a whole fish cooked wrapped in salt creating a “salt oven”. They make such a show of prepping it at the table to serve it. It was delicious and we enjoyed another delicious meal at the restaurant. Great food, great staff and a great view.

    We even managed to get some photos over the salt pans after the sun had set.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 74

    Erice, Sicily

    June 6, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we drove into Trapani to catch the cable car up to Erice, a historic town located 750 metres above sea level on the top of Mount Erice, overlooking the city of Trapani, and out to Nubia and the salt pans, where we are staying. Founded by the Phoenicians, an ancient civilisation dating back to 3000 BC, remains from the walls at the time can still be seen.

    Even though it was an overcast day it was a lovely town to wander through, admiring the alleyways, checking out the ceramic shops (oh I wish we were closer to home - I would bring so much back with me) and popping into a church or two. For a small town there certainly are a few of them. While the town does have a lot of tourist shops it still has a rustic charm and it was worth braving the crazy Sicilian drivers to get here.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 73

    Relais Antiche Saline, Nubia, Sicily

    June 5, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The earlier rain turned into a full on storm and we couldn’t believe how much water was on the roads. It was a “fun drive” to our next stop, Nubia, Trapani. We chose this spot to see and photograph the near-by salt pans and to visit Trapani and it’s beautiful beaches. This was the one spot I was really hoping we would have the best weather but today it is not to be, with overcast and cloudy skies when we arrived.

    After dropping our bags off we made our way to the waterside restaurant, La Torre di Nubia, not far from where we are staying. We have booked two nights at the Relais Antiche Saline resort with a balcony view over the salt pans. It is a bit remote but we thought the views would be worth it. Now we just have to hope the weather co-operates with our plans.

    We can see the restaurant from our balcony but with no path through we had to drive. The restaurant has a lovely view overlooking the water and we can imagine how lovely it would be on a clear day, sat outside enjoying the food and the location. For now we just got to enjoy the food, which was very tasty.

    With the weather still not the best and having done enough driving for the day, we returned to our accommodation to relax before dinner on-site. Amazingly we were able to get some photos of the salt pans with the dark clouds looming in the background before dinner. It might not be the sunset photos we were hoping for, but the dark clouds made for some fabulous photos. Fingers crossed we might still get to see the sun set over the salt pans before we leave.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 73

    Parco Archeologico di Selinunte

    June 5, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    This morning we bid farewell to beautiful Selinunte to make our way to Nubia, Trapini. On the way we stopped off at the Archaeological Park of Selinunte, the site of the largest archaeological park in Europe. Even though we had seen the Valley of the Temples we wanted to explore this site too.

    With almost 2.5 acres, this site has the remains of the grandiose city that was Selinunte, developed and designed by the Greeks since the founding of the colony. Founded in 628 BC and abandoned around 250 BC, it is absolutely mind blowing that we can still stand amongst these temples. With the thunder and lightning overhead it was a very surreal experience.

    Thankfully we were able to take shelter from the rain and visit the on-site museum. So much of what they have discovered on the site is displayed and once again, it is unfathomable that items from centuries ago still exist. To this day more and more is being discovered.

    We chose to take the cart ride from one temple to the next so we could see as much as possible before the rain returned. While we did not get to see the whole expansive site, we were so impressed with what we did manage to see. Definitely worth the visit.    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 71

    Lido Tuke, Selinute, Sicily

    June 3, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today has been a day of complete relaxation. We walked down the road from our apartment to Lido Tuke where we hired beach chairs and an umbrella for the day. Our Sicilian nonna from yesterday waved at us as we passed and we shared a laugh - she was probably laughing at how she conned us into spending money we weren’t planning too. It is these interactions that really add to our travel experiences.

    Our beach chairs and umbrella cost us €15 for the whole day - what a bargain. We spent the day lying on our beach chairs enjoying the view of the turquoise waters rolling in. Brad dipped his toes while I have just relaxed in the Mediterranean sunshine. Having the restaurant/bar a few steps away has allowed us to stay hydrated with the local beer and limoncello spritz.

    We managed to drag ourselves up to the restaurant to enjoy a delicious lunch. Brad, once again, had a seafood pasta while I tried the roast calamari and salad. Wow, what a delicious and fresh lunch. It has to be up there with one of my best meals on this trip.

    Then back to the beach for Brad to have a swim in the very cold waters while I just dipped my toes in. It has been the most relaxing day. Unfortunately it wasn’t until we got back to our apartment that I noticed how sunburnt my legs were. I was a very silly woman and didn’t put sunscreen on my legs. I think I will be paying for that mistake for a while.

    Dinner tonight was a pizza in bed with our feet up. We ordered a pizza from the restaurant below where we are staying and it has to be one of the best we have had so far. Italy certainly do food well. It has been a day of fun, food and relaxation. Just perfect (minus the sunscreen).    Read more

  • TravelerExploring Europe 2023
    Day 70

    Selinunte, Sicily

    June 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    After exploring the Valley of the Temples we made the way to Selinunte, our home for the next three nights. This is a small beachside town right next to the Archeological Park of Selinunte, the site of more amazing Greek temples, and the reason we are staying here. Our accomodation is just across from the beach and we are hoping to enjoy some downtime here.

    Bags dropped off and we were out the door to walk on the beach and dip our feet in the Mediterranean waters. We had a walk along the beach, admiring the golden Greek temples from the beach while Brad found pieces of terracotta and terrazzo that he swears are from the temple grounds. The beaches here are so different to home making us realise how lucky we are. The sand here is quite gritty and we sank so far in as we walked, giving us a work out as we walked. Even though we had lost the sun it was still great to be on a beach again.

    We stopped at the beach bar for a couple of drinks - very strong limoncello spritzes, before walking into “town”. It really is a small collection of accommodations, holiday homes, bars and restaurants, and a few tourist shops along the main harbour and beach front. It was a very relaxed feel, especially as tourist season hasn’t hit yet and not everything is open.

    We popped into one of the souvenir shops to buy a towel and ended up spending a very delightful and funny hour with a nonna who spoke no English but was intent on us sampling all of her jams, marmalades and spreads, and every single type of alcohol she sold - and she sold a lot of different types. Her sales pitch worked as we left with some pistachio liqueur and some pistachio biscuits. She really made our day and we were very merry when we left.

    Nearing afternoon drinks time we made our way to a beach side bar called Bamboo where we enjoyed some more beers and spritzes and the most delicious charcuterie board as well as heaps of free snacks. The prices here are ridiculous and we cannot believe how inexpensive our afternoon was. We were very merry and full by the time we left to return to our apartment to call it a night. No need for dinner. What a fabulous first day in Selinunte.    Read more

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