Syracuse, Sicily to Catania

We checked it of our lovely hotel in Taormina, an walked to the cable car, which takes you to the upper township. It was tourist central, so incredibly busy. We headed for the main attraction,a Greek theatre,still in operation. At least, they’ve set up a plywood stage and do some shows or other. Completely detracts from the historical value, in my opinion, but whatever. The view from the theatre was fabulous.

We left Taormina, and with plenty of time on our hands, headed for Syracuse (Siracusa). A beach side town, not very pretty, had lots of ruins, but not very accessible! We did not linger, as we were quite tired... we headed to Catania, where the Mercure Grand Excelsior awaited.

After check in, we decided that we had had enough Italian food for a while, as Paul scouted a Chinese restaurant with insteps of the hotel. It was cheap, and the novelty of the Chinese speaking Italian was worth it. The food, however, was quite possibly the worst Chinese food ever eaten. Absolutely dreadful, and I paid the price all night, with the worst reflux... lesson learned! Haha

Today we had a leisurelly start, we wandered around Catania, which is just another city, and found the main square. There was a big cathedral, which was lovely inside. It struck midday as we entered, and the organist started playing, which was quite surreal. St Agatha was laying in a glass coffin, her hands blackened, but her face must not be in such good nick, as it was covered by a mask...she was martyred around 251 AD, so I guess she can be forgiven. Every year they celebrated the Feast of St Agatha, and she is rolled out in two ancient carriages from the 1800s. While in the cathedral, I urged Paul to the Confessional, as it had been a while...then we realised we only had 6 hours till our ferry, so not enough time for Paul to come clean...haha.

We wandered back to our hotel, and as t was now drizzling with rain, and there was a km t I theft, we caught a taxi (luxury!). We have checked in to the ferry (an I note resting process in itself, as you are driven around the port in a mini van to check in, then a short wait in a bar, then minivan drives you on tothe ship!

We are heading for Valletta Malta, arriving at about midnight. New country, next adventure! Will check in tomorrow night, kids! Looking forward to this one!Read more