Day 124 Mountian High Valley Low!

Monday 23/07/2018 (Day 38 SZ) Saganuma Corso Italia, 385, Ragusa, 97100, Italy -

Excursion day today, we are heading to Catania 120ks away... it is a larger city than where we are staying... so off up the Hwy we headed. About 45 mins into the trip and we passed the same hooker as the other day, in 5e same yellow dress just sitting on an off road same as the other day... unlike the other day John didn’t suggest we pick her up... I worked out she must have ore arranged appointments surely she wouldn’t sit in the Hwy all day in the hope of a pick up... so sad really, to have to rely on this fir a job... but they have been since the beginning of time neatly and guessing they will always be around... while sex is a big drive for so many...

We continue down the motorway boring as other than the hello dressed hooker...
we headed straight fir Maccas which turned out to be a blessing as it was right in the main section of the city we had planned to look at... a guy was hustling us to park jus outside the main late area, great parking spot, all he wanted was 3€ to park. We couldn’t quite work out how long it was meant to be... so we paid him the money and went to head to Maccas, he’s waving his arms around going in about something in Italian we couldn’t work out what..Finally it dawned on us it was that Maccas was still closed, it won’t open until 11am... it was 1030 so we headed off going through some gates into a park...turns out it was right next to the food markets and the main area of the old city.. in the park there was seating and a number of tables and chairs dotted around... on all of them were old Italian men... either sitting and chatting or playing some sort of game... around them were Nigerian men selling hats, selfie sticks and bags! What every tourist apparently wants...

We wandered around the food markets for a bit,somehow we found our way to the main piazza/square, with the obligatory Cathedral in place... it was pretty quite really compared to many places we have been...

Back to Maccas for our cuppa, it was opened by now, but sadly for John no Mc Cafe! Now I drink boring black coffee it doesn’t matter where mine comes from, but a good cappuccino or boy comes from McCafé in Europe that is..l none one makes cappuccino’s like Australia over here... well that’s not quite true we have found a few, but they are as rare as hens teeth! Refilled and refreshed we headed back to the city centre...

While we were out yesterday I have somehow hurt my right groin with pain shooting down my upper leg into my knee... I actually think it is back related but either way it is extremely painful and walking seems to be at present agrivating it...so we decided to the bus trip around the city...

The bus trip took 2 hrs to take you through only a few streets in the centre, then up the coastline.... which to be honest was quite boring and not a lot to see as there were 100’s of beach spots all fenced off with private areas to spend you day... how you are supposed to know what’s behind the fences has got me beat, because there is nothing to temp you to come in with views over their offerings or the Beach itself.... not sure how they manage to get business...

The bus commentary in English did say it as all black sand, from the volcanic eruptions over the centuries... further up the coast about 15-20ks up there was the ruins of a castle on a small rocky outcrop that had been an Island apparently before one of the volcanic eruptions joined it to the main land with its lava flow! They Gav you 10mins if the bus to have a look around, but the castle was a far distance from where we pulled up, making it difficult if you did want to get a closer look.... So back in the bus we went...
Not far up the road the bus pulled up again, the driver told us we had 10 mins again to look around, only it is siesta time and all the shops are shut ... So a quick run down to the bottom street that has ocean views!

Back to the bus, while John tried to find us a cold drink as so, so hot today.. back we go seeing not much more than what we did on the way down. The plan is to get back to the city centre, find lunch then check out the sights I couldn’t see properly out if the bus! That is exactly what we did, we found a spot to have lunch looked so lovely, food sounded great even looked good, but once again quite tasteless... the bread they first served was as style aside hard as rocks, no w as we could eat it..l then they bought us what they called a scone to have with the cheese and meat platter... it was a bit like a flakey pizza base... we are so spoilt for choice in Australia and flavour... you would hardly get a meal that doesn’t have a flavour... so much of the food here, cheese and cold meat are the same... quite devoid of flavours.... until you travel and see what others think are wonderful foods... you realise how amazing our foods, choices and flavours really are!

Aafteerr our none eventful meal,we headed out to find the hidden beauties this city has..and she didn’t disappoint at all... we had also planned to head up to Mt Etna this afternoon and time was ticking by..... so back to the car and off up the mountain we climbed..... as usual I silly Nav took us other roads instead of the main ones... we do get there but I am sure she has lost the plot half the time... and tell her so too...

The climb up the mountain in the car was extremely interesting with being able to see the various Lava flows she has spewed out over the last few centuries... some are quite scary where they have ended up... the higher we go the less vegetation there is, but still there are green patches ... giving way to volcanic stone then ash’s the higher we go... some parts are a brown other parts are jet black.... in the winter this mountain is covered in deep deep snow, hence once we get higher we can see the Ski Lodges towards a higher section of the mountain.....once there you could see the higher peaks with people climbing them.... and a smaller cater from the 1986 eruption, the higher peak was from the 2001 eruption...we could see the biggest peak, it was higher than what we had parked at to see, but apparently you have to do a tour to see the active one... when we left down below it as 41c as we climbed it went to 26c by the time we hit the top it was 20c and extremely cold and blowing a gale.... we hoped out and walked towards the lower crater from the 1986 eruption, passing 2 dogs dug in to the volcanic ask... unreal to see they actually looked dead, but I am sure they were having a good sleep and keeping warm... at least I hope so...

We tried to walk around the lower crater but due to the severity, of the wind nearly lifting me off the ground, we gave it a miss.... thank goodness I carry a light weight coat around with me... sure needed it here...

Our time has come to an end, it’s 6.30 Pm and need to drive back the 130 or so K’s....so back we head...

No hooker on the Hwy on the way home, but there were a number of big fires blazing across many of the smaller communities... hopefully no one hurt....

It was a huge day and both a bit whacked by the heat in Catania..... we had bought some Cherry’s at the markets this AM from the heat in the car, they were actually half cooked...so once we made it home I cooked them up in some alcohol that was in our landlords cupboard.... made them delicious, plus the flat peached I had bought up the Street were going rotten so I chopped them up as well... stewed both lots up added balsamic vinegar to the peaches and fortunately I had som glass bottles I had been keeping to store foods in whole we travel.. we’ll that certainly did the trick after I had stewed them and sterilized the glass jars in the oven... they were all ready t b filled..I am leaving them for a bit so the flavours intensify, I hope so anyway!

A big day had by both of us and then to get this done....I feel like I should jump for joy.... nothing like this has happened before, a sense of achievement and joy with good outcomes..outcomes on all levels today!Read more