Sicily ~ Arrival in Messina for the exciting visit to Taormina. . . . . .

May 5, 2017 ~ 7:00 AM and docked in the port of Messina, Sicily for Taormina.

World leaders will be arriving here this week for the G7 Summit. Thankfully we were there first! Although the hillside town, located on a terrace of Mt. Mauro, was in utter chaos whilst in the throes of upgrading streets and public areas, and increasing security to accommodate politicians, the overall feel of this beautiful place perched in the shadow of Mt. Etna, Europe's highest volcano, was that one was still strolling through one of the most spectacular spots in the Mediterranean. 

Looking across the Bay of Naxos from Taormina westward to Mt. Etna which erupted

 in March and caused injuries to a BBC film crew and some tourists who were a

 little too close to the summit.

Needless to say, we enjoyed the rumbling mountain from a distance!

Colorful streets - cafes for gelato, cappuccino, lemon granite, cannoli, beer,

prosecco, limoncello (the local lemons are gigantic), and so much more. 

Fruit markets, jewelry, Italian fashion, weekday weddings, volcano peeping.

12th century Duomo has one of the largest astronomical clocks in the world in its bell tower.

The 16th century Fountain of Orion is located in the Piazza Duomo.

George and his mom, Michelle ~ Brisbane, Australia.

I first met lovely Michelle, and her charming husband Mark - sadly missed on this

 trip - when a guest at their awesome country home in Queensland's rain forest

 in 2012 - then again with them and their son George in California a few summers ago.

As I share the highlights of this trip I will of course be adding photos of our

wonderful group of friends. All eleven of us have met before and have

 traveled together to some amazing places.

A typical jumbled Taormina alley with bougainvillea cascading, statuary delights,

and signs expressing mysteries within. . . . . .my kind of place.

Never out of sight - and sometimes looking simple and peaceful beyond the crowds.

Yes, that is snow and people do ski there in winter.

Personally I loved Mt. Etna and I hope the gentle people living on the slopes are

 always safe.

Next stop will be Palermo - founded by Phoenician traders in the 8th century BC.

Thanks so much for all your kind 'get well' messages. 

We are doing just that and beginning to feel

almost human again.

Expedition to Sicily. . . . . . . . . . . .

WAY we go.

At the airport now. 
Leaving tonight for Italy. . . . . . . . . usual long transatlantic flight to London's

 Heathrow airport, followed by an early morning bus ride south to Gatwick airport. 

 Meeting up there with our friends, and other travelers joining the trip, and we all
 head out together on a flight to Naples. 
The MS Island Sky will be waiting for us and we board early afternoon to be
 whisked away on the evening tide for the overnight sail to our first shore excursion
 just south of Naples, then cross the sea to the beautiful Island of Sicily. 
The red marker on this map is Mt. Etna, hoping to get pictures, but not planning
 to climb as it has been quite active lately!

South of Sicily is the tiny island of Malta and it will be our last stop on the cruise.
All these places will be a first for us so we are very excited about this trip. 

I may not be here blogging for a while - but on the other hand I may just

 pop up unexpectedly if I have Internet access. 

I probably won't be leaving comments but I will read your posts if 

possible, again it all hinges on whether there's Internet available and

 how fast it works on board the ship!

"Arrivederci amici"