My little Sicily was so excited to arrive in Sicily!

Scilla and the Ferry Boat

We bought a ticket and drove our car onto a ferry from Scilla to Messina. The cost was 30 Euros, which I thought was a good deal for the car and anyone in the car. I parked, bought the ticket, and then drove my car to wait in line for the ferry. After only ten minutes, the line started to move and we drove onto the ferry. It was pretty exciting and a bit scary. There were even semi trucks aboard the ferry. Once parked we went up to the top of the ferry to watch the sea and see the view of Sicily. The water was rough and a waves splashed up on us and got Zeke and Eliza a bit wet. The ride took about an hour to load, sail, and drive off.

Mount Etna the largest volcano in Europe

The drive to Mount Etna, was an hour and a half. Mt Etna is a active volcano and we were expecting to see lava flow. Mt. Etna started spouting lava again right before Christmas, but that part of the volcano is up farther than we ventured. We did make a little video showing some hardened lava rock areas. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRpnSdbF/ Mt. Etna is the largest volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world.

Cold, But Beautiful Beaches

I thought, going to the farthest south point of Italy, that it would be warm in January, but I was wrong. A storm had blown in just days before we arrived in Sicily and so even though we have a beautiful rental house on the beach, it has been a bit chilly to get in the ocean. However, that didn’t stop the little girls from venturing into the ocean a couple of times.

Temple of Sagesta

Sagesta was such a well preserved temple. This temple was built in 460 BC by the Elymians, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily. We enjoyed our time here, because of the spectacular views, there were not very many people around and they had a very nice amphitheater that we could sing and dance in and no one was around to see or hear.

Eating with an Italian Family-The Maurici Family

At church on Sunday we met a wonderful family, the Maurici’s. They invited us to dinner. We all had a really nice time and we communicated by google translate. We were served pasta, breaded chicken, breaded egg plant, and cooked celery (which were told was good for our liver?!?) It was a delicious meal and wonderful company.

Sicily’s Day

Each of the kids got a day to plan and do whatever activities they wanted.

This was Sicily’s day. She wanted to get her nails done, so we made an appointment at a nail salon. She was so excited! We visited a castle near our rental house. (It was closed because we arrived during riposo, which is the time most shops close for three hours for lunch and time with family.) We took some pictures and walked around it. We then visited a cemetery which was very close by. (This was my idea not Sicily’s). It was so interesting to see the family Mausoleums.

We then returned home to make dinner and then have a trash clean up contest on the beach. It was boys vs girls, and the girls really stepped up their game and filled a garbage bag full of plastic bottles. Sicily was so happy to help “Save the Sea Turtles”. (Her and her friends at home have a Save the Sea Turtles club.) We ended with a jog on the beach.

 

London’s Day

London wanted to go swimming in the ocean, but it is just a bit too cold. We ended by playing a card game, doing school and then watching a movie together on the laptop.

Part Two of Sicily will be coming next week. Thanks for reading!