Albatros Syracuse

... most recently allied forces of WW II, who fought across Sicily to liberate it from Nazi occupation. Earthquakes have toppled some of the ruins. Archaeologists from Universities all ove r the world have come to find and restore the temples and necropolis of Agrigenta. We did not stay here long, but memories of the temples will forever come to mind when I think of Sicily.

... met, but we had been in contact recently by e-mail. They were happy to meet us, they took us to visit several elderly cousins, who spoke only Italian, but whose happiness to meet us was shown by kisses, hugs, tears, and abundant sweets and espresso coffee. We will hold memories of these dear people in our hearts.

We began our trip in Rome, where it was rainy and crowded. Our day at Vatican city, the museum, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica was just wonderful. Our hotel was near the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona, a great location for seeing the top sights of Rome. On Friday we were scheduled to fly to Sicily. A labor strike stalled every type of transport to the airport: trains, buses ...

Nach längerer busfahrt kamen wir in syracuse an und fanden auch das teure hotel, das wir nach unserem psycho-hostal uns gegönnt hatten. ein 4stern-hotel ! die ganze busfahrt über freute ich mich darauf und auf die saubere schöne einrichtung und dusche und alles&#8230;<br><br>Dort angekommen meinte die inhaberin, dass sie keine reservierung von uns habe&#8230;nach langer diskussion merkte sie, dass es über hostalworld.com gebucht wurde, welches sie schon seit 1jahr nicht mehr ...

Twee dagen bekijken we de stad en het park met zijn archeologische opgravingen, terwijl het steeds harder gaat waaien, we hebben het allemaal goed gepland. Syracuse is door de eeuwen heen een belangrijke stad geweest. De oude stad ligt eigenlijk op een eiland Ortigia genoemd. Met een verfrissende avondtemperatuur die je enorm verkwikt na zo'n heet bad van de middag, trekken duizenden Italianen de oude stad binnen en slenteren in lange slierten van de ene ...

... een tocht met het openbaar vervoer naar Enna, een stadje in het midden van Sicilie en door zijn hoge ligging heb je een prachtig uitzicht over de bewerkte velden. We hebben er 4 bussen voor nodig, maar zijn niet ontevreden over de reis, ondanks we maar twee uur hebben om het stadje te bekijken van wegen de laatste bus. Donderdag komt Stefano met zijn scooter de werf oprijden met een bus verf. Het is niet de juiste. Maar goed voor ...

... s dismay! eventually at my persistence we located it and had our first swim. Temp was good water clear and blue as blue. There was plastic &amp; other waste floating in the sea which spoiled it a little. Nothing like our beaches in Australia. The sand was course and stuck to you. I think that may be why the Italians prefer the rock beaches.<br><br>Tom Tom let us down for the first time by sending us up a dead end but we managed to fund our way back to Syracuse in time for dinner. <br><br>Ciao

... stands out in the city &amp; from afar.<br><br>The Cathedral is massive and looks like it was built on the site of an ancient temple as it has incorporated the temple column in its design. On Saturday night we were entertained by a number of street entertainers juggling, balancing tricks &amp; performances with fire. I had a great movie of the fire performance but accidentally deleted it. It was a late night with all the entertainment.<br><br>Ciao<br><br>

... When we complemented the cook, he explained that he didn't do this -- the sea did......<br> <br> ==============<br> <br> I'll get around to writing other notes about Sicily. It really WAS a fabulous leg of the trip. I really began to appreciate what the renaissance was 'rebirthing' -- I don't think I'd ever really "gotten" how magnificent the art was in Ancient Rome and Greece.<br> <br> <br> Love,<br> -r

FOOD BLOG I am sure many of you have been wondering about the absence of comments about the food we have encountered so far during our trip. Here is a brief summary of the highlights: ROME - The pizza in the Trastevere section of Rome can match up with any in the world. The artichokes, prepared in every way possible, were in their 2 week glory while we were in Rome. The garganelli primavera tossed and served in an individual sauté pan will not be soon forgotten ...