Europa Palace Messina

... is to match ones cloth napkin to one's clothing. I wear black pants with various tops each evening. So they give me a black napkin. Jim get's a white one as he wears khakis most of the time. Prevents lint. How clever.
The show last night was a Las Vegas revue. One couple did everything. She was an aerialist and hula hooper. He a comedian, magician, acrobat. They were great! Very entertaining and the house was full. A great day.
Tomorrow, Greece!

... suppose to go next. Did that somehow damage my experience where I was? Did it prevent me from truly enjoying what I was surrounded by?

There have been many unexpected moments too, things that I don’t believe I would pass up even if they were difficult or induced loneliness.
I worked, and complained about it, but I wouldn’t take it back, I had a lot of fun those two weeks, more then I had anticipated.
I ...

... images section on their homepage. I'm stoked!

But here's the thing I think is coolest. (See photo to the left.) I assumed most of these countries were highlighted because I've been meeting fellow travelers, but then I realized there are some countries here where I haven't met people from. Which means random people in random parts of the ...

... for me. But then I rang and rang and rang and rang and nothing. A little bakery backs up to the alley of the building. Two guys came out on their balcony and said (or at least I think they said, in Italian) "Bang on the door! Ring all the bells! Knock louder!" I told them that I had and then repeated my actions for them to see. They grabbed a cordless phone and the younger regazzo came down to dial the phone number of Gianni. (I was staying at Gianni House.) Anyway, apparently because ...

... s a nice change from the hustle and bustle buffet in Horizon Cafe. Although we're not big buffet patrons, it seemed that most people in the buffet line believed their last meal would be this particular lunch. Thus, nothing would stand in their way, not even manners! So, it was best to stay at least two meters away from those people.

After a nice quiet lunch we caught the last half of the ...

... amazing town with fantastic views. We saw 4 weddings. The father and the bride walk through the streets and meet the guest who are waiting outside the church and then they all proceed into the church together. We saw the amphitheater where the Taormina film festival was taking place.

Beautiful views and fun places to shop.

... warm enough to sit out in the sun, out of the wind, as we approached the toe of Italy. The we proceeded slowly through the strait, passing many ferries in the Messina area before coming through the narrow section into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Stromboli was then visible ahead, as the light faded, and we passed between the volcano and Basiluzzo, Panarea and the other Eolie islands. By that time, 17:00 ...

... originally founded Taormina in 358 B.C., although the layout of the town gives it a distinctly medieval feel. Our guide mentioned that Greeks, Romans Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Germans, French and Spanish have occupied Taormina at one time or another before uniting with Italy. Additionally, it has withstood earthquakes, fire, volcanic eruptions, and World War II. Cars are not allowed in the town, so the streets are narrow and cobbled. This ...

... people. Gorgeous women, beautifully coiffed and dressed. And men who were obviously in touch with their feminine sides as they sported pinks and corals with their sweaters draped Calvin Klein-ish over their shoulders with the sleeves knotted over their chests. Men who greeted each other with air kisses to both cheeks. A delight to behold. Also, in Turkey people would politely give their seats to an elderly passenger. Greeks pushed their way in ...

... komen. Wachtend op de Simrad reparateur maken we plannen voor de volgende dag. We willen Sicilie gaan bekijken, maar er valt op Sicilie wel erg veel te zien (heel vreemd voor een eiland zo groot als Nederland), dus we moeten gaan kiezen. Of nu Sicilie, of eerst Griekenland. We besluiten om twee dagen in Sicilie te gaan rondtouren. We willen in ieder geval de Etna en Stromboli bekijken. We verkijken ons op de afstanden en het blijft dus bij louter goed ...