Hotel San Giovanni Giardini Naxos

Catania photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album. php?aid=168080&id=613699523&l=b 66c2b2ea1

We were debating whether to do a Mt Etna tour but in the end decided to give it a miss as it was expensive and we weren't guaranteed on seeing much depending on the conditions up the mountain.
Instead we caught a train ...

... weather wasn’t responsible for deterring me so much. But I will never know. All I know is that now, I am ready to go. I have, I believe experienced a part of Italy that will always be mine. I will always have it with me, whether I wake up tomorrow, or the day I get home with a different face or not, I did live it, I breathed it in, I took it into my soul. But yet here I sit, willing it to be Sunday. I must be crazy!

Benita

... 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 ...

... making myself quite at home. My laundry is hanging in the hallway, I have completely taken over the 4-person bedroom and bathroom. And in the morning I was able to wave and say ciao to my friendly bakery neighbors. La vita dolce?

Today I had plans to go see Mt. Etna (the most active volcano in Europe). But planner-Josie took over and when that happens usually cheapskate-Josie gets involved which leaves real-Josie planless with money in her pocket. In other words I had intended to ...

La nostra struttura, si trova nella via più
centrale di Catania, la sempre affollata e vivissima Via Etnea, da
alcune delle nostre stanze infatti, è possibile affacciarsi
direttamente sulla tipica movida Catanese, questa posizione rende
facile raggiungere ogni punto di interesse della città, dagli uffici
amministrativi ai locali di maggiore attrazione, alle università ecc ...

... Yes Man, playing on deck 15 around the Calypso Pool. The movie starring Jim Carey appeared to be quite funny, something we'd likely rent upon our return home.

The afternoon had us resting on our balcony, enjoying a bottle of vino, watching the Mediterranean pass by us at 20 knots per hour.

We made reservations at Michelangelo's Dining Room where, Rick dressed in a tux and Elsie ...

... and hopped on the next one going to Taormina. This town feels like it should be perched on a cliff near Napoli on the Amalfi coast. It has just as many tourist but still holds its charm. Once the Byzantine capitol of Sicily it is now a thriving town unlike many others in this region.
We could see the rain clouds blowing in across the face of Mount Etna and decided to call it a day.

Tomorrow we will be in Rome. (Catania to Rome €43.50 each)

Hi Folks,
Just thought I would include this port as we stopped there unexpectedly this morning to disembark another ill passenger (or maybe it was the same on). We are supposed to be having a day at sea today which we are but by stopping at Messina it has delayed tomorrows' arrival at Piraeus, but the Captain has just announced that we will not miss any ...

... es für eine frechheit sei, dass man sie nach dem bus-schalter frage und sie sei doch kein auskunfts-automat und sei schliesslich nur für zug-tickets zuständig und das gehe ja gar nicht etc etc etc.


In ihrer schimpftiarde übersah sie mich zuerst einige zeit lang... als ich ihre aufmerksamkeit gewinnen konnte, erklärte ich,dass ich sofort zurück auf den zug müsse und tickets bräuchte und ob es wohl noch reichen werde. Sie schaute gemächlich auf die uhr und meinte, ich ...

After a relaxing day at sea we arrived in the port of Messina, Sicily at 1pm. We sailed past the famous statue that was the last image Tim's grandparents saw as they immigrated to America. This town was double hit during WW ll. Both sides bombed it to make the port unusable by the other.

Our guide, Giacomo, met us and we drove to ...