Panorama Syracuse

... it was a bit cloudy and overcast and we couldn't see the peak - probably a good decision to not do the tour as well...
Catania is a nice quaint quiet town and wouldbe lovely in summer.


Caught the 10pm overnight train to Rome with Laura.
Overnight trains in Italy are definitely a lot more sketchy than in Germany.

... nous avons visites les catacombes de san giovani. un ancien aqueduc romain transformer en cimetiere pour 20 000 corps. Puis ensuite, on a visiter la vieille ville ou le duomo a ete construit sur un ancien temple Grec dans lequel on voit encore les colones au travers des murs.

partie avec 35 minutes de retard, on est arriver plus de deux heures en retard a notre destination. 11 heures de train pour se rendre a syracuse. heureusement, la ville et l'auberge sont tous les deux tres belles.

point interessant , pourqoi partir un pont quand on peut prendre une heure pour mettre le train dans un bateau et lui faire faire la dstance en longueuil et montreal? les italiens le savent surement !

After our stay in Siracusa, we drove to Agrigento, on the south coast of sicily. Stunningly beautiful blue sky and blue Mediterranean waters set off the sight of magnificent Greek Temples onthe ridges overlooking the bay. Built in the period of around 565 BC these beautiful structures have withstood the ravages of invasions by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Normans ...

... 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.

... boats etc. all workers on strike and demonstrtions everywhere in the city. But with the help of Michael, the manager at our Hotel, we were able to get a taxi to the airport. We got o the ticket counter at about 10 AM, and checked our 3 bags, being allowed onlu one limited carry-on. Then we went through security routine (no liquids, x-ray the carry-ons, etc) and sat the gate ...

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 ...

... might start having to get used to again) before heading to the park to try and get a view of Mount Etna through the clouds and to eat our purchases from the market. From there we made our way down to the Piazza Del Duomo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We tried to go to the botanic gardens but this was shut and then sadly for us so was our favourite pastry shop, yes that's right we have been here a day and we already have a favourite pastry shop. With ...

... zwei bissen und fertig). Dazu gab es den ‚vino casa': mehr als warm, übel nach essig riechend und auf dem glas rote spuren hinterlassend.mmmmh. nachdem ich schon einmal zuvor nach dem genuss eines solchen prachtweines später im hostal übelst kotzen musste, trank ich lieber nicht zu viel davon). Ich sagte dem kellner, dass ich den wein nicht gut fände, und ob er ihn bitte probieren würde. Er winkte ab (wohlwissentlich??) und nahm ihn wortlos weg von der rechnung ...

... After our lovely breakfast in bed, we headed to the Neapolis-Parco Archeologico. The park holds an astonishing amount of historical sights to visit. The big-ticket item is the Teatro Greco. A massive 5th century BC Greek theatre that was carved entirely out of the stone in the ground on site. Only a few metres from that is an ear-shaped cave or grotto that Dionysius used to eavesdrop on his prisoners that he held there. Even the faintest noises are amplified to the ...