Mini-Trip
We're off to see the wizard, I mean, Barcelona & Amsterdam for the next week & a half. Funny how I think of a week and a half as a "mini-trip" but I do... will post if I can but otherwise catch you guys in mid-September.
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away...(that current galaxy being South Korea)
We're off to see the wizard, I mean, Barcelona & Amsterdam for the next week & a half. Funny how I think of a week and a half as a "mini-trip" but I do... will post if I can but otherwise catch you guys in mid-September.
Looks like a combination of "grotty" & "ugly", doesn't it? I end up saying 'Grottalia' (like Italia) every time, but it's actually Grow-ta-l-ee-ay ('ay' as in 'way') with a little r-rolling action.
Overall...
As our 5 weeks in Palermo drew to a close, we decided to do a quick road trip 'round Sicily on the way back ("the long way home" as I like to say). So instead of driving straight back across the top of Sicily to catch the ferry to mainland Italy, we drove round the bottom: Palermo -- Agrigento -- Ragusa -- Noto -- Siracusa -- Taormina -- then back to Grottaglie. Check out this map. While we would've loved to have seen & done more, given the outrageous cost of gas & limited funds, we did just the highlights.
When I found out Marco & Elaine were having a week's holiday in the Aeolian Islands while Harry & I were in Palermo, I figured we had to meet up. We went to Milazzo & caught the fast ferry to Lipari on Saturday, July 7. Harry & I climbed Vulcano for some ridiculous views & took a dip in the stinky sulpher baths, meant to be good for your skin, on our own before meeting up with Elaine & Marco for dinner in Lipari. Sunday we took a boat tour around Lipari & Salina & spent the day lounging on the boat & snorkeling.