6^th October 2024

 

Dear All,

We have had a very enjoyable and action packed week in Sicily but sadly Kate has returned home with a nasty case of COVID and has been suffering ever since and has hardly left her bed.

Having left home at 3.00 am we started the holiday with a few hiccups as when we landed there was a forest of passenger greeting boards but not one for Travelsphere, so 34 folk were wandering around rather lost. It transpired that our guide Maria needed to deal with a medical problem with her previous party. When we eventually met up, we had to wait for a rather grumpy coachg driver who was promptly dismissed the nest day. The hotel in Giardina Naxos was excellent with a rather cool pool and an extensive buffet.

Our first outing was to Mount Etna and the next set back was a huge queue to board the Cable Car with the Italian idea of an orderly queue falling somewhat short of ideal. However once at the top it was worth the wait as Etna is a proper volcano with acres of larva and steam coming out of the top. The next set back was Andrew a retired vicar with prostate and dementia problems failed to return from the mountain. His wife had assumed he had preceded her down but in fact he was waiting up top. We were eventually relieved to see him after 2 hours waiting on the coach!

 

 

First View of Etna

 

 

The Summit of Etna

 

On the way back we called in at a honey emporium with 1001 ways to use and commercialise honey. We were each given a small pot to make up for the confusion at the airport.

Next day we travelled to Taormina a coastal resort with a large Greco-Roman amphitheatre. The views of the bays were good but the streets were crowded and I have never encountered a town with so many restaurants.

 

 

Taormina Gateway to Main Street

 

Entrance to Amphitheatre

 

 

Amphitheatre

 

 

Taormina Bay

 

We left our first hotel next morning and headed across the island from east to north via Piazza Armerina a fairly recently excavated Roman villa with an amazing display of mosaics. They really knocked any previous mosaics that we have seen into a cocked hat they were so extensive and well preserved.

 

 

Romania di Catalina

 

 

Small section of Mosaics

 

The interior of Sicily was seriously dry with very little productive agriculture. Our next hotel was about an hour from Palermo and the most extensive we have ever encountered – about the same size as Over! It had a large pool, a private beach and grounds which were much like a tropical Botanic Garden.

 

 

Acacia Resort Hotel

We managed a swim in the pool every day and one in the sea which was OK once in, but had a painful stoney section on the beach which was not good for bare feet.

Our next outing was to Agrigento Valley of the Temples. There was a ridge with a series of Greek Temples in various states of preservation.

 

 

Temple of Juno

 

 

Temple of Concordia

 

Temple of Hercules

 

 

Atlas Model from the ruined Temple of Zeus

On the way we were treated to Cannoli a local speciality as a treat for the delay at Etna!

 

 

Cannoli

 

On Tuesday our excellent guide Maria gave up her free day to lead an expedition to Cefalu a small seaside town the opposite direction to Palermo. It had a long central street with numerous small side streets and a central Norman cathedral which we were able to climb up to the roof for panoramic views.

 

 

Cefalu Cathedral

 

 

The deep Blue Mediterranean

 

Our final excursion was to the island capital Palermo starting with the Palatine chapel in the Royal Palace with highly decorated gold inlays. We also took in the city Hall and the suburb area of Monreale with an even larger chapel and even more gold. The hall was so large that I could hear my father saying:” You could stack a lot of bales in here!” Between visits were treated to samples of street food.

 

 

Royal Palace

 

 

Inside the Palatine Chapel

 

 

 

 

Paloma Cathedral

 

 

Large Hall in Monreale cathedral

 

 

Street Food

 

We had to get up at 5.45 am for a 7 am breakfast and our return journey which started with a 2.5-hour coach ride to Catina Airport. When we arrived, we learnt that the plane was still in Gatwick due to a medical emergency! We eventually had a 3-hour delay and arrived at Gatwick at 5.15 pm followed by a train to Cambridge. Kate was not feeling too good by this time so we were very relieved to arrive home in a taxi at 9.00 pm

When we started, we thought 34 people would be too many but actually there were some very nice people and getting to know them was one of the highlights of the week.

Meanwhile back in the real world both Emma and Esther had also succumbed to COVID and Emma was very poorly while Albert was Star pupil of the week. The wording of the award is quite tear jerking showing his parents must be doing something right!

 

 

 

 

 

Regards

 

Mike & Kate