Month: June 2011

We were able to spend an amazing day in Sicily with our guide … Paolo Piana. However, before we arrived, we woke up to a beautiful view of Mt Etna.  In fact, this was the best view we had of the most active volcano in Europe.

 

We started out in the Catania’s UNESCO-worthy Piazza del Duomo.

 

The 18th century Fontana dell Elephante (or u Liotru) is the symbol of Catania.  Apparently, at some point in the ancient history of Sicily, the fauna included dwarf elephants.  However, we didn’t see any and I’m pretty sure only the stone ones are left on the island.

 

The Duomo.

 

This is the Fontana dell’Amenano with the same name as the river that runs underneath the city.  The fountain was cleverly built to use the river’s water.

 

La Pescheria — The Fish Market.  This place was a great mass of meat, colors, sounds and of course smell.

 

Cleaving a tuna.

 

Yep, it’s a yellow fin.

 

Looks yummy, don’t you think?  Puts me in the mood for sushi.

 

A fisherman’s job is not a clean one.

 

Just so we know what the fish originally looked like.  It’s a handy visual reminder… ok, it’s more of a heady reminder.

 

This market was both by and for those who spent their lives on the sea.

 

I have to admit, I was a bit reticent to try anchovies.  My only memory of them were overly salty on pizza and Caesar salads.  However, by themselves or lightly fried, this little guys are quite tasty.

 

There were plenty of interesting looking fish.

 

This butcher was preparing his lambs.  As you can see, it wasn’t just fish at La Pescheria.

 

Another new discovery (for me) has been sea urchins.  Although they are a lot of work to access (like a lot of seafood), they are delicious.

 

More lambs for sale.  These are truly half a lamb.

 

A few more heady reminders.

 

 

 

 

 

Come on guys, follow me!  This way out…  (of course, he didn’t get very far).

 

 

Hmm, what’s up there?

 

 

This gives you a little idea of the process to get sea urchins ready to consume.  Gloves and a strong scissors are a must.

 

The finished product.  They also have a black bile inside that needs to be removed or eaten around.

 

 

 

 

This is the imposing and beautiful Aci Castello built on volcanic rock.

 

The view from Aci Castello yielded this view across the bay to Belvedere di Acitrezza.  According to Paolo, these are the stones that the cyclops from Homer’s Oddessy threw after Odysseus blinded him.  Since this is a part of the Ionian Sea (the commonly accepted location for the epic), it seemed a plausible fable with some basis in fact.  But then, aren’t all fables similarly based?

 

This statue (predictably) reminded me of Anna and X.

 

A closer look at the impressive stones the cyclops apparently heaved.

 

Wind and water carvings.

 

A look back at the Aci Castello.

 

Both the Aci Castello and Belvedere di Acitrezza.

 

This is the main walking thoroughfare in the hugely popular tourist town of Taormina.  It’s perched over the sea and the buildings are fittingly beautiful.  It’s also been featured in pop culture by people like Truman Capote and D.H. Lawrence and films like “Le Grand Bleu”

 

After Taormina, we drove further up the hill to Castelmola where we found amazing views of the sea and surrounding landscape.

 

 

This is from Castelmola looking back down on Taormina.

 

 

Anna and X enjoying the view.

 

This was Alexander’s first experience with a water fountain (or to use the Wisconsin vernacular:  a bubbler).

 

Although he doesn’t look too sure here, he seemed to enjoy the experience.

 

Looking back up at Castelmola.

 

There are lots of tunnels in Italy.  I decided to let the shutter stay open a while and this is the image that resulted.

There is a light…

 

If you’ve seen the move “The Godfather” you might recognize this Sicilian town.  In the film it was called Corleone (the Godfather’s hometown of the same name).  However, in reality, this is a town called Savoca.

 

Citrus fruit make up a huge part of Sicilian agriculture (lemons, oranges, grapes, etc).  I understand better why oranges were the symbol of death in “The Godfather.”  If there isn’t enough (monetary) incentive to harvest the fruit, it simply withers and falls off.  Logically that makes sense, even if it seems to be a waste.

 

The rugged canyon Paolo showed us.  Although you can’t see from this image, it was a bit of a hike to get here.

 

After, we went to a local winery on the slopes of Mt. Etna.  The rich volcanic soil produces some great wine.  Although I hadn’t had much before, I really enjoyed the simple elegance of the wine we tried.  Plus, as with other Italian wine, they use walnut barrels to age their wine which imparts a unique flavor.

The next series of images are from our trip up the volcano.  In fact, I’ll start with one from inside.  This is an old lava tube.  I saw similar ones in Hawai’i, but I never explored this far into one.

 

A closeup of the lava stalactites.

 

Paolo and another group bemusedly watching me clamor out of a lava tube with a big, unwieldy camera.

 

Anna and Alexander after his first successful foray into the world of spelunking.  We’ll see if that continues as he gets older.  Also, you can see the entrance to the cave on the right.

 

Unfortunately, as we got near the top of the mountain, the weather deteriorated.  We didn’t have much a view of the island, but the moving clouds added to the mystique.

 

A big rock that had been expelled from the volcano at some point.

 

The road we came up on.

 

Anna and X intently gazing into the distance.

 

Alexander loves the wind.  Since it was a bit windy, he was having a blast.  His mother on the other hand, was having less of a good time.

 

A resort that was barely spared from the last major eruption in 2002.  There has been a lot of activity this year (2011), but thus far no major eruptions.  We were hoping to see flowing lava, but it wasn’t meant to be … probably a little safer anyway.

 

A close up of a more recent lava flow.

 

Our way down.

 

This house was a little less fortunate it didn’t survive the 2002 eruption.

 

Well that completes our brief (but very enjoyable) time in Sicily.  If you think you’d like to visit and only have limited time, we can’t recommend Paolo highly enough.  His site is:  www.etnasicilytouring.com

 

Next up is Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.

 

Until then…

 

–Jim

 

Although the weather wasn’t great, we had a nice time in Palma de Mallorca.

This is the Rambla dels Ducs de Palma.  Not quite as big as Barcelona’s, but still very interesting.

 

We stumbled on an art show while we were there.  I liked this white marble eyeball.

 

This is the view of the harbor from the castle, Castello de Bellver.

 

The most famous landmark in Palma, the cathedral known as La Seu. Its fame was increased when Gaudi worked on a restoration (it was begun in the 13th century and completed in 1601).  However, Gaudi’s work was not extensive and it retained most of it’s medieval origins.

 

The tower is part of Castello de Bellver, which was apparently the first circular castle in Europe.

 

Although built in the 13th century as a castle, it was used predominantly as a prison until the 20th century when it became a museum in 1932.

 

Alexander is at the stage where he LOVES touching everything… stones carved about 800 years earlier isn’t a bad tactile learning experience.

 

 

 

 

Our ship … which looks small in comparison to the MSC ship.  I think next cruise, we’ll try MSC.  Although we enjoy Costa, we’ve heard great things about MSC.

 

All three of us…

 

The cathedrale and a sailboat as seen from our room as we were leaving the port.

 

Not a bad weekend cruiser.  Plus, you can see Castello de Bellver on the hill in the background.

 

Another view of the castle.

 

A few mountains as we sailed toward the Iberian peninsula.

That finishes our visit to Mallorca.

Next up was another trip back to Barcelona.

Until then…

–Jim

 

We visited the always vibrant city of Barcelona.  Unfortunately, the bad weather followed us and it rained most of the day.  Oh well, no matter, we just enjoyed indoor activities.  Notably, we spent most of the day with Juan and Sonja, our Spanish “family.”  Juan had spent a year on exchange with Anna’s family while he was in high school.  Although Anna and Grandma Chris had seen them a couple times, including a visit to our house in Germany, I had not had the opportunity to meet them.  So, as you might imagine, I was very much looking forward to this day.  They did not disappoint and we had a great day together.  Unfortunately perhaps because the weather was so bad, I failed to take a picture of us.  So, I have nothing to show you.  Next time we see them, I promise we’ll make better use of the camera.

 

This is the unforgettable La Sagrada Familia, still under construction.

 

However, they have made significant progress on the interior.  If you’d like to compare to our last time in 2007, here’s the link:  http://www.jimanna.com/archives/000142.html You can also see the same ship we were on this time.  The only difference was we opted for the balcony this time (definitely worth the extra money).

 

 

 

The ceilings are spectacular.

 

 

Although it’s a fairly hefty entrance fee, there was not a lack of tourists.

 

Apparently Gaudi saw the light too…

 

Not quite sure what’s up with the umbrella with a hole in the middle.  Perhaps someone who’s Catholic can help me out?

 

OK, that finishes our circuit of the Mediterranean. It was a great week and surprisingly relaxing, even though we were still taking care of the little guy.

Next up, I’ll have a few images of the blooming poppies and my trip to the US.

Until then…

–Jim

 

Next stop … the sprawling city of Naples.  Although we didn’t spend much time in the city, it felt a little like Marseille.

 

Our time was spent in a small ancient city sitting at the foot a mountain.  Mt Vesuvius.  That city is of course, Pompeii and infamous for it’s destruction in the year 79 CE when the ash from an eruption blanketed the entire city and left an eerie but accurate snapshot of life in the first century.

 

Here we are in the main square, the Forum.  Although the stones have mostly been looted for use in other buildings, it’s an impressive space.  The story we were told was that the mountain was a single peak before the eruption.  If you can imagine it, the space between is what was ejected by the force of the eruption.

 

These are the stairs for the main theater.

 

Although it looks more like lichen, this is original paint from the first century … or earlier.

 

The raised sidewalk of the Pompeii street.

 

These pots were used for storing wine.  Somehow I think if any survived in their blanket of ash and pumice they probably wouldn’t have been any good in the 18th century when they were uncovered.  Still, it’s an interesting thought.  How would wine from the first century taste??

 

This is our guide.  Although he was very knowledgeable (as a former History Professor), he was mostly retired and didn’t seem to like people very much.  Oh well, in spite of his attitude, we still enjoyed the tour.

 

The fresco inside a wealthy family’s house.

 

Somehow I think these people people who walked these streets 2,000 years ago looked a little different.  Of course, today, they are indicative of the 2.5 million tourists who come each year.

 

Steps to cross the road.

 

Ruts in the road … either from wear, or intentionally carved to help avoid the stones (and consequent traffic jams).

 

A bakers oven … complete with preserved loaf of bread (definitely not good still).

 

The Stabian Baths.

 

While it may not look terrible comfortable, nor inviting, this was a (small) bed.  It was used in a brothel.  Apparently, there were no shortages of carnal pleasures in ancient Pompeii.  They had a much more enlightened view of the physical world than many “modern” cultures.

 

This image is representative of the murals painted on the walls of the brothel.  There is some dispute on what their purpose was.  They could have been painted to heighten the pleasure of the occupants … or more simply to depict a sort of menu.  The latter idea was accepted by our guide.  It makes sense in a place which was the cross roads of a number of culture and languages.  If you didn’t speak the same language … the pictures would help immensely to avoid potential miscommunication.  Sadly, when many of the images of sensuality and sexuality were uncovered in the 19th century, they were dubbed too indecent and either mutilated or re-hidden.  Some took another 100 years to re-emerge.  I find that a very sad statement on  our hyper-sensitivity to sex.

 

As further evidence that the images or symbols were used as direct language, these phalluses were used to point travels in the direction of carnal pleasure.  Apparently, prostitution (male and female) was a very popular profession and the subsequent ubiquity drove the price to around the cost of a meal.  Of course, we can assume there were variables that made price flexible.

 

A water spout on a local well.

 

Again in the forum with the sleeping giant Mt Vesuvius in the background.

 

Anna and X enjoying the square with lots of other tourists.

 

I made this image with the ND filters… I see it depicting the fleeting time we spend on Earth and the relative enduring qualities of the city.

 

Here is another immortal reminder of the deadly day(s) in the year 79.  People were buried alive.  So, when they were uncovered in the modern era, all that was left was an empty cavity where their body had been.  To show their bodily form, plaster was injected into the void and the ash & pumice removed.  This is one example of an unfortunate victim of the volcano.

 

It’s a little tough to see what this is.  It’s a dog and many believe it was chained up outside the House of Vesonius Primus when it was done in by the volcano.

 

This is a boy who was killed.  He appears to be holding his face and crying.

 

In the temple of Apollo.

 

Ancient Pompeii’s ruins with modern Pompeii in the background.

 

Although he probably won’t remember his visit to Pompeii, Alexander had a good time…

 

On the boat, we were able to watch a beautiful sunset descend on Naples.

 

We watched from our balcony.

 

 

Buh-bye!

 

 

 

 

 

Good night, Sun.

 

 

 

Well, that finishes our time in Naples.  Up next is Sicily, where we got to see up close Europe’s most active volcano, and a bunch of other really cool sites.

 

So, until then…

 

–Jim