Saturday 28 October. Yesterday evening we, me and Marien, took a flight to Catania for a week on Sicily. We arrive around nine o’clock and after collecting the luggage it’s a short walk to the car rental. Here is a gathering with other tourists waiting for the rental car. Pick a number and wait. Four guys help to fill in the form, all info is already digitally sent for the reservation, copy it manually on the computer, print it, let you sign it several times and then you’re allowed to find the parking spot of your car. It’s dark and the numbering is not that logic, but we find it. Check the damage at the candle light of the garage and find out where the exit is. After a small hour drive to the north the hotel pops up. We’re finally there. Check in and have a marvellous pizza.
This morning breakfast and on the road to volcano Etna. Temperature drops when we climb higher and higher. Now the road is on a lava field, black between the colourful autumn trees and a snowy Etna on the background. Amazing sight. Further on a parking spot with lots of feathered people. We park the car and watch the fanfare playing and marching to the other end of the parking. More local mountain people with a felt hat with pheasant feather. One of them has a hat with a hole bird on it. The ceremony starts and the mayor reveals a monument for the lava field… or so.
More road through lava fields and beautiful views. In Zafferana Etnea we have a coffee with pastry. Delicious. Around noon it starts raining and we decide to go down to the coast. Follow the beach road to the north all the way to Taormina. The town is on a mountain in the sun. Perfect views on the rocky island Isolabella and the clear blue water. The road meander through the city. Very touristic and no parking spot left. At last a free spot. Nice centre, but we want to see the Greek Theatre. The Greek found a beautiful spot to build it. In the background mount Etna and the coast line. After an Italian ice-cream in town we drive back home.
