Port 6: Messina Sicily

Today I feel better. I figured I could get off the ship and do the two stops in Messina. 

Our first stop was Toramina. It's a quaint little village up on a hill. Gorgeous views, small medieval roads and a ton of people. The first photo stop we made showed us Mt. Etna. It was steaming a little and I was hoping that a virgin had been sacrificed already and we didn't need to worry about an eruption.

I don't really recall the history of Toramina, but I did like the walk we did and enjoyed all the old buildings. 

Of course if there's a cat, you know I have to take a photo of this. This little guy just sat there and let me coo at him and tell him how pretty he is and thank you for letting me take a photo.

This alley way is like 24 inches wide. My ass wouldn't fit up there whether I go sideways or straight. We'd need olive oil to get me out of there.

At the end of the walk was this old Greek theater. It was fun to see the ruins and learn a little about the Greeks who settled there long before the Romans.

After the long walk down the main road, we stopped for me to use a restroom, conveniently in a gelato shop. I noticed they had afogatos and Janet and I both ordered one. I asked if they could use Nutella gelato instead of vanilla and they gladly did that.  I couldn't finish mine, but Janet finished hers AND the rest of mine.  

After our time in Toramina we drove even higher on the mountain to Castelmola. Not a very interesting village. I sat in a plaza while the rest of the group walked down this hill to see god only knows. While I was waiting though, I went into a shop and bought myself a pine cone. 

Ceramic pine cones are often seen in Sicily on balconies, walls or next to gates. The pine, as an evergreen tree, stands for health, vitality and constant renewal and is also associated with the divine, eternity or immortality. The pine cone with its hundreds of seeds stands for fertility and prosperity.

We had lunch in a nice restaurant in Castelmola and were back on the bus headed to this ship. 

Back on the boat, I was exhausted again and my tummy felt a little iffy.