Climbing Mount Etna and feeling the heat in Sicily!

We are currently parked up at campsite Paradiso del Mare (N36° 56’18” E15° 10’39”) and making the most of the lovely shade it has to offer, as we are suffering from the heat! 

Luckily it is only 50 metres to the sea for us to enjoy a nice dip, even at 8pm at night!

On the beach at 8pm, as the sun was going down.  Still 31°C  but enjoying the cool breeze from the sea.

We have been experiencing temperatures as high as 38°C and only dropping to 29°C at night, making it hard to sleep.  I know we shouldn’t complain but we would love to see some rain and a bit of cool weather – well, just for a day or two maybe.  Don't think there is any chance of that though, looking at the 7-day forecast!

Sicily forecast for the next 7 days.

Before coming here we had stopped one night at La Timpa campsite at Acireale.  The campsite was built high up on a rock and you had to get a lift (that was built in to the rock) down to the sea.

It's a long way down to that Sea!

The campsite had been recommended to us from a Brit couple we had met in Morocco and told us the pizza at the campsite restaurant is delicious, so we had to try them!  We think it is the best pizza we had ever had.

P
Enjoying pizza at Campsite La Timpa

The Previous night was spent on Mount Etna (N37.69926 E15.00042), yes I know that sounds crazy, who stops the night on an active volcano?... us!  We were parked up at 1920 meters up the volcano, next to the 1983 crater alongside a Dutch couple we had met at the previous campsite.

Parked up for the night on Mount Etna - not a bad view from our windows looking up to the top of the volcano!

We made sure we noted all exits from the car park should the volcano start smoking!  The 1983 crater is full of rubbish – unfortunately, this is becoming a typical site in Italy, rubbish everywhere!

The 1983 Mount Etna Crater - now full of rubbish

Mount Etna is Europe’s largest active volcano, 3350 metres high, with a surface area of approximately 1,200kms, and is one of the most active in the world.  We couldn’t come to Sicily and not visit it, although we knew it was going to be an expensive trip, €126 to be precise - 2 ½ days worth of our weekly budget!

You can walk so far up it but it’s a long winding trudge up through the lava so we decided to take the cable car - €30 each and that just takes you to an altitude of 2,500 metres.  From here you can only walk so far without a guide, so we figured if we were going to climb Mount Etna we needed to get as close as we could to this giant beast.  So, we paid another €66 to get an 4x4 bus ride and guide to take you as close as you can to the volcano that safety regulations allow, about 2,900 metres.

Going up Mount Etna Cable Car

As far as you can go on the 4x4 Mount Etna bus!

You then walk with the guide around some of the highest craters.

Mel surveying the size of the craters from 2001.  Being up here did feel a bit surreal at times, the size of the craters are immense and we tried to imagine what it must of been like for the people below when it erupted, or should I say when it erupts again, which must be a scary thought for those living in the towns around it.

Mel wanting a souvenir from the volcano!

The very dusty road snaking up Mount Etna.

The lava strewn road snaking up Mount Etna

We got to touch some of the lava which was still hot from the 2001 eruption, apparently it goes that deep into the ground and takes 20 years to cool down!

The 2001 eruption (southern slope) destroyed the cable car and skiing facilities and the road leading up to the crater all the way down to the car park that we were currently parked up in (Rifugio Sapienze). Yes, some crazy people do ski between December and February on Mount Etna!

These chair lifts look very old, not sure I would go up on them!

The last time Mount Etna erupted was mid-February this year, erupting rock and ash 650 feet into the air and injured 10 people from a BBC film crew - we started to wonder how safe we were being this close but the guide assured us that the activity within the volcano is closely monitored.  As another puff of smoke comes from the volcano!

A 'puff' of smoke coming out of Mount Etna

After not a bad night’s sleep on Mount Etna, (due to fairly high winds and worrying about it erupting!) we decided to climb a couple of more craters caused by the eruptions of 2001.

It's hard work walking up this lava - Mel compared it to a Welsh coal mining area from the 1960s

It's a long way down this crater!

Crater Silvestri

Sitting on the beach today we have seen a lot of water carrying planes fly over; apparently there are a few forest fires on the island, due to the heat.  Hopefully, they get them under control and the heat on the island dies down! Tomorrow we are off to Siracusa (on the scooter), the birth place of that great thinker, Archimedes.

Sally x

Six months on (the motorhome tour) and still living the dream!

It doesn’t feel like six months since we packed up all our worldly goods in a storage container, rented out our house and set off down the A1, bound for the Eurotunnel.  It still feels strange that we are not going back to our working lives, but a really nice feeling!

We are currently parked up at the bottom of Mount Etna, Sicilly contemplating life and what has happened since we left England on 27 December 2016.  We are watching the volcano carefully for any signs of eruption and have noted all exits from the car park!

Mount Etna, Sicily

In the last six months, we have:

Travelled – 6,748 Miles (10,797 kilometres)
Visited many countries (our route in red) – France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, and Sicily (autonomous region of Italy), and have many more to see.

We have:

·       Spent 39 wonderful days in Morocco, making it as far as the Sahara Dessert, and overcoming our apprehensions of the country.  Morocco is still our favourite country to date and ironically probably the one we have felt most safe in.

·       Encountered some scary moments on the roads in Italy, including a VERY NEAR miss on the scooter with a crazy Italian driver, and lived to tell the tale.

·       Survived each other’s company 24/7; although a few angry words have been spoken, we never stay cross with each other for long! 

·       Learnt some more foreign words – French, Spanish, a bit of Arabic and Berber, and Italian.

·       Become very familiar with shopping in Lidl – they are everywhere apart from Morocco… well, not yet!

·       Met some amazing and inspirational people on our travels.

·       Had lots of breakages on the motorhome and learnt to take a deep breath, not panic and be optimistic about getting them sorted.

·       Realised that materialistic things are no longer that important to us, but family and friends are.

·       Come to realise how popular motorhoming is abroad, mostly with the over 60’s but realised that age is no barrier, as we met a couple from Holland who were 80 years old.

·       Managed on a daily budget of €50 – so far!

·       Relied on our motorhome Mi-Fi for information from the internet and grabbed any ‘free’ wi-fi we can on the way. Used Apps such as Maps.Me (off-line), Camperstop and ACSI Card for cheaper stays at campsites, Caxton Card (for getting the best rate for your Euro).  Knowing where to stop for free, avoiding toll costs, making the most of the country you visit is key.
·       We have not seen daytime rain since the end of  February and experienced temperatures in the mid 40 degrees C.

·       Difficulty remembering what day of the week it is and the date!

·       To remember we are not on holiday – but what else do we call it...?

Since being away we have spent – €9,019.34 /  £7981.72 (based on £1 = €1.13).  When we left England the rate for the £1 was €1.18 and is now only €1.13)

What we have spent our dosh on:

Diesel for the Motorhome = €1,120.88

Petrol for the Scooter = €44.82

LPG = €41.16

Tolls = €262.93

Transport (Channel Tunnel, ferries, trains, buses) = €849.26

Repairs/Tyres for motorhome = €313.50

Food and Drink: 

   Supermarkets = €1,604.27

   Eating and drinking out = €1,979.15

Entries into = €464.20

Laundry = €94.00

Phone Cards (3 top-up cards for the Mi-Fi) = €115.30

Overnight stays on Campsites/Aires/Sostas = €1,066.68

Bank Charges from cash withdrawals = €127.15

Other (not covered in above) = €936.04

A lot has happened in the world since we left England, which just makes us want to grab every bit of fun and opportunity we can from life.  Our advice would be: 'don’t put off until tomorrow what you can get done today - life is too short'

Be Happy!

Sally and Mel x

Hello Sicily!

Sonny, the motorhome has a fab view of the beach, turquoise sea and lovely blue sky.  We are parked up at campsite La Focetta Sicula (N37° 55’54” E 15°21’20”) in Sicily.  We can use our ACSI card in Sicily until 15 July and get all the campsite facilities for €17 a night, or most campsites offer 7 nights for 6 –what a bargain!

The previous night we had stayed on a campsite near Tropea, having done a long stretch down the motorway (225 miles/362 kilometres).  It said in the ACSI book €17 but when we got there we were told we would have to pay €20 as our motorhome was over 6 metres.  Do we get a special plot then for that price we asked?  No, she said you can go anywhere!  The thing is most motorhomes are over 6 metres so they are tricking people into paying an extra €3 a night for no additional benefit. The campsite was marked as a 4* in the ACSI book but there was nothing 4* about it - the restaurant and shop were closed and the showers and toilet block needed a facelift.  We had planned to stop 3 nights here but given the facilities we decided one night was enough on this 'rip-off' campsite.  We did enjoy a nice dip in the turquoise clear sea though on the campsite's private beach, that had fish swimming around our feet!

Mel enjoying a dip in the clear seas of the Tyrrhenian Sea

The next morning, we set off early and reached Villa San Giovanni at 11am and went straight to the port.  Next to the ticket office we were flagged down by an Italian man speaking very good English.  I'll help you get a ticket, how big is your motorhome? he asks. Mel told him it is 6.95 metres.  Ah okay we will say it’s only 5 metres says Italian man, I will get you a good price. Erm okay Mel says, if you say so!  We followed him around to the ticket office – €95 for a 3-month open return.  It is only a short journey of about 30 minutes but knew it was going to be this much from what we had read on the internet, so we guessed he hadn't told the ticket office it was only 5 metres long!  As we walked back to our motorhome the Italian man showed us where to go and then said you give me €10 .  A bit of a con but we handed over the cash, just relieved we had got our ticket and no hassle.

We followed the snaking queue to the ferry.  As it was a Friday quite a few people were going across.  Lucky for us a ferry was just loading and after a few beeping horns from angry Italian drivers (as they were all trying to queue hop as 5 lanes went into one), we were on!

You can stay in your vehicle if you choose on this ferry as it sails – no health and safety rules here then!  We chose to go up on board to get a nice cool breeze and excitedly await landing on Sicily, as we crossed the narrow Strait of Messina.

Look out Sicily, here we come!

Once in port, the doors open and again the sound of hooting Italian car horns - it is survival of the fittest to get off.  Mel decided he was going to drive by weight and cut-up a few Italian drivers to make a quick getaway.  Go Mel!  We decided to take the autostrada to the campsite, as the coastal road looked congested and bumpy!  The toll road only cost €1.50 for a 50km journey.

Arriving at the campsite it was nice and quiet and we had a lovely view across the Ionian Sea and to mainland Italy.

Campsite La Focetta Sicula

The campsite has all the European flags up and it took us a while to figure out this one as it is like the Isle of Man flag (a triskelion) but not one we had seen before:

The triskelion flag of Sicily with the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears.

Time to get that Sicily sticker on our map of places visited!

The Sicily sticker on at the end of the boot!

Later that day there was a small forest fire just behind the campsite, we are not sure what caused it but presumed it was brought on by the heat of the sun. We watched closely to make sure it wasn’t coming our way, as the plane circled over about 15-20 times spraying it and eventually got it under control after a couple of hours.

Plane putting out the fire behind the campsite

By mid-day Saturday the campsite was chocker with Italian motorhomes, coming away for the weekend but by Sunday it was empty again.  We realised that we may have to book on to a couple of campsites whilst we are here, as the holiday season is fast approaching.

The beach here is very shingley but the sea is nice and clear.  There are a few old fishing boats moored up on the beach just down from the campsite, but as yet we have not seen any signs of them going out.  The fishing industry plays a big part in the island's economy.

On Sunday, we took the scooter for a ride around the coastal road to Taormina, 15kms away and perched high on a rocky cliff.

There are the remains of an ancient theatre here, founded by the Greeks in the 3^rd century BC but the visible remains are mostly Roman, dating from the end of the first century AD, when Taormina was under imperial Roman rule and was used to stage gladiatorial combat.

The Greek Theatre at Taormina

It has to be said that the views from the theatre are more stunning than the ruins and provide fabulous views of Mount Etna and the lovely sweeping bays.  Well worth the €10 each to get in.  With the cloud hovering above Mount Etna, it looked like it was having a cheeky smoke!

View from the Greek Theatre at Taormina, with Mount Etna in the distance.

Taormina is very popular with tourists and especially cruise ships that dock nearby. A walk through the main street saw what appeared to be a classic car rally, it took them a while to get through all the crowds.  So glad the SatNav didn’t try and bring the motorhome down these narrow streets!

The classic cars coming up the narrow streets of Taormina, 

A lovey classic car that had an original AA badge on it.

There are lots of lovely narrow streets in Taormina and some great ceramic art products to be found.

Unusual ceramic art products in Taormina

On the way back from Taormina we went into Savoca, a lovely quite and unspoilt Sicilian village perched on the top of a hill.  The villages’ claim to fame is that some of Francis Coppola’s film ‘The Godfather’ were shot at Bar Vitelli.

Bar Vitelli, where some of the filming for 'The Godfather' took place

You have to park at the square near Bar Vitelli and walk up the steep hill to the village and its many churches. There are remains of castle walls dating to the 12^th century.

The old doorway to the village

The Chiesa Madre, Savoca’s Mother Church was founded along with the village in the 12^th century.  It sits in a panoramic spot on a narrow ridge, above a crypt once used of mummifying corpses - nice thought!

We leave tomorrow and head for Mount Etna - Europe's highest volcano.  There is a Sosta you can stay on, at the bottom of Mount Etna - let's hope the volcano behaves itself and remains dormant!

Sally x

Riding the Amalfi Coast Road

For the last 4 days/nights we have stopped at Camping Salerno (N40°37’39” E14° 21’27”), a small family run campsite right by the sea, next to the Amalfi Coast. 

Our plot - we chose shade over a plot overlooking the sea with no shade, as it is now reaching mid 30°C during the day!

Before leaving the Bay of Naples to head for the Amalfi coast, we took the train into Naples so Mel could have his pizza, in the place it was invented!

As hard as Mel and I tried we couldn’t fall in love with Naples, it is everything we had read about – very run down, filthy and crime-ridden.  That said the people were friendly and we enjoyed a stroll around some of the old parts of the city and we didn’t get mugged!

Via San Gregorio Armeno is a lovely street, lined with places specializing in the making of Christmas cribs – an old Neapolitan tradition.

Via San Gregorio Armeno

When we got to the Duomo (cathedral) a wedding was about to take place, which looked like a Mafia wedding as everyone was dressed in black!

Napoli Duomo

The Duomo is a lovely early 13^th century Gothic building, with ornate chapels full of wonderful frescoes and treasures.

Napoli Duomo - treasures

Mel enjoying his pizza – baked in a hot wood-fired oven.

Mel enjoying his pizza in old Napoli

I ordered a Fried pizza with Ricotta Cheese and ham, popular in Naples but not anywhere else, and at around 1,000 calories a mouthful I am not surprised!

Fried Pizza in Napoli, surprisingly yummy!

Unfortunately, we ended up getting on the wrong train coming back.  It said to Portisci but we didn’t realise that there are 2 stations and both at different ends of the town.  It was only a 3km walk but when we got off the train at about 8pm the heavens opened and an almighty thunderstorm ensued! It was great to see rain and to get a little bit wet, as it was still about 28° and we did think about walking.  However, stupidly we had left the roof vents up on the motorhome and needed to get back quickly before our little house on wheels got flooded.  So, we jumped in a taxi that cost us a whopping €20 just to go 3km!

As much as we didn’t like Naples, we adore the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana).  It is said that it is Europe’s most beautiful stretch of coast and we agree!  We took the scooter around the roads and the scenery is breath-taking as the narrow road winds around the sheer cliffs. Motorhomes are prohibited from going around these tiny roads (and rightly so, as it would be too dangerous) but ironically tour buses and coaches are allowed and we saw quite a few near misses with cars, as in typical Italian style they all go at quite a speed!

Amalfi - St Andrew’s Cathedral, with its beautifully decorated façade.

St Andrew’s Cathedral, Amalfi

We rode up high in the cliff to Ravello, 5kms above Amalfi, where you get some great views of the coast and where they have some enormous lemons, that appear to have nipples!  A variety known as Sfusato Lemon.

There is plenty of Limoncello and ceramics covered with lemons as well

Positano

Sorrento

Tonight is our last night before moving further south, towards getting the ferry to Sicily.  We sat on the beach and watched the sunset on the longest day of the year - summer solstice.

Sitting on the campsite's private beach watching the sunset.

Sally x