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Monday, July 30th, Siracusa,
Sicily, Italy
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I suppose we should not have been too surprised
to find more Greek ruins awaiting our discovery as we continue our travels in
Sicily. The kids are beginning to complain and I can't imagine how we will
coerce them once we actually get to Greece, but we will cross that bridge when
we come to it! Luckily, Siracusa is a fantastic little town. We have
managed to discover both frivolous and practical aspects that have kept us happy
here for the past six days.
Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples was
well worth the effort. We found the local bus that took us there and back
and spent several hot hours exploring. We imagined great forested valleys
that must have existed when the Greeks decided to establish a
colony here. The whole island was a large source of agricultural products
for them, so it must have also gotten more rain than current day Sicily.
Nonetheless, the stories of the gods and the sacrifices and the wars between the
various Greek colonies as well as against the Carthaginians and Romans, kept our
imaginations stoked and our interest peeked.
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It was an ice cream for lunch kind of day so we
were back on the boats and motoring in search of a swimming spot by 2pm.
We frolicked in the water and discussed our impending overnight "sail" over the
current
windfinder animation which again showed a few tantalizing 10 knot arrows and
a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the time. We did manage to sail for
three or four hours when we first took off, but frequent shifts in direction and
force had us working way too hard for the 5 knot speeds we were getting.
Joe had fun hauling out both of the headsails, one on either side of the boat,
and seeing us sail up to 7 or 8 knots. If only it had lasted.
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We arrived in Siracusa in little wind and
stifling heat around noon the next day. Trying to catch up on a few hours
of sleep, we finally gave up as the temperatures reached the high 90s inside the
boat. Inspired by sheer desperation, we dug out our awning that we had
last used nearly a year ago in Sevilla. It is always a challenge to remember how
to rig something that we use so rarely but we got it figured out right this
time. Being able to lounge in the shade on the bow of the boat in the
breeze is a wonderful thing after sitting in the stifling stillness of the
cockpit where all of the breeze is blocked by the cabin.
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Naturally, an hour or so after rigging the
awning, the wind piped up into the 20s and we had to take it down. We left
it tied down on the bow, ready to re-deploy at the earliest opportunity.
We took care of chores like laundry and shopping. The coin operated
self-service laundry mat is the first we have seen in Italy and we carted three
or four weeks worth of laundry over and waited our turn. We decided to
bring it back to the boat and hang it to dry, saving ourselves the wait in line
for the dryers as well as the expense and extra use of energy. While the
washing machines were going, we walked across the bridge to the open air market
that is held every morning except Sunday. The fruits and vegetables are
amazing, fresh and home grown.
We had also made an appointment at the vet for
Hobie. Being five and a half months old, it was time to take him in for a
neuter operation. We wanted to get it done sooner rather than later and
thought it would be better to do in a country where we can speak the language.
It was an amazingly quick operation, and we were even able to go into the
operating room with him to see him put to sleep. We got a little nervous
that they were going to do the whole operation in front of us, but they quickly
agreed that it wouldn't be appropriate for the girls to see.
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Hobie came home with us fifteen minutes later
and spent a mellow night recovering on a pillow in a dark room by himself.
Aside from a little obvious tenderness around his hind end, he was back to his
old self 24 hours later.
Of course, Siracusa also has its own Greek
ruins. It is actually the oldest Greek colony in Sicily, established by
the Corinthians, and home to the famous scientist, Archimedes. Siracusa
alone resisted the Carthaginian invasions that destroyed all the other Greek
colonies on the island in the first decade of 400BC. Both a Greek and a
Roman theater survive in good condition, as well as the stone quarries which
provided much of the materiel for the other ancient monuments in the area.
Naturally, there are churches to visit as well, including the magnificent Duomo,
built around the 6th century BC Temple of Minerva, whose structure is clearly
seen both inside and outside the modern church.
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We promised the girls a little clothes
shopping, so we are waiting for the shops to open up this afternoon. It is
sale month in Italy so we hope to take advantage of the deep discounts and
replenish our weary wardrobes a bit. Tomorrow we head 50 miles north to
the picturesque, and tourist overrun town of Taormina, where we look forward to
a nice beach day or two before hopping along the sole of the boot on our way to
Croatia. It doesn't look like we will find a window to do the trip in one
shot, so we'll have a chance to check out a little more of Italy before leaving
her shores for the next couple of months.
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Hope everyone had a great weekend. Drop
us a line and let us know how things are going there. We do love to hear
from you. It adds a real bright spot to our day when we get your emails.
Thanks.
Next Entry >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Many thanks to our friend Craig Homenko for his assistance in setting up the website.
We also would like
to thank our buddy Scott Brunner who has been kind
enough to host the website on his server.
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