| After our explorations of Lipari and
| |
| | indigenous to Southeastern China and
|
| Salina yesterday the weather was going to
| |
| | grown in warm climates around the world
|
| keep us on the island of Salina today. I
| |
| | today, are similar in appearance to
|
| woke up early at about 6 am and stuck my
| |
| | apricots and are similarly sweet and
|
| head out of the boat. A beautiful sunrise
| |
| | juicy.
|
| was in the making so I grabbed my camera
| |
| | We appreciated this little roadside
|
| and took in the pink, orange and peach
| |
| | snack, thanked Sabina's dad and continued
|
| coloured hues of this glorious sunrise in
| |
| | our journey towards the next town on this
|
| Santa Marina. Dark coloured clouds were
| |
| | island: Malfa, a small fisherman's town.
|
| hanging on the horizon. A catamaran had
| |
| | Along the way we stopped to admire the
|
| just pulled out of the harbour and
| |
| | malvasia vineyards as well as patches of
|
| provided an interesting anchor point for
| |
| | capers which are big export products for
|
| my photos.
| |
| | the island of Salina.
|
| Shortly after it started to rain and when
| |
| | Malfa features a big church dedicated to
|
| we got up for breakfast our skipper
| |
| | San Lorenzo and incidentally was the
|
| Francesco explained that the weather
| |
| | hometown of our shipmate Lorenzo's
|
| forecast today may not be good enough for
| |
| | grandparents and a place that he was
|
| us to leave the island, so we have to
| |
| | going to spend some time in. Sabina took
|
| have a briefing in the early afternoon.
| |
| | us down to the fishing harbour and then
|
| Two additional guests had arrived,
| |
| | back up the hill to a lookout point
|
| Franco, another Italian teacher and the
| |
| | called the "semaforo", a surveillance
|
| co-owner of Laboratorio Linguistico, and
| |
| | tower erected in the early 20th century
|
| his friend Agnieszka, a young music
| |
| | which was also used during the Second
|
| student from Poland who was learning
| |
| | World War. Sabina mentioned that UNESCO
|
| Italian since she was studying music in
| |
| | offered to buy this tower, but the local
|
| Rome. Our trusted four-cabin sailboat,
| |
| | town turned down the offer. Today it is
|
| the Solitaire II, now had passengers in
| |
| | abandoned and blocked off.
|
| every cabin, and there were seven of us
| |
| | Sabina stopped the vehicle and we walked
|
| traveling now.
| |
| | out onto a lookout point which provided a
|
| Herbert, the German television travel
| |
| | gorgeous view of the Mediterranean with a
|
| journalist, was on an official location
| |
| | great view of the island of Filicudi -
|
| scouting trip for his travel show to
| |
| | the "reclining pregrant woman", so called
|
| gather intelligence for next year's shoot
| |
| | because of its shape, featuring a head
|
| which would feature the Italian learning
| |
| | and what looks like a big belly,
|
| experience on board of a sailboat,
| |
| | protruding from the sea. To our left was
|
| provided by Francesco's company,
| |
| | a deeply indented valley which Sabina
|
| Laboratorio Linguistico. Herbert needed
| |
| | explained is an ancient volcanic crater,
|
| to check out all the interesting spots,
| |
| | half of which has broken off and
|
| the lighting, the locations and the
| |
| | disappeared in the sea. Today it is the
|
| facilities so he would be able to make
| |
| | location for the village of Pollara which
|
| plans for the script and the camera crew
| |
| | has one main tourist attraction: the
|
| that would come down from Germany next
| |
| | house where the movie "Il Postino" was
|
| year to film the extraordinary experience
| |
| | filmed.
|
| of learning Italian on a sailboat while
| |
| | Of course we needed to check this out so
|
| cruising through the beautiful Eolian
| |
| | we drove down some narrow winding roads,
|
| Islands.
| |
| | parked the car and walked up a short
|
| So in order to get to know the island
| |
| | stretch on a dusty road to see a rather
|
| better Herbert had asked Francesco to
| |
| | unremarkable simple and small
|
| make arrangements with some local experts
| |
| | pink-coloured house with some vines,
|
| to take him to different spots on the
| |
| | which is one of the most famous locations
|
| island. Herbert graciously offered to
| |
| | on the island. Seen from outside, there
|
| take other people along on his island
| |
| | was nothing spectacular about this house,
|
| exploration, and Claudia and me excitedly
| |
| | and Sabina indicated that it is available
|
| agreed. Sure enough, Sabina Giuffré, who
| |
| | for short-term rentals.
|
| we had already met last night at dinner,
| |
| | The weather was starting to clear up and
|
| and her local friend Giancarlo, came to
| |
| | the view from the northern tip of Salina
|
| pick us up in a rented vehicle to give us
| |
| | was gorgeous. The distances on this
|
| a tour of the island.
| |
| | island are tiny, but due to the narrow
|
| We were nice and comfy in the small
| |
| | and winding road it definitely takes a
|
| Italian vehicle and after just a 10
| |
| | while to get around. By 1 pm we were back
|
| minute drive, we had arrived at our first
| |
| | at our boat and had a briefing with our
|
| stop: the "Gola del Diablo", a gorge cut
| |
| | captain: Francesco indicated that due to
|
| into the black and brown volcanic rock,
| |
| | the weather forecast we were not going to
|
| featuring an ancient Roman bridge. The
| |
| | sail today. So we had a comfortable on
|
| stone formations were indeed impressive,
| |
| | board lunch and I then headed into Santa
|
| and the layers of ancient lava flows were
| |
| | Marina to walk around and make some phone
|
| clearly visible.
| |
| | calls back to Canada. Unfortunately the
|
| We also stopped in the village of Lingua
| |
| | Internet café was closed since it was
|
| where we visited a local ethnographic
| |
| | siesta time, which often lasts from about
|
| museum that featured various exhibits,
| |
| | 1 or 1:30 pm to 4 or 4:30 pm. In Sicily
|
| illustrating the ancient ways of life on
| |
| | you definitely need to time your shopping
|
| this local island. An ancient millstone,
| |
| | experiences carefully to make sure the
|
| various farming implements, even an
| |
| | shops are open.
|
| original bedroom from a farm were
| |
| | From 4:30 to 6:30 pm Claudia, Agnieszka
|
| exhibited in this museum. This small
| |
| | and I had our first Italian language
|
| museum provides great insight into the
| |
| | lesson, provided by Franco on the outdoor
|
| traditional lifestyle on these islands.
| |
| | terrace of a local bar. Now here is a
|
| We then walked around the corner and
| |
| | concept: language learning on the terrace
|
| steps away is the main square of this
| |
| | of a bar - I definitely like it. It made
|
| tiny town. Here at the Bar "Da Alfredo"
| |
| | the somewhat painful exercises dealing
|
| we congregated and received free samples
| |
| | with the complexities of the Italian
|
| of granitas - the semi-frozen Sicilian
| |
| | "congiuntivo" (the subjunctive) much more
|
| dessert composed of sugar, water and
| |
| | palatable. I have studied a lot of
|
| different flavourings such as strawberry,
| |
| | languages with different language
|
| melon, peach, orange, lime, coffee,
| |
| | schools, and Laboratorio Linguistico has
|
| almonds and many others.
| |
| | definitely created a very unique language
|
| Similar to sorbets, granitas usually have
| |
| | learning concept here.
|
| larger crystals, and the locals often eat
| |
| | After our intense lesson I took another
|
| them in combination with a brioche. The
| |
| | stroll around Salina and this time the
|
| black sky overhanging the mountains was
| |
| | Internet café was open. So far I have
|
| ominous, but a bright ray of sunshine lit
| |
| | found fairly good public Internet access
|
| up the façades of the houses around the
| |
| | in different parts of Sicily, and it's
|
| square. A big husky dog was snoozing
| |
| | always great to be able to connect with
|
| contentedly on the floor and I was
| |
| | home. Our boat crew spent a quiet evening
|
| wondering how this poor dog with his
| |
| | on board, we fixed up a lovely
|
| thick fur would be able to handle the hot
| |
| | home-cooked dinner with potatoes, salad,
|
| Sicilian summers. The locals were very
| |
| | sweet carrots, cheese and various sweets
|
| hospitable and humorous banter was flying
| |
| | for dessert. Some of my travel partners
|
| back and forth.
| |
| | played cards while I organized my photos
|
| From here we drove back through Salina,
| |
| | on the laptop which was conveniently
|
| dropped off Giancarlo and stopped at
| |
| | hooked up to the electricity supply
|
| Sabina's house which she has turned into
| |
| | provided by the harbour commission in
|
| a bed and breakfast . Salina's dad came
| |
| | Santa Marina di Salina.
|
| to greet us and I couldn't help but
| |
| | It was nice to have a day of rest in
|
| detect a resemblance to famous actor Kirk
| |
| | Santa Marina, but I am definitely looking
|
| Douglas. He graciously picked some
| |
| | forward to exploring a new island
|
| "nespole" (loquat fruits) for us from his
| |
| | tomorrow: Stromboli!
|
| fruit tree. These fruits, originally
| |
| |
|
