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06/01/2010 - Tenacious
Dated: 06/01/2010
Last night we arrived at Riposto in Sicily and tied up at the marina, with
the towering beauty of Mount Etna rising above us.This morning,those of us
on mess duty, awoke to a
glorious sunrise, with Tenacious gently
swaying in the calm of harbour water. After 'happy hour' spent cleaning the
ship and after great activity preparing 30+ packed lunches, a large group of
us set off towards Mount Etna. Our coach driver negociated the winding roads
superbly and our guide, Flavia,told us about the complex history of the
island and the eruptions of the 'gentle' mountain. Her knowledge was immense
and her passion for the country and the mountain were self-evident. Wisely
we had been told to wrap up warmly and this proved to be invaluable advice.
Although high winds meant we were unable to go right to the top, we were
able to identify the four major volcanic craters. We passed through a number
of villages on our journey. Being the day of Epiphany it was a holiday and
it was lovely to see so many families out together enjoying the day. The
local name for the day is the Day of the Witch and she was seen handing out
packets of sweets to the excited children. We all greatly enjoyed the day
and for some people their first taste of Italian hot chocolate will linger
for some time to come! Tomorrow we plan to set sail again; let us hope we
can experience some of the wind we have had today. Tomorrow the assisted
climbs are scheduled, which we will be a fantastic time for everyone.
Lynne and Jane (Forward Starboard Watch)