garyandpearl

Dec 5/23

Our sea day was quite uneventful yesterday, and early this morning we pulled into Messina.

Gary and I took a ship excursion today, so it was nice to have a guide tell us all about Sicily on our way up to Mount Etna. It is an active volcano which erupted a few days ago, so check out the link for a video.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-67599893

Our tour stopped part way up the mountain for a bathroom break, and Gary found a few friends.

I, on the other hand, found huge chocolates.

We went to the site of the 1991-92 eruption and walked on the crunchy lava.

Next we headed to a winery called Villa San Michele Estate. They produce a wine called Murgo which we were able to sample along with bread, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and olives.

Back down the mountain we went to Messina where tradition says the Apostle Paul visited at one point. We found a delicious Sicilian dessert called Cannoli. I wonder if Paul would have ever tasted one. 😋

We peeked at the ancient Church of Catalons which has miraculously survived many earthquakes.

They had a lovely nativity scene set up where I saw a character that reminded me of my mom: the donut lady.

The day was cool, but it only sprinkled a bit of rain.

Tonight we head to Salerno, Italy.

Until then, Pearl