Thursday April 24
Today was the first port where we had to use tenders to get to shore, and it turned out to be a very,very slow process. It wasn't entirely the ships fault as there was another cruise ship in port and the officials on shore would only let 1 tender at a time use the jetty! We waited about 2 hours before getting our number called, and we finally got ashore and picked up a taxi to the old town which is built into the mountain top. We shared the taxi with a couple from Melbourne and our driver Fabio negotiated the numerous hairpin bends to deliver us safely at the funicular terminal. We arranged for him to meet us at 3pm to return us to the ship, and we knew he would turn up as he said we could pay him at the end!
Tender returning to the ship
View of roads leading up to the old town
We started walking along the main drag called Corso Umberto which is filled with high end shops, and today hundreds of cruisers! It was slow going with all the people, but the scenery was the main attraction so lots of pictures were taken. There were so many fabulous old stone buildings to look at, and the setting was amazing with the elevation we were at giving us a fantastic outlook over the coastline as well as a snow capped Mt. Etna rising high above it all in the background.
Piazza Duomo
We had a quick look in the archeological museum and were rewarded with the best display of marionettes we have seen - imagine how heavy they would be pulling their strings!
Marionettes at the museum
Our objective was to see the famous Greco Roman theatre which is still used for operas and other live performances, and they were actually setting up the stage while we were there. Again the views were breathtaking and you can see the Greek and Roman influences in the building.
View from the Greco Roman theatre
After all this activity we wanted to try some local delicacies and we came to this pasticceria where we had a most delicious chipoline, cannoli and fruit struedels all washed down with espresso coffee. We have loved our 2 visits to Sicily and could easily spend an extended time on this beautiful island.
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