More stories of Italy

Home sweet home. I loved every minute of our time in Sicily but there is something wonderful about sleeping in our own bed, snuggled deep under the covers with the windows open and the crisp, cool October air filling our room (Avery, you and I have that in common). We have been recuperating from the long plane rides and the time change. It's not been an easy task. Sophia still isn't sleeping normal but at least this morning she slept until 6am instead of 4am like she did a few days ago.

Today was my first day back to work and everyone was asking me to share stories of my trip. I had a hard time coming up with specific stories to tell. It was all so amazing. The only thing that I kept on coming back to my mind was Mt. Etna and all the lava that it has produced, from the lava church that we saw in Randazzo on Monday to the lava coast in Catania that we saw on Tuesday. It was all so amazing- although there was something a little unnerving about being on an island so close to an active volcano.



The other thing that keeps on coming to mind is the architecture. Everything looks like it has been there for hundreds of years, even the newer buildings. The churches and cathedrals are breathtaking. We went to the famous elephant square in Catania and saw the Piazza del Duomo. It was amazing. Pictures just don't do it justice. It is one of those places that its beauty just overwhelms you; you forget everything else around you.... that's probably why someone advised us to beware of pick pockets while we were there.

Hello again from the island! We've been here a week and it's been wonderful. Everything here is so beautiful and pictures just don't do it justice.

We had our dinner party... it was very overwhelming. The Italians were so nice and absolutely loved Sophia- but only 2 of them spoke English. They kept on trying to include us in (Italian) conversation but we had to rely on mom to translate. It was very interesting.



On Friday, we went to Taormina- the tourist mecca of Sicily. It is so beautiful there that I understand why it is so touristy, but the commercialism of it all almost ruins it's beauty... note that I said almost. The views were amazing. You can see Etna in all her glory and the sea and coastline are breathtaking. The pictures don't do it justice. We went down to a beach after we left the town and waded in the Ionic Sea. Sophie loved it until a wave almost knocked her over.


Something I've been attracted to over here is the plants. It's totally different than the US. They have chestnut trees, we saw holly, rose bushes bigger than anything in the US, cactus that bears prickly pears EVERYWHERE! The coolest thing is that every plant has a purpose. They have decorative plants, just not many of them. Everywhere you look are olive groves, orange groves, almonds, vineyards, plants that are very pretty, but mostly functional.

Hello from Sicily

Well, we made it... after about 12 in airplanes, and 6 hours spent in airports... we finally made it. We spent most of yesterday trying to catch up on sleep and adjust to the time change but we did get to Motta for a little bit of sightseeing. Mt. Etna wasn't very visible yesterday but I included the picture anyway.










Sicily is amazing. Tonight we are having a Sicilian dinner party. I wonder how Sophia is going to do-it's going to last way past her bedtime. Anyway, I will try to post more of our trip while we are still here. If I can't, I will definitely post more when we get home.