It has been an eventful couple of days... On Tuesday 21 we were in Ragusa, having a day out. We'd started before dawn, so were counting on a relaxing evening and an early night. Well, that didn't happen, because on Tuesday evening our bathroom plumbing system imploded...

You don't want the details... It was nasty... Substances very much in the wrong places.

We contacted the owners, and they sent a nearby relative round to take a look. He did what you do. He checked the pump; he plunged. He went out into the street, took off the drain covers, and plunged in a bigger sort of way. But nothing was helping.

Further messages. Could someone come round at 0900 the next morning, the owners ask. Definitely, we say. They're terribly apologetic. It's fine if we want to check out early, they say. I thought of all the food in the fridge, and how I really didn't want to be lugging it somewhere else... Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings, we conclude.

It was quite late by the time this was all over, and you don't sleep that well when you have to adopt certain bathroom arrangements, and are wondering whether you'll have to up sticks if the problem can't be solved.

Anyway, on the morning of Wednesday 22, we cleared off in time for the plumber to come in. We ambled round Pozzallo a bit more, which was a nice thing to do. We watched the Valletta ferry go out. We had coffee. We ate our picnic lunch on a bench in the park...





And then there was a message to say all was well. Problem solved! It turns out it was that damn storm again, which had fouled up the city drains, and meant that stuff was backing up, and not clearing as it should do. But it was now sorted.

Awesome!

And the owners left us a compensatory bottle of a really nice Sicilian wine. Which was terribly kind, we thought. These things happen. It's no-one's fault.

So, yesterday, Thursday 23, we were back with the plan. No need for any changes. And the plan involved getting up pretty early (we've had such a week of early starts for one reason and another), and catching the train to Siracusa (aka Syracuse).


Transition day, then... Actually, three transition days back to back: Later today, we'll be catching the train to Rome, and onwards to Bologna; and in Bologna we'll have some hours to kill before we can get into our accommodation.

But the Siracusa end of the deal was massively facilitated by the helpfulness of our hotel (Thalya Luxury Rooms -- highly recommended). We'd asked whether we could leave our bags when we rolled off the train from Pozzallo at about 1000. Yes, they said. Actually, when we turned up, we were able to check straight in. And today, after we'd checked out, they made arrangements for us to store our bags until it was time to catch the train (at 1745). It's amazing what a difference this makes to the logistics of transition days...



So, we've had yesterday and most of today to explore this city (a little of the mainland part, but mostly the island part, Ortigia). It's a tad more tourist-oriented here (and, as it was our last island stop, we took the opportunity to buy the now-traditional touristy fridge magnet...). But mostly you can outrun the trippers, and it is another spectacular place:



































All this took us pretty nicely up to train time. But that's for the next post.