05-Jan-2025
Moving day... Quite a long journey, but not too arduous.
First, the train to Messina. Crowded. Hot. Not really enough room for baggage (especially given that it's a long-distance train, and goes all the way up to Naples). But we had reserved seats, and we were on it for just under two hours. The thing to do is shove in your headphones, listen to your story, and watch the world whizz by...
Beautiful scenery. Mountains to the right:
And sea and interesting-looking islands to the left:
The island of Vulcano, looking -- ironically -- not at all like the classical volcano, is the one closest to us, and behind him is the island of Salina, with two classic volcanic peaks
Vulcano, front left; Lipari, further back on the right
There was a bit of drama when we arrived in Messina, as the guard had just unearthed two guys who'd locked themselves into the toilet, presumably to avoid paying the fare, although I guess there are other possible explanations. We moved swiftly on past the action.
We had a bit of a wait at that point. Nothing too exhausting. Time for a coffee and a sandwich at the station cafe. And time for a quick look at the strait that separates Sicily from the boot of Italy:
Out of the station
And down the road. There's the mainland, looking very close
Looking back down the Sicilian side
Heading back to the station
We sat for a while in the slightly surreal park that fronts the station. Its fountain goes through a series of splashercises, while pumping out high-volume Christmas music
The second train of the day is a much slower affair. Again, it takes nearly two hours, and it stops EVERYWHERE.
Good views, though:
And now we're in Etna territory. Hard to photograph from the train...
But it's the first thing you see when you leave the station
And here's where our latest little place is sited. Once again, balconies rule:
It's a bit of a tardis, this place. There are two floors in here, both quite lofty
Tomorrow, Epiphany, is a public holiday in Italy. It's the last day of the holiday season (allegedly), and -- as last year -- I'm quite looking forward to things getting back to normal. As soon as we'd installed ourselves tonight, we had to tumble straight back out to provision up, as the shops will be closed tomorrow. Luckily, there's a discount-type supermarket quite close by.
We've skirted the whole northeastern corner of Sicily today. It would have been possible to get to Catania more quickly on the bus, but it's much more satisfying, when you're on an island, to follow the coast.
And we're here for a week. So tomorrow will be kick-back day...