CHRISTMAS CHEER

Our return to Sicily on Dec. 4 was a 30 hour trek, highlighted by a Christmas package  sent to us by friends from Germany.
       The last time we saw Agnes and Manfred Baxman was on their wedding day almost 40 years ago as their witnesses.  They are avid sailors themselves, but in their hometown, Mönkeberg, near Kiel, the sailing season is as short as it is on Georgian Bay, so coming to Sicily where the weather is very temperate is a real treat.

Agnes & Manfred Baxman

Luisa

Our friends on Vivamare have recently welcomed a furry friend on board.  Luisa has won our hearts and will become 2nd mate on Vivamarae when we set sail in Spring.  While away in Canada the "marina dog" has given birth to 6 puppies.  Yippy....I'm getting my puppy/kitten fix.

By now our friends have returned to Germany and are preparaing for their family Christmas.  Their visit gave us the opportunity to experience and see interesting, fabulous places.  On our first excursion we set off with a rental car and a GPS heading for Caltagirone, ceramic capital of Italy, a town famous for the its unique pottery

and its 142-step staircase of Santa Maria del Monte where each step is decorated with different hand-decorated ceramic tiles.  On this particular day we weren't the only tourists out and about.  The entire city was teeming with groups of school children of all ages.  Just when we thought we had found a quiet little cafe in one of the side streets, along came a group of about 50 teenagers.

Continuing on, we visited a 4th century Roman villa.  The Villa Romano del Casale has the largest  most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world and as result is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Unfortunately, the entire site was under major renovation with scaffolding everywhere.   It looks like the ancient Romans invented the bikini  long before the 1950's.

Cemetery & Harbour

It seems that almost every town has its own castle, some have been maintained, but most are just ruins.  Overlooking the cemetery and the harbour stands the Castel Sant'Angelo, the only surviving military architecture in Licata.  To the east the sandy beaches look inviting, but even in Sicily December is too cold for swimming.

We all agreed that the highlight of our friend's visit was the wine tasting at a local winery, Quignones known for their high quality wines.  Our wonderful marina staff, on call 24/7, organized everything including transportation.
Our host Alfredo Quignones and his co-worker Angelo welcomed us warmly, not only in English, but in German as well.    I quickly noticed that Angelo's German was better than mine  as he explained the intricate mechanisms of wine making.  

The table was  beautifully laid out with antipasto, olives, sun-dried tomatos, cheese and with different varieties of bread and of course 5 different wine glasses.  The terrace overlooks the many orange and lemon trees of the estate.  It is a little piece of heaven.  During our meal of Sicilian pancetta, pork fillet and home-made sausage we tasted 4 different wines.  Starting with a Rose and closing with a dessert wine.

Wine Tasting

Gradually the weather has become much cooler, with Christmas Eve at our door step, we celebrate quietly trying to remember what snow looks like.

NOVEMBER NEWS

November 7, 2011

Having left Simple Abundance in the care of our friends and marina personnel, our return trip to Canada for our grandson's 1st birthday took us to Rome.
Our day started at 7 am when Giuseppe ( marina staff) drove us to the bus station, showed us where to buy our bus tickets and morning expresso.  The 2 hour bus ride to Catania airport showcased a variety of Sicilian landscapes; rugged, hilly, baron areas along with hillsides covered with lush green vegetation.  The olive harvest was in full swing and we could see the large nets spread out beneath the trees with people perched on ladders using only hands or small rakes for collection.  Lemon and orange orchards are scattered through-out and of course the many vineyards made for a very charming trip.
The 1 hour flight to the Leonardo da Vinci aeroporto di Roma was uneventful.  Our bags arrived quickly; the Alitalia bus took us directly into the city within walking distance of of hotel.  With all  travel connections finally behind us we arrived at the Hotel Continental and checked in.  Most of Rome's hotels are conveniently located approximately 1km from the Roma Termini (central train station).

At this point all we wanted was a nice tall glass of Italian beer and a little antipasta so the tratorria next door looked very inviting.  Having filled our tummies we now needed a nap before proceeding to investigate any other places.

The picture on the left is the hotel elevator that barely  fits 2 people.

The following morning we bought 2 city tour bus tickets, valid for 3 days; hop on/ hop off senario.  Last stop, everybody off was St. Peter's Square.  The amount of other tourists was staggering.  Later, a waiter in our favorite restaurant told us that October was actually the most busy month of the year.  WHO KNEW!!!!!!!!!  The crowds in fact are so hugh that people recommend to carry your backpack in the front to avoid being pick pocketed.









The Swiss Guard in their smart? colorful uniform have existed since the 15th century and serve as pontifical and cerimonial body gurads in Vatican City.

Trevi Fountain

Loved Rome, the architechure, the impressive buildings, my personal favorite was?? sorry couldn't find the name.  The Trevi Fountain was a total disappoinment.  So many people in a really small area; we didn't even see any water.  You wouldn't believe the crowds.

So you can image that parking is always hit and miss; you just take the any spot that presents itself no matter the size.

 We had an incredible time, but of course loved coming home to family.  The celebration of our grandson's 1st birthday was enough of an excuse.

I'm bias, he's the cutest!!!!!!!!

The birthday party was a big success.  Ryland had his share of B'day cake and his favorite meal, spagetti.  With tons of pics, the day will not be forgotton.