My husband and I are still on route to see the world. Now that our baby is 3 ½ months old, we feel more comfortable going on lengthy travels again and boarding trains, airplanes and buses. We spent last week in Sicily, sinking our teeth into olives, looking out into the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean and even going into a lava cave. It was too cloudy to see Mt. Etna, but we did go on a bus excursion up the mountain and had some espresso in a lodge. During our stay, we enjoyed bright sunshine and comfortable temperatures too.
Having just visited Rome in April 2015, I can say with certainty that Sicily has a very different flavor of social sauce than mainland Italy. Sicilians are so warm and friendly!They have a very family and “child friendly” culture. Almost everyone came up to our little 3 month old, showering her with attention, sweetness and gentle touches. Even 8 year old boys were aware of her little existence and would greet her with kindness and touch her cheeks.
Also, there wasn’t as many heaping piles of tourists compared to Rome. I think we heard one American accent during our entire stay. Not to be dismayed for lack of tourists, we did meet a wonderful Greek couple and an affectionate French lady who offered to kidnap our baby.
We stayed at a beautiful hotel, perched on a rocky cliff that over-looked the Mediterranean sea. For 70 euros a night and a free breakfast to boot, we had a lovely, yet thrifty vacation—thanks to my husband’s travel planning skills.
On one of the days we went to Taormina in north eastern Sicily. Can I just say, outstanding…jaw droppingly beautiful? This village is perhaps one of the most picturesque spots in all of Europe. It’s seated high on top of the rocky cliffs of the Sicilian coastline. You can see islands off the coast and gradual changes in the azure hues of the Mediterranean. We were lucky to have a sunny day so the vista was heavenly.
My husband made certain that we visit the Greek ruins in Taormina and we briefly explored the Amphitheater there. I just loved the adorable village of Taormina–one of the best spots in Europe, hands down!
We traveled along the Sicilian countryside to the cities of Syracuse and Noto. We passed many groves of orange and lemon trees and the terrain felt as though I was back in West Africa. Syracuse is the home of the famous Archimedes. We visited another Greek historic site with incredible ancient Greek ruins and an amazing Amphitheater!
We wandered around the heart of the city and then found a place for some wine right along the sea.
For all its beauty, there were many places in Catania Sicily that were quite dilapidated and unkempt. For instance, many apartment buildings needed a new paint job and there was lots of litter along the roads. That said, the vegetable markets and other shops in the central square of Catania were kept quite clean.
It is quite difficult going on vacation with a 3 month old. If we can make it, so can you!
What I bought in Sicily? Cool Pottery, of course!
Stay tuned for more travel and baby blog posts as we visit Bend Oregon, New Orleans Louisiana, New York City, Malta, Japan, Barcelona Spain, Southern France and Mauritius this next year!
A Slice of My Trash, Travels and Tots 
When I was taking two classes last semester on the Greeks and Romans (one class was on Gladiators and other spectacles and the other was about their art) the professors tells that the Romans becoming influenced by the Greeks when they started colonizing Sicily and southern Italy in about 700 B.C. The Greeks were growing and were running out of room so they expanded. And of coarse they take things like the Greeks style plays and athletic contest with them. Now, much as the Romans loved what they brought, their ultra conservative values made it difficult to take in with open arms. Things like nudity in particular. Many Greek athletics were performed in the nude. Some of the subject matters of the Greek plays also did not sit well with them. However, despite all this, the Romans still adopted these things from the Greeks into there culture and expanded upon them.
It does not surprise me that Sicily does not have as many tourist then Rome. I figured it is because most people don’t think about what this country has to offer. Rome is still loaded with all that defines Rome and what influenced today’s modern civilization (The Flavian Amphitheater, the forums, temples, etc.). Would not mind traveling to Sicily and other places around the Mediterranean the has both Greek and Roman remains. My professor tells us how he went to many of these places and thinks about how people like Mark Anthony, Julius Caesar, Octavian and other have been in these exact same places.
I have found a lecture from my professor on youtube here,
In person, he is the nicest guy.
Thanks for showing us about you travels.
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