The Spanish Sea and Sicilian Sun

Apr 4, 2017

6 min read

Spring Break has always felt like an ironic term, probably because I was more likely to go on an end of season ski trip in the middle of March than soak up the sun.

This Spring Break was all sun, though I did get a surprise day in the snow (and of course, I only brought shorts).

It began with a short flight to Ibiza, a tiny island in the Balearic archipelago off the coast of eastern Spain. If you do know Ibiza then I shall make a disclaimer right now that I did none of the things involved in various popular songs. This trip was my relaxing island get away, intended for sitting on the beach and reading.

Mission: accomplished.

The flight went smoothly and once I was clear of the airport I took a cab to the small inlet of Cala Llonga, about 30 minutes away. It is still considered winter because while I was in heaven in 20 degrees Celsius, that just doesn't cut it when summer is around 50 degrees Celsius and locals were bundled up in coats and scarves.

My trip here was quiet and uneventful, I enjoyed my meals in a nearby cafe and could through a rock to the beach from the Airbnb I stayed in. The ocean was beautiful and swimmable! Not nearly as cold as the waters on the shores of Nice.

The main take away is that as easy as it would be to find a big party scene on the island, there are hideaways like Cala Llonga that stay relaxed Summer and Winter. So pick your paradise, they can both be found on the beautiful island of Ibiza!

A hop, skip, and a jump back to dear old Italy and I was preparing for my next flight to Sicily! Now, of course, in travel sometimes things don't always go according to plan. When I planned my trip to Sicily I booked with a student tour group company out of Florence. Three full days of seeing the sites on the east side of the island. Well, I was heading back from Ibiza when I got the email that the trip had been cancelled.

But, I didn't miss a beat and was not going to miss out on my Sicilian Adventure. I booked a hostel right there and decided to make the most of it.

I landed in Catania Thursday early afternoon. The hostel was right in the historic center and upon my arrival I befriend the receptionist, Domenico. Right away I intended to mimic my 'would have been' trip with my group and booked a day trip to Mt. Etna for the next day.

I spent the rest of my arrival day eating(naturally), walking around the historic center, and eating some more.

Catania (the major city on the east half of the island of Sicily, opposite of Palermo on the NW side), is not the most beautiful city in the world but it is centrally located to anywhere you want to go in the area. To it's credit, the small, historic center is lively and full of history. In the middle of the Duomo Square sits a unique sculpture of an elephant with an Egyptian obelisk on it's back. The 'Catania Elephant' is a symbol in Sicilian art history. Here's an excerpt on the tale:

The elephant in Piazza Duomo was sculpted of volcanic stone during the Roman era, and in ancient times stood in the city's main circus, where the obelisk was mounted as a finishing post for races. More recently, the obelisk and elephant were joined by the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini in 1736 on the model of Bernini's Minerva Elephant in Rome. The monument's nickname in the Sicilian language is "Liotru," a reference to Elidoros, a heretical eighth century apostate and wizard who sought, through magic, to make the elephant walk.

[...]Fashioned of typical pinkish red granite from the Aswan quarries, the obelisk bears hieroglyphs identifying the goddess Isis...Both the obelisk and the elephant were objects of mystic veneration. Isis was a mourner and enchantress thought to bring the dead back to life. Not surprisingly, her name was often invoked in the rites of the dead. Elephants were symbolic of strength, fidelity and long life. This one was probably thought to be a bearer of good luck against Etna's eruptions.

[source: http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art84.htm]

Speaking of Etna eruptions, my day trip to the famous (and very active) volcano was my favorite part of the journey. My tour was a fun cast of characters: a couple from Romania, a couple from Yorkshire in the UK, and an American man from New Jersey who has pretty much seen the entire world. While it takes a full day to climb the nearly 3000 meter volcano my tour group and I went through a slue of transportation vehicles to reach the lava flow near the top. Thank goodness for my New England background, I only brought shorts and I would venture a guess that it was maybe high 30's (Fahrenheit) at the top. I guess this because of the snow that was very much present.

A bus, a gondola, an intense snow cat, and a very steep walk later I was face to face with: on one side the crater responsible for the most recent eruption(well the last eruption that cause the destruction of towns., there had been a lava eruption 2 weeks before my arrival) and on the other side the lava river that could be seen at night from Catania. Unfortunately, during the day, none of my pictures do the lava flow justice. Rest assured, there was lava and it was moving.

After gallivanting through the snow and back to base camp the tour took us to explore a lava tube cave complete with hard hats and head lamps!

The last stop involved visiting a small farm on the opposite side of the volcano that produces honey, olive oil, wine, and pesto. There were free samples and a wine tasting so it was a pretty delicious way to end the day. The tour explained the unique combination of rich, volcanic soil, as well as being so close to the sea. This is a power combo for farming and the people pride themselves on the quality of the products they produce.

That night I meet several other girls in the hostel who were studying in Florence and spending the weekend in Catania. We splurged at dinner but not without the help of our waiter who offered us free urchins to try!

Ah the food. I shall take a small moment to indulge on some of the Sicilican speacialties that found their way into my stomach while on my journey:

Arancino: delicious, fried rice balls stuffed with (usually) ragu, mozzarella, and peas. To die for, 10/10

Cannolo: that's right my friends. Cannoli is actually plural, cannolo is one of the ricotta stuffed pastries you may or may not be familiar with. Now, I am not very found of this dessert but I knew it was in best best interest to have another in the birth place of this treat. I am still not convinced, but I know there are many people who would delight in such a treat. There are many kinds but the Sicilian specialty is a connolo stuffed with ricotta sprinkled with pistachio dust.

Pistachio: The famous connection with pistachios and Sicily are with the small town of Bronte. Apparently, pistachios from this town are the real deal (like how real champagne is from Champange France) However, pistachios produce biannually for one, and two the small town of Bronte cannot be responsible for all the pistachios of the world. But, now you know in case you come across Pistachios from Bronte.

My second full day was spent in Siracusa. Since I didn't make it to Ithaca, Greece, I though Syracuse in Sicily could be my close second. I spent the day on a small island called Ortigia. Got my steps in my walking around the whole island, enjoying Saturday markets, and of course finding small stairs down to the water and enjoy the sun.

My return trip did not go as smoothly. Shortly after arriving to the airport an aggressive storm complete with thunder, lightning, and power outage in the airport had every flight diverted to Palermo until it cleared out. Three hours later I took off in blue skies, not to be dismayed as I walked back into my home stay just in time for dinner.