| The days on this sailing trip are so
| |
| | store for us. We were all in the back of
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| compressed and amazingly full of diverse
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| | the boat when Herbert, our experienced TV
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| experiences: waking yesterday in
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| | travel journalist, called us excitedly
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| beautiful Lipari, followed by a driving
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| | and said "Dolphins! Come on, see the
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| tour of this, the largest Eolian island.
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| | dolphins". Sure enough, we all scrambled
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| Then our journey continued to Vulcano,
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| | to the front of the boat and there were
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| where we had an intense Italian lesson,
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| | four dolphins, swimming beside our boat,
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| followed by a nourishing on-board dinner
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| | swimming ahead of us left and right,
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| and candlelit evening of soulful music,
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| | jumping out of the water, and generally
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| provided by two of our shipmates. There
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| | playing with us. Herbert explained that
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| are hardly words to describe the intense
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| | they hear our voices, and being the
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| sensations that one experiences on a trip
| |
| | curious, playful creatures that they are,
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| so outside of the norm. Today was going
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| | they come say hello to accompany us for a
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| to be our last day at sea, time was
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| | while. These four graceful grey creatures
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| passing just so quickly. We got an early
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| | were beautiful, and all of us were in awe
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| start this morning at about 8:30 am, and
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| | at this unexpected display. The dolphins
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| using the dingy, our trusted skipper
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| | swam and jumped alongside our boat for
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| Francesco ferried us on land from our
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| | about 5, 7 minutes until they had enough
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| location in the bay in front of Porto di
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| | and swam off in a westerly direction. I
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| Levante. The plan was to hike up the
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| | had caught everything on my camera and
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| mountain of Vulcano to the "Gran Cratere"
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| | made several video clips and was still
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| (the Great Crater) to see an active
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| | tickled pink about this experience. For
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| volcanco up close. After a brief morning
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| | some reason, dolphins always seem like
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| granita, the crushed ice drink that I had
| |
| | they are smiling to me, and these four
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| gotten so fond of, we all gathered and
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| | sleek water animals certainly appeared to
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| started our ascent to Vulcano. We started
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| | be in a great mood. I already thought the
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| to climb along a pathway covered by black
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| | excitement was over, but no, the
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| volcanic sand that turned into a hard
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| | Mediterranean had even more surprises in
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| brown rock closer to the top. The total
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| | store for us. We had been trailing
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| ascent took only about an hour and was
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| | fishing lines behind our boat and with
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| not extremely strenuous. The view got
| |
| | all the excitement surrounding the
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| progressively better the higher we
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| | dolphins we had basically forgotten about
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| climbed, and from the top of Vulcano, all
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| | the fishing lines until our skipper
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| of the seven Eolian Islands can be seen.
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| | shouted that we had made a catch. Sure
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| This was my first exposure to a volcanic
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| | enough, we saw him reeling in the line
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| crater. Although over the last 6 months I
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| | and a beautiful silver fish about 15
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| had visited two other volcanoes: Mount
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| | inches long was pulled on board.
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| Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife,
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| | Francesco explained it was a tuna, cut
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| and Mount Etna, during my current trip to
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| | the line and placed it on the floor at
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| Sicily, I had not seen the crater of
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| | the rear of our boat. I was fascinated by
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| either one of these volcanic mountains.
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| | this, until the fish started flopping
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| Vulcano's Gran Cratere is indeed an
| |
| | around in a panic and blood started
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| interesting sight: a perfectly round
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| | spraying from its gills. That's when my
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| indentation with a higher wall on the
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| | tender vegetarian soul said it had enough
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| south side, surrounding the crater like a
| |
| | and I retreated to the front of the boat.
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| natural amphitheatre. Sulphur fumes
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| | I just couldn't watch this fish flop
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| emanate from fissures in the
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| | around, spraying the whole back of the
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| yellow-orange rock. Warnings advise you
| |
| | boat with its blood, trying to fight for
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| to stay away from the noxious fumes. I
| |
| | its life. Our captain put it out of its
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| just caught a whiff of a sulphur cloud
| |
| | misery, cut off its head and gutted it
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| and it was so strong it almost took my
| |
| | right there. I just caught a quick
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| breath away. One of our travel mates, our
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| | glimpse, but the dripping red innards of
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| shirtless Catholic priest Lorenzo,
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| | this poor tuna had me completely grossed
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| trekked up all the way to the back wall
| |
| | out. You might think that the excitement
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| of the crater and waved to us from a
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| | might be over now, what with the dolphins
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| couple of hundred meters away. Tourists
| |
| | and the tuna capture, but no - the ritual
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| of all shapes and sizes were starting to
| |
| | repeated itself two more times: we caught
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| congregate at the top of Vulcano and we
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| | two more tunas and I wisely stayed away
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| enjoyed the view from the top for about
| |
| | from the decapitation and evisceration
|
| 20 minutes. Of course the descent was
| |
| | scene. At any rate, Francesco had caught
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| much faster than the ascent, it only took
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| | three nice-size fish and said that he was
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| us about 20 minutes to get back down into
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| | going to bring them home as a special
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| the village of Porto di Levante. We
| |
| | treat for his two year old son Davide. A
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| arranged to meet for an Italian lesson
| |
| | short while later at about 7:30 pm we
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| just shortly after noon and had about
| |
| | arrived at the harbour of Portorosa, and
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| half an hour to explore the waterfront
| |
| | Francesca and Davide, our skipper's wife
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| around Porto di Levante. The main feature
| |
| | and son, were already waiting to welcome
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| in the area is a big volcanic rock right
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| | us. Davide's excited two-year old calls
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| next to some sulphurous mud baths that
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| | "papa - papa" indicated that he had
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| are supposed to have healing properties,
| |
| | definitely missed his daddy. Francesca
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| particularly for ailments such as
| |
| | herself said that "papa" was indeed the
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| rheumatism and arthritis. For about 2.50
| |
| | first word that her son ever spoke. Our
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| Euro you can get access to the mud baths,
| |
| | usually quiet captain himself was visibly
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| and for about 1 Euro more you'll even get
| |
| | elated to see his family almost after a
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| a chance to use the shower in this fenced
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| | week at sea. Now it was time to get
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| off area. We saw various tourists
| |
| | organized and unload. Francesco gave us a
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| frolicking in the rather foul-smelling
| |
| | choice: we could either spend one more
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| mud while for me personally the smell was
| |
| | night on the boat, or we could unload the
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| a bit too much. While our colleagues
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| | boat, drive back to the apartment which
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| Lorenzo and Herbert were going to have
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| | is located conveniently right above the
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| their lesson on the sailboat in another
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| | Laboratorio Linguistico School, and go
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| location, us three ladies were going to
| |
| | for dinner in Milazzo. Well, this was a
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| study Italian with our teacher Franco on
| |
| | no-brainer. After almost a week on a
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| the outdoor terrace of a bar overlooking
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| | nice, but rather crammed sailboat with a
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| another bay on the island of Vulcano. I
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| | tiny cabinet that served as a toilet /
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| have really started to get into this
| |
| | shower facility, there was no question
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| outdoor language learning experience
| |
| | that all of us preferred going on land.
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| provided by Laboratorio Linguistico. It's
| |
| | Our first priority as a matter of fact,
|
| relaxed, yet intense and effective. We
| |
| | was to take a land-based shower, and
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| spent a couple of hours forming
| |
| | Claudia, Herbert and I headed to the
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| conditional sentences and abstract nouns
| |
| | comfort station at the Portorosa Harbour
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| from common verbs and adjectives. Overall
| |
| | to take a well-deserved, long awaited
|
| I mused that two weeks ago I spoke no
| |
| | shower on terra firma. Strange, but after
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| Italian, I had only been reading an
| |
| | a week on a sailboat you start
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| Italian grammar book for the two months
| |
| | appreciating the little things in life,
|
| prior to coming to Sicily. Now I was
| |
| | and a real shower and a toilet separate
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| speaking Italian semi-competently at
| |
| | from the shower rank pretty high on the
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| intermediate level. I have become a huge
| |
| | list ... Francesco and the rest of the
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| fan of language study travel and of
| |
| | gang had already started to unload the
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| immersing myself in a foreign culture and
| |
| | boat, and we quickly packed our stuff and
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| language. And learning Italian on a
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| | help load all our luggage and the
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| sailboat so far ranks at the very top of
| |
| | remaining food into Francesco's car. By
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| my language learning adventures. During
| |
| | the time we had everything organized back
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| our studies Claudia and I grabbed some
| |
| | at the apartment it was already about
|
| fast food from the bar, some type of
| |
| | 10:30 pm, but that did not deter us from
|
| calzone and other quick Sicilian snacks
| |
| | having one last joint dinner together.
|
| and I could not resist the temptation of
| |
| | Francesco and Franco packed us into their
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| buying a cone of delicious ice cream.
| |
| | respective vehicles and drove us out to a
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| Along the way I admired the colourful
| |
| | restaurant at the tip of Capo Milazzo,
|
| works of art made of marzipan that were
| |
| | the peninsula that protrudes about 6 km
|
| appetizingly displayed in their glass
| |
| | into the Tyrrhenian Sea from Milazzo. We
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| cases. Now there's a another great
| |
| | had this entire establishment to
|
| concept: studying Italian with a
| |
| | ourselves, and another Sicilian feast was
|
| delicious cone of nocciola e limone
| |
| | unfolding. Fish, wine and pasta arrived
|
| (hazelnut and lemon) gelato in your hand.
| |
| | in large quantities while I enjoyed a
|
| Just make sure you don't splatter the
| |
| | vegetarian Sicilian pasta with
|
| gelato all over the dictionary... Well,
| |
| | pistachios. In addition, it was
|
| all good things must come to an end, and
| |
| | Agnieszka's 23rd birthday today, so all
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| by about 3:30 pm we met at the beach to
| |
| | of us got to celebrate, and a big
|
| get whisked back on the boat by our
| |
| | hazelnut ice cream cake capped off the
|
| trusted skipper Francesco. Before we
| |
| | feast. We all said goodbye at the end of
|
| hopped into the dingy, our entire group
| |
| | the evening. Since Herbert was going to
|
| performed a final rendition of "umm dari
| |
| | fly out tomorrow in the wee hours of the
|
| dari", a song that music student
| |
| | morning we would not have a chance to say
|
| Agnieszka had taught us a few days
| |
| | our goodbyes in the morning any more.
|
| earlier. The men of our group provided
| |
| | Seven days of adventures in the Eolian
|
| the percussive background, producing
| |
| | Islands had come to an end, and I think
|
| sounds such as "ummm pffff psshh, ummm
| |
| | all of us experienced just a tinge of
|
| pfffff pssshh", while Claudia and I
| |
| | melancholy. The seven of us had made a
|
| provided a chorus of "umm dari dari dari,
| |
| | great team on board: Claudia, the
|
| umm dari dari" that sounded like it would
| |
| | Lufthansa flight attendant from Germany &
|
| be appropriate somewhere in Saudi Arabia,
| |
| | my wonderful cabin mate; Herbert, the
|
| in the company of a herd of camels.
| |
| | knowledgeable TV travel journalist, also
|
| Agnieszka provided the leading melody
| |
| | from Germany; Lorenzo from the US of
|
| with her brilliant soprano voice. What a
| |
| | Italian background and the coolest
|
| fun and humorous ending to seven days at
| |
| | Catholic priest that I have ever met; our
|
| sea in the Eolian Islands. Our travel
| |
| | talented singer Agnieszka; and our two
|
| group certainly had come together very
| |
| | experts and teachers from Laboratorio
|
| nicely... Our last few hours on the boat
| |
| | Linguistico: Franco and Francesco, our
|
| had begun, we embarked on our voyage from
| |
| | skipper. My first sailing trip had come
|
| Vulcano to the town of Milazzo located at
| |
| | to an end, but I still four days of
|
| the northeastern tip of Sicily, about 30
| |
| | discoveries left in Sicily. Tomorrow's
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| kilometers from the Straight of Messina.
| |
| | agenda will include Milazzo.
|
| I thought our week long adventure would
| |
| | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web
|
| just peter out and come to an
| |
| | portal for unconventional travel &
|
| anti-climactic ending, but no, the
| |
| | cross-cultural connections.
|
| goddess of travel had more adventures in
| |
| |
|
