Sicilia

Take one forty-seven foot Benetau, four Frenchies, two Americans, an Albanian and an Aussie. Add ti-ponch and stir. Serve over the Eolian Islands and Palermo.

We start off our journey with a bit of a stumble in gathering all the members of our crew. A day later, we head off north of Portorosa toward the first stop on our Eolian Island tour, Vulcan. There we climb a vulcanic crater not-so-lightly scented with sulphur and become more firmly aware of the standards for scamming tourists. Double the price and assume that as an American, you won't know how to bargain. It is also here where the scrappiest jellyfish on earth, smaller than the size of my palm, manages to sting the entire upper portion of my back and inner thigh.

Several nights of cliffside mooring provide us with evenings during which I cannot resist falling asleep under the stars and waking up to the sunset. I thus forgo my bed below deck for a sleeping bag up top. The sea appears as though the floor is made of sapphires during the day and the waves are lined with silver at night which make it impossible to resist multiple day and night swims.

The final island we explore, Stromboli, is centered around an active volcano approximately one kilometer high. Hiking up the volcano one can see all the other Eolian islands and have their shoes filled with a seelingly infinite number of minute volcanic rocks while dodging the mountain sheep that stride down the mountain to graze. Stromboli has the highest island specific 'wow' factor as the active volcano's evening erruptions provide spectacular pyrotechnic displays throughout drinks and dinner.

On our final night of sailing, the moonlight is bright enough to guide us through a night sail to our original port of departure. Awesome doesn't justly describe the experience.

The last two days on the main island of Sicilia, Nico and I rent a car and explore the northwestern coast including Trapani, Enrice and Segesta. The architectural style in Sicila is notably massive. Oddly, walking throught the streets one is given the impression as though one side is luxurious and palatially ornate, but the other side of the street looks as though it may have been bombed or experienced a recent earthquake. Nico and I, however, quickly forget about the appearance of our surroundings as we plunge into the numerous delicious culinary specialties Sicily has to offer.