Sicily

The next morning we awoke on our final approach to Catania, in Sicily. But when we went out on deck to take in the views, we were almost blown away by strong offshore winds. It was really amazing. We grabbed a few shots and then hunkered down until we docked.

In Catania, we had another adventure trying to find a bus to the airport to pick up our rental car. This one old man kept insisting that we just had to walk up the street, but a guy who was selling bus tickets said the bus no longer stopped there. Just as we were heading back and the old guy started berating us again, a bus came from a completely different direction and he said: There that's the one! If looks could kill...

But it wasn't the right bus anyway. We ignored the old man and started heading where the ticket seller told us to go. And we actually saw a bus that said 'airport' on it. But when we waved at it, the driver shook his finger and kept going. Thoroughly frustrated now, a woman nearby came over and directed us somewhere completely different. What choice did we have? So we went as instructed and found...a bus depot! And there we got a bus to the airport.

Of course, that wasn't the end of our adventure. At the airport, we got the keys to our car only to find it was a manual, which neither of us know how to drive. Then the guys at the counter said that's what I reserved, which I know was not the case. Nonetheless, they relented and gave us an automatic at no extra charge. I thought that was very nice until I saw it was a SMART car. If you haven't seen one, here's a picture I took later on compared to normal cars.

It was a feat of modern engineering to get our luggage in at all, and then I couldn't see out the back. But hey, we just went with the flow. At least finding parking was a breeze.

Our first day in Sicily took us up the east coast to Acicastello, known for it's ancient castle built on lava rock jutting into the sea.

There we had a delicious seafood lunch and explored the lava rocks around the base of the castle.

Then it was on to Acitrezza, where a series of rocks jutting out of the sea are said to be the stones that the Cyclops threw at Odysseus when he made his escape.



By now we were had become something of experts at navigating in Italy, so we reached our B&B in Puntalazzo with no trouble, despite its remote location. It was a beautiful place, built on an old farm that was still in production, probably the nicest place we stayed the whole trip. We settled in and took an afternoon jaunt to the nearby town of St. Alfio where we visited the local church -

- and from where we were able to see the oldest tree in Europe (estimated as old as 4,000 years), and the largest girth in the world (190 feet). It's trunk has split into three parts, but it's still impressive.

Stephanie and I also found a see-saw nearby and had some fun with that.



I had read that the B&B we were staying at had very good food, so we ate dinner there and were well rewarded. We had fresh ricotta cheese with our bread, a delicious antipasto appetizer, and I had a wonderful rabbit, while Steph ate homemade pasta with a pistachio and panna cotta cream sauce. I'm still drooling. Needless to say, we slept very well. The only bad thing about dinner was how long it took to get the bill - Italians like to linger over dinner. I still say it was worth it.

The next morning, we headed out for a trek on Mt. Etna, an active volcano, and the highest in Europe. We got some great views driving up -


- and when we got there it was a classic volcanic landscape. We were told that the chairlift to the summit was closed due to high wind, so we decided to explore the craters nearby (they weren't active). One in particular was very high and very steep.

Stephanie opted out and that was a good thing. The wind was so strong I thought I was going to get blown of the top. You can see how high it was. There's Stephanie at the bottom...


The only good thing was that it supported me on my way down so I didn't worry about sliding. Fortunately, there were some more manageable craters for both of us to climb.

By the time we were done exploring, I noticed the chairlift had started up again. Stephanie was still a bit apprehensive, so we agreed that I would go.

The chair was definitely swaying a bit, but the trip was worth it. At the top of the lift, it was like being on another planet.

Clouds were blowing by, sometimes obscuring everything.

I was well above the snowline and all of the rocks were growing little ice flowers.


Then there were times that the clouds would lift just enough that I could make out the coast below. It was like being on the moon and looking down at the earth.


Incredible. The bad part was when they closed the lift again and I had no way to get down. I was also worried about Stephanie because I didn't have a way to contact her. Of course, when she went to the office to inquire about me, they just shrugged and didn't tell her they weren't putting people on the lift, so of course she worried.

After that little adventure, we decided to head back to the B&B and relax (one of the few things we hadn't done much of on the trip. On the way, we stopped in a small town for an authentic Sicilian meal with homemade pasta. We could tell by the way people stared at us that this was a local joint that didn't see many tourists. It was great! We spent that afternoon reading, exploring the grounds, and taking in the views.

What a life! After another wonderful dinner at the B&B we settled down for another good nights' sleep.

From there, we set off on our cross country tour of Sicily. We drove right to the center of the island to visit the sky-high town of Enna. Actually, it's the same height as Dushanbe, but since it's on a cliff, much higher above the surrounding area, it's very impressive.


There wasn't too much to see in Enna besides the view, so we had some pizza and gelato and kept on trucking.

It was a good thing we didn't linger too long in Enna because as we approached our final destination in Agrigento, we were taken on a detour that took us completely off our planned route. Fortunately, the main attraction there is well marked so we skipped the B&B and went straight to the Valley of the Temples, figuring we could get directions from there.

The Valley of the Temples is a collection of Greek Temples that pre-date the Roman empire. They are also some of the best preserved Greek ruins anywhere in the world. It was truly amazing. The only annoying thing was that UNESCO was sponsoring some modern art show in the midst of some of the temples and they were charging extra admission to see those temples. I didn't come all this way to see ancient ruins to have bizarre sculptures in the way. Luckily, I was able to circumvent the offending pieces in my pictures.


We got great directions from the temples to our B&B, which was on a farm at the end of a long dirt road and overrun with peacocks and great views of the valley of the temples.


The owner was happy to direct us to a restaurant on the coast, but before we left, Stephanie was traumatized by the sight of one of the ducks being carried off for dinner. On that note, we drove down to the coast and whiled away the time watching the wind-driven waves crash on the shore until 7:30 rolled around.


The recommendation was great and we had some more wonderful seafood. Back at the B&B, we took advantage of the views to get some night shots of the temples.



In the morning, the peacocks on the farm gave us our wake up call, so I chased them around for pictures while Stephanie was getting ready.


Right after breakfast we hit the road to head back to Catania. Once again, the detour threw a kink in our plans and we got lost a little bit before finding our way to the airport in Catania.

Just like that, we found ourselves at our last day in Italy. Catania is a nice town with a great collection of baroque architecture. We were also reminded of Italy's crack problem. Everywhere we went, we saw people who's pants were riding a bit too low when they bent over. Our host at the B&B was no exception, and, in fact, had a rather severe case.

Trying not to "crack up", we settled in and headed out for a day of what became a culinary oddysey. Of course we saw sights like the Roman amphitheater -

the fish market -


- and the duomo -
- as well as other sights, but mostly we ate. It was wonderful. We had fried rice balls, which is the fast food of Sicily, and cannoli, and pizza, and gelato (at least twice), and buffalo mozzarella, and well, you get the picture.

The guy from the B&B recommended a restaurant where the owner makes all the food herself - even the pasta. We took his advice and were very pleased with the results.



It was a homey place off the beaten path and the food was wonderful. A perfect way to close out our trip. We walked off dinner a little, taking pictures of the city at night, and turned in one last time.


Our cab to the airport was right on time and we had no issues with the flight from Catania to Rome. In Rome we decided to spend what was left of our money and found a chocolate store that offered 70% dark chocolate gelato. We were amazed not only by the price - which was less than most places on the street, but by the gelato itself. Amazingly, it was the best gelato we had on the entire trip. What a finale!

So that's it. Our trip was everything we hoped and more. Looking at the pictures and writing down the stories, I can't believe how much we did. Stephanie and I both agree, it was well worth the wait.

Venice: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/venice.html
Cinque Terre: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/cinque-terre.html
Pisa: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/pisa.html
Florence: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/florence.html
Tuscany: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/tuscany.html
Rome: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/rome.html
Naples: http://theroadmoretraveled-nicksblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/naples.html

Pictures:

Part 1

Italy 2010 JPGS

1-151: Venice
152-224: Cinque Terre
225-286: Pisa
287-384: Florence
385-606: Tuscany (Gropina, Siena, Massa Maritima, Chiusure, Montepulciano)
607-960: Rome


Part 2

Italy 2010Part 2 JPGS

962-1040: Pompei
1041-1054: Naples
1055-1106: Capri
1107-1129: Naples
1130-1168: Amalfi Coast
1169-1186: Naples
1187-1233: Sicily (From Catania to Puntalazzo)
1234-1282: Sicily (Mt.Etna and Puntalazzo)
1293-1354: Sicily (Enna and Agrigento)
1355-1391: Sicily (Catania)

And… we’re back!

Our vacation in Italy was everything we hoped it would be and more, but not too much about that now as I’m working on a big Italy overview complete with pictures and stories, hopefully by the end of the long weekend.

Our trip back to Tajikistan was thankfully uneventful, although we were a bit concerned when these women in orange vests that said “Health Control” appeared at the gate to our flight in Istanbul and started putting drops in the passengers’ mouths. We asked what was going on and were informed that there is a polio outbreak in Dushanbe and the drops were supposed to serve as a vaccine. The whole thing was very… odd.

Fortunately, the vaccine was voluntary and Stephanie and I opted not to take it, figuring that in less than eight hours we’d be able to talk to our health practitioner at the embassy and get better information. As it turned out, I needed a booster shot and Stephanie was already up-to-date. According to our medical officer, the drops wouldn’t have done anything for either of us.

Getting back into the groove of things at work was surprisingly easy, although Dushanbe itself felt very foreign again. Stephanie and I both commented on how we noticed things that had become commonplace now stood out like they did when we first arrived – particularly smells. We used the weekend to unpack and start going through pictures – and also to restock our fridge.

Unfortunately, we learned that the bazaar near our house has been closed and will be torn down in another couple of months to make way for a new government building. No plans to relocate it. No options for the people who worked there. So now our best option is the big bazaar, which is about a mile away and much more hectic. We both preferred the old one, which was quieter and much more convenient. That said, we were greeted with the fruits of Spring in Tajikistan, literally. Cherries, mulberries, and apricots were in abundance and all delicious. One thing we didn’t do a lot of in Italy was eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and it’s nice to get back to that.

On Saturday we had a pretty good thunderstorm, complete with hail and torrential rain, which was a lot of fun to watch from our attic room under the tin roof. The weekend finished on a sad note as we learned that my Uncle Bill passed away unexpectedly on Sunday. This was our first lesson in one of the harder aspects of Foreign Service life and the difficulties of being separated from family. Modern technology let us stay in close touch with our family, but it’s not the same as being there. Our thoughts are definitely with my Aunt and cousins. Uncle Bill will be missed.

Hissar and Spring Parties

Wow, it's hard to believe a full week went by since my last post! It was another crazy one, but I guess that's becoming par for the course. At least I can say that as hard as we work, we make up for it on our time off. On Friday night we went to a happy hour at the marine house after work. The weather was beautiful and we had a good time before heading home.

On Saturday, we had a really full day - and a lot of fun. In the morning, we headed out, with some other folks from the embassy, to see the ancient fort of Hissar.

This fort marked the seat of power for hundreds of years and was the location of the last stand of the locals against the Bolsheviks. Interestingly, the local powers almost defeated the Russians, but at the last minute, Russian reinforcements arrived with heavy artillery and destroyed the fort walls.

Today the ruins are a great place to hike and enjoy the beautiful weather and great views.

We even got to have a picnic on the hillside overlooking the fort, where the citadel used to be. Our guide told us that laborers actually had to transport the dirt to build the hill, a huge effort.

After lunch, we toured the museum, located in what used to be a madressa tied to the fort.

An old oil press.

There is still a town near Hissar, but the soviets moved the capitol to Dushanbe shortly after their conquest.

After the fort, we went home, I got a haircut and we freshened up for an afternoon/evening out. Our first stop was a bar-b-que for an incoming officer who is currently here on a language immersion. From there, we went over to another cook-out at a friend's house, where we had some of the best steak I've eaten since we arrived. Finally, we stopped by a birthday party for another friend at a local restaurant, before finally heading home, stuffed, and a little buzzed. All in all, a great Saturday.

On Sunday, I cashed in my birthday gift card from Stephanie, for a massage at the Hyatt. As part of the deal, I got to use the gym there, the sauna and steam room, and the pool. I spent a good couple of hours checking everything out before laying down for a very relaxing massage.

In the afternoon, Stephanie and I kicked back with a movie and some fried chicken from the only fast food chain in town before calling it a day.

Today, (Monday), has been just as frantic as ever, but we're winding down. Two more days until our big Italian vacation! I doubt I'll be able to do much in the way of blogging on our trip, but be sure to check back towards the end of May for pictures and highlights! Arrivaderci!

The Old Man and His Bear

No sooner did I post my last blog update, than a friend called to tell me that the old man and his bear were down by the statue of Ismoili Somoni. I first saw the man with the bear in Washington. It was part of the briefing folder for Dushanbe. Many of my A-100 classmates were intrigued. Since arriving, I had heard of a couple of sightings but alas, had not seen it for myself.

Sensing a golden photo op, I threw on my shoes and start to run downtown with my camera. Of course, the duty phone chose that moment to ring, so I had to walk, panting, and take care of a small issue before resuming my dash.

I'll be honest, it was impressive. But also a little sad to see the bear with a muzzle on. The old man said he raised her from a cub, so I guess it's the only life she's ever known and wouldn't be able to survive in the wild anyway. So I paid the guy 10 somoni to take some pictures, figuring that if this is his livelihood, I should try to make sure he has enough money to feed the bear.

She does seem rather tame, but I kept glancing at those enormous claws...

The bear's name is Maria and she is 20 years old and does tricks. The old man even invited me to pose with Maria. I hesitated, but figure, when am I going to have the chance to do this again?

No, I didn't actually put my weight on her. And Maria didn't seem to mind. Another mission fulfilled for my time in Dushanbe.

Now another week is already blowing by - literally. Today high winds kicked up a small dust storm. Many of the locals think this is from the volcano in island, despite reassurances to the contrary. The volcano is my biggest headache now as we are getting closer to our R&R and there is no sign of it letting up. I'm looking into alternate travel plans just in case. We may be able to get as far as Croatia by air and then take a train to Venice. We would lose a half day in Venice, but that's not much in the scheme of things. Fingers crossed big time!

I'm a Diplomat

Well, the reason that my posts are coming a little less frequently is NOT because there is less going on. I don't think I've ever been so busy. Aside from just having a lot going on with my job, I'm also acting Facilities Manager for a month while the actual FM is on R&R for a month. He actually won't be back until the day after we leave for our R&R. Add to that the fact that I'm also duty officer for a week, and I've really got my hands full. On the bright side, I figure it will make our vacation that much more appreciable. (If we get to go on our trip, that is. Stephanie and I are nervously eyeing the situation with the volcano-induced airport closures in Northern Italy).

This has actually been a big week at work. On Wednesday we held the grand opening for the embassy gym. I've been working on this project since before I even got to post. I remember first having a conversation with the Ambassador about it when I was still in training in Virginia. It's taken us 8 months to get the equipment here and renovate the space we needed to set up the equipment.

The work definitely paid off. The gym looks great and people are excited about it. That's one of the things I love about this job - getting things done and seeing the results of my work. I've also been working with our Green Team to help plan events for Earth Day, as well as continuing my

speaking tour of Tajikistan.

On Friday, I spoke at the American Corner in the town of Kurgon Teppa. Not too much different in terms of scenery, but of course I took a few pictures on the road.

There was also this car with a really interesting rear windshield.

Our driver said that was very popular during the Soviet Union - which says a lot about how old the car must be. I had lunch with our driver at a little shashlik place and then went to an education fair at the local university before heading over to give my presentation. I was warned that this group might not have sufficient English skills so I took it a little slower at first.

It turned out that quite a few of the kids in the audience understood perfectly well and were very interested in the topic (Earth Day). Here again, like in Kulob, they are now planning to do a trash pick-up to honor the occasion. Again, it's great to get out of the office here and there and also to do some actual spreading of American values. In other words, I'm getting to do exactly what I wanted to do when I signed up to be a diplomat.

On Friday, Stephanie went out with some of her girl friends, and I stayed in with a friend for movie night, being both exhausted and the duty officer. For the record, the new Sherlock Holmes movie is great.

Saturday was a beautiful day so Stephanie and decided to spend some time in the courtyard reading and admiring the first rose bloom of Spring.

Hopefully the other plants will follow. Unfortunately, that plan didn't work as I got my first real duty officer call involving an American citizen. The last time I was duty officer I got no calls at all.

Obviously I can't say anything about the specific case, but it's sure been an interesting weekend. Fortunately, a friend had us over for dinner Saturday night. We had Chinese take-out on the tapchan (a large wooden platform with a low table in the center, surrounded by cushions) in the beautiful spring evening air. The few glasses of wine with dinner really helped to take the edge off the week.

The weather today hasn't been so nice, so we're just taking it easy at home. As long as the volcano doesn't ruin everything, there's only one more full week of work between us and Italy!