This billboard catches our eye.... 2012 is coming, enjoy every second! Sooo off we go...!
Parking nearby, we stroll through the fish market, eyes goggling at the many species on offer.
The cheeses, fruit and vegetables and other items of interest catch our eye as we stroll by.
Richard sizes up the monster turkey.
The Opera
We are lucky to be able to acquire some seats for the Opera Rigoletto, being performed in the Catania Opera House (Teatro Massimo Bellini) for 5.30 pm on 13 December. The only problem is, we hear that people here 'dress' for the opera and we realise we do not have any 'smart' clothes with us on the boat.
Teatro Massimo Bellini is the oldest Opera House in Sicily and is a grand old lady with a sumptuous decor inside.
Richard manages to borrow a jacket and black tie, and Pippy is luckily loaned some black boots by Janine from SY Orca Joss. However she still has to find something to wear so rushes off to the nearest Saturday morning market the week before the opera and has a lot of fun which turns out to be an adventure in itself.
There are clothes stalls everywhere at this market and the prices are very good. Wandering along Pippy notices one stall in particular with Sicilian women crowding around two and three deep, walking away with armfuls of garments. Being very nosey, Pippy elbows her way in and to her great pleasure finds piles and piles of designer label clothing being sold for 3 Euro a piece!
An hour and a half later and loaded down with black jacket, sparkly top, evening bag, silk pyjamas, silk dressing gown, gorgeous white woollen wrap, a second sparkly skirt if the top does not work and a black top. There is a new outdoors jacket for Richard in the mix and a couple of other things besides. Given that we had to leave our winter clothes behind in NZ, we have managed to fill a few gaps.
However, there is one slight problem. On getting everything home and having a close look Pippy discovers that her black jacket is pre-loved, and has not been cleaned. It brings with it a slightly musty smell which diminishes somewhat after being hung out in the sun and sprayed with sanitiser, but there is no time to have it dry cleaned before the opera.
Inside the theatre we have champagne in the magnificent reception room at the bar in the corner.
The rows of boxes inside make a festive sight. We are seated in one of these boxes on lovely velvet chairs and crane our necks over the balcony to see the stage below.
For a change of scenery a glance up to the ceiling is always an option.
The opera is superb, as are the surroundings. It is a truly magical experience and Pippy takes off the jacket and uses the woollen wrap around her bare shoulders and the sparkly top.
The soprano is amazing, young and beautiful, reaching high and seemingly unattainable notes with ease. The tenor (playing the Count) is stunning and we are entranced with the performance of the lead part, Rigoletto whose base baritone voice fills the theatre. It is a tragic story and very sad at the end.
(The occasional musty waft from the jacket hanging over the chair back is not a problem and merely makes Pippy smile serenely!) What a fabulous experience.
Mt Etna
Its an early start the next morning so we can drive to the 2,000 m level car park at Etna Sud and walk from there. We review the walks along the way in the guide book and decide on which one we will do. Its 7 km long and in parts traverses volcanic shale so the right tramping gear is required. Steve and Katie are well kitted out but Richard and Pippy do not have the right footwear, so plan to go part of the way then return down the same track.
We are lucky with the weather which is clear and sunny with only a light breeze, which still has an icy chill to it but we are adequately clad with several layers.
It is a couple of hours of steady uphill climbing. The track also goes down sometimes, so we lose height that we have gained, and take off our outer layers as we walk up the sheltered side of the mountain in the sunshine.
Soon we come out on to a ridge which overlooks a graphic lava valley which is the result of an eruption in 1987.
We are not alone and have a good chat to this mountain guide and his two clients. We discuss the weather as there is a bit of cloud coming in and he assures us it is quite safe to be on the mountain today, but urges extreme care once the track ends and the volcanic shale has to be traversed.
We move on and it is not long after this that the track runs out and we are picking our footsteps between sharp thorny bushes as we climb uphill over rocks and ridges. Its time for Richard and Pippy to wave goodbye to Steve and Katie who walk on up.
We turn back and make our way down. The views are breathtaking as we stop for lunch in the warm sunshine.
...and its a quick walk down the mountain again to the carpark. The last kilometer is a bit of a struggle as it is uphill again and the wind becomes cold. We have had a good walk today and enjoy a hot coffee in the cafe before getting on the road again.
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