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June 5, 2025June 5, 2025

Day Six – June 4 – Agrigento

It was another gorgeous day as we boarded our van to go to Agrigento, about two hours away from Syracusa. The Valley of the Temples is the sight of three amazing Greek temples, among the world’s most significant and one especially in excellent shape. The Temple of Concordia (harmony) rivals Athen’s Parthenon. It is missing the roof but has its columns in tact. The remnants of the Temple of Juno and of Heracles, gives you a glimpse of the many conquerors of Sicily. Each conquering civilization put their unique spin on the architecture and details. For example, the Romans modified the original Greek temples and then the Christians added arches to conform to the designs of the day.

The temples have six Doric columns on the east and west sides and either thirteen or sixteen columns on the north and south sides. Inside, there are three chambers with a statue of the god or goddess being honored. The entrance always faces east to welcome the sunrise. In front of the temple is an altar where animals are sacrificed to the gods. No people were sacrificed (that we know of!).

The grounds are filled with almond trees, pistachio trees, olive trees, and prickly pear cactus. The cactus plants surround the other trees so animals cannot get to the nut and olive trees. It makes sense. We also saw very unique goats with horns that curved in ways we have never seen before.

After seeing the ruins, it was on to a very nice restaurant in Agregento before our two hour drive to Palermo. The food was quite different in here. One person in our group had lamb chops, Jim had a pasta dish with broccoli and ham, and Caroline and I had a beef roll-up with potatoes.

We arrived in Palermo in the late afternoon, ready to eat another meal. Our hotel is just opposite the Teatro Massimo, a venue used for concerts.
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June 3, 2025June 5, 2025

Day Five, June 3 – Syracusa and Ortigia

I have had difficulty adding some of the many photos I took in Noto and Marzamemi, but will try to create another entry just with the photos… Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, after breakfast, we met Giovanni, our guide the first days in Taormina, this morning and went to Ortigia. There, we wandered the market a bit to see the incredible display of fruit, vegetables, fish, spices, clothing, hats, and jewelry. We then got an in-depth tour of the important areas of the town.

First, we saw the Greek Theatre, which was fairly small compared to the one in Taormina, but dates from the 6th century B.C. We walked to Via Cavour, the heart of the island and then to the Archimede Fountain, where there is an amazing sculpture of Santa Lucia. We got there before a horde of tourists crowded around.

We walked the Duomo Square, with its impressive Byzantine and Norman architecture, and ended at the enchanting Arethusa Fountain, a papyrus-fringed natural spring replete with several species of huge ducks, a nest filled with duck eggs that will yield a dozen or more babies pretty soon, and several species of fish. It is a serene spot and overlooks the sea.

Time for lunch. We took our guide’s suggestion and ate at a popular spot in the market where the locals eat. Sad to say, but the food was mainly sandwiches or charcuterie boards and not what we enjoyed. Oh well…

We returned to our hotel for a siesta and then walked back to Ortigia to visit the ancient mikvah located in the former Jewish Quarter. There is no Jewish presence in Sicily any longer when, after 1492, the Jews were expelled by Queen Isabella and King of Spain during their reign over Italy. From the guide at the mikveh, we learned that it was discovered about 39 years ago by a woman who bought the building. During excavation for renovations, they found an underground natural spring bath used by Jewish women to purify the body after she had her period or got married.

Fifty-six steps take you down to the underground cave where five baths are located. They were hidden by over a meter of mud, which took 100 truckloads to remove. Although not used any longer, they date back to between 500-600 A.D. and still have spring water that feeds them. The 56 steps down from the main floor take you to a very different time and place.

After our less than delightful lunch, we walked the narrow, curved streets and alleys and found an amazing place for a light dinner. We would definitely recommend Cortile Verga on Via della Maestranza 33, a hidden gem of a restaurant in a courtyard. They don’t offer pasta, since everywhere else already does, but instead have a variety of tapas, edamame, a huge selection of drinks, beer, and wines, and excellent service.

We had three kinds of tapas, a bowl of steamed edamame, and then a dessert that will live in our brains (and probably elsewhere on the body) for a long time. It was a great end to a fun day.

Tomorrow, we leave here and head to Agrigento and the Temple Valley to visit archeological sites, have lunch, and then wend our way to our final destination in Sicily, Palermo.

October 30, 2023

Planning for our Next Trip

Over two years ago, in 2020, we decided to plan a trip on our “bucket list” and go to New Zealand and Australia in 2021. Although friends have gone there on a cruise, we wanted to spend more time than a few hours in a port by taking a tour that included both countries and, as a bonus, include Fiji. What could go wrong???

Well, COVID definitely played a part since all three countries were closed to tourists in 2021. So, we moved the trip to 2022. Even with lower incidences of COVID, travel to that part of the world was not possible. So, here we are in 2023 and we are ready to go in a little over a week, on November 7.

We fly to LA, then on to Nadi, Fiji for a round-trip, since our tour ends in Fiji. A few hours after arriving in Nadi, we are off to Auckland, NZ to begin our travels. We have heard glowing reviews of Oceana, especially New Zealand, which is supposed to look like a fairy land with more sheep than people.

Fortunately, we have a wonderful couple as our housesitters. Lola has already met them and so far, she approves. I must say that having good housesitters is key to traveling when you have a pet. There is a lot of “peace of mind” knowing that your house and pet is being cared for.

Because the weather in New Zealand will be quite different (colder) than Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, or Nadi, we have to plan well what we will be packing. Keeping that in mind, we will have to take one checked medium-sized bag instead of only a carry-on bag each, We have enjoyed having our bag with us to avoid waiting for the carousel upon arrival. However, a three week trip with a variety of clothes for different climates means that a larger bag will be best… and lots of layers!

Thank you Amazon and TEMU for the last minute items we needed to make the trip successful. Travel items, such as new neck pillows, extra electrical converters, dual voltage hair styler, and fast chargers should be arriving any day now. We have our visas for NZ and AU, which you must have prior to arriving. Fiji does not require a visa but does require showing your COVID shot record upon arrival. I wonder what travelers who do not get vaccinated do to go to Fiji.

FYI, this blog site disappeared earlier this year, unbeknownst to me. All my posts from our many previous trips disappeared. With the help of someone here at Lakeside, I was able to recreate the blog site to begin keeping track of where we go and what we do from now on.

Jim and I hope that you enjoy hearing about our adventures.