Aeolian Islands – August 2007

How about this???

Looks like proper holidays, doesn’t it?? Well, unfortunately I am not there anymore. Tough…because I know at least 4 people that are still there having a brilliant time. The latest update (about 3 hours ago) places them in Panarea, one of the lovely Aeolian Islands on top of Sicily. No comment…

But let’s start at the beginning… last Friday I left at almost dawn direction Heathrow to catch a flight to Milan. That obviously wasn’t the final destination, but due to various complications in the holiday planning it was necessary to have a small pit-stop rather than adopting the more direct route. A chilled afternoon, a lovely aperitivo at Radetzki and a family dinner later we were at Linate Airport ready for our little adventure – Ale, Bene, Dada, Mat, Ste and me.

Yes, the flight was OBVIOUSLY delayed, but who cares? I even missed out on seeing the Aeolian Islands and the Etna from the plane because I was sitting on the wrong side ( how unlucky is that?), but one can’t really pretend to get everything. Catania airport was a mess and we run back and forth about 4 times until they finally decided on which luggage belt to send our bags. Hilarious! So…after a lot of giggles, a bit of worry that all bags would indeed arrive ( and they did!!) and a quick toilet run we were dutyfully picked up by our driver to Portorosa near Milazzo. For those of you who are not familiar with Sicily, it’s about 1 1/2 hours drive.

See that platform? It’s not the steadiest of things, but all bags and food shopping had to be carried on board the catamaran like this. How many times I thought I would fall in? I lost count. So, after a brief shopping trip to the possibly smallest supermarket I have been to in a very long time ( all six of us did not fit in it too well), the balancing act, finding a way to put the suitcases into the cabin and a pep talk from our skipper Massimo we were on our way to Isola Vulcano – the closest Aeolian Island to Sicily. Even thugh we could still clearly make it out in the distance we still had to navigate approximately 2 hours. What a relief to be finally on board! Bring out the shorts, open the white wine and start relaxing!

From past experience on a ferry crossover to Sardinia a very long time ago I knew that the whole “sleeping on a boat” thing would be a bit complicated ( that time I could not close eye all night) and indeed the first night on our catamaran Mediterranea I spent most of the time turning around . Never mind, stumbling on the deck the next morning and finding an amazing panorama definitely made up for a sleepless night. I may just want to forget about the rotten egg smell surrounding us for a little while… Vulcano is well know for its fango (mud) baths. Apparently you can throw your bikini away after visiting them, but they are definitely worth it. From there the holiday was just going to get better. Over the next week we would explore Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Panarea, Stromboli and Filicudi. Unfortunately the weather got a bit harsh so we could not reach Alicudi, but still…..an unforgettable experience. These islands are all of vulcanic origin with Stomboli being the only active one remaining. This is what gives is such an incredibly beautiful and misterious appereance.

This is the Cava di Pietra Pomice ( Pomice stone) near Lipari. What a sight. Not only…jumping into this bright blue water is definitely worth it. And the more time you spend in it, the better it gets. It has a bit of a swimming pool feeling to it, just better!

Another bay we stopped at near Lipari, perfect for hours of snorkeling. The fish were like something I had never really seen before in Europe. Almost tropical with lots of colours and in many differnent variations. Could have been the Maldives….almost! Bene and Ste even saw a 30cm big crab. Glad I didn’t…would have freaked me out just a little…

Captain Dada

Underneath the catamaran….in case you’re wondering…the yellow thing appearing there are my flippers. Helps a little in deep waters!

Stromboli in all its beauty. Isn’t it impressive??

There is a little village on the left hand side whose name I just can remember…but while it is absoolutely gorgeous it is worth mentioning that it only received a proper electricity connection in 2004. Not only that, there are 2 villages sharing land with an active vulcano who spits out clouds of smoke every 15 minutes, and occasionally decides to do a bit of erupting as well. The beaches are black and overall there is a very “vulcanic” feeling to the island. According to its inhabitants ( and the guide) Stromboli is peaceful and lives in harmony with its inhabitants. They call it “Iddu”, whether that has any particular meaning…. I don’t know.

Strombolicchio – in all its beauty. The “little Stomboli” is right next door its big brother and worth a visit. Steps lead up to the top and boats can not actually throw their anchor down because it’s too deep. Great snorkeling and diving place with crystal clear blue water.

It’s hard to see , but those two little figures on the top are Dada and Mat on the top of Strombolicchio.

And some more random pictures

Scia di Fuoco ( Stromboli) It still smokes!!!

This is us in the middle of the sea, dragged by the catamaran. What a giggle when all 6 of us where hanging there…you do not want to know how much water I ended up drinking. Apparently, so we got told later, at this point the waters were actually about 1000m deep. Nice….I’m just very glad Massimo didn’t tell us beforehand.

Lipari – Marina Corta

So….while I am waiting for the others to terminate their second week on Mediterranea and receive the other thousand pictures, I have tried to give you a small impression of a truly wonderful week. Some other stories will follow, right now I just can’t think properly about everything that happened. My return to London has been slightly traumatising, not only did we almost miss the return flight from Catania ( watch Italians load a ferry with cars and you know what I’m talking about!!) but once back in town I was not impressed by the horrible rain and cold weather and a very busy week at work. But, the weekend is near and tomorrow I’ll be heading to Heathrow once more. I really must be loving that airport….well, this time I will be gone for only 2 days. Micha & Tim are getting married in Bremen ( Germany) and I surely can not miss that! Watch this space

To conclude this entry I would like to share a last impression of our “floating house”: Mediterranea in all its splendour.

Right…now I just need to make sure that my tan won’t wash off in the rain!!

Baci Tine