Thursday June 13 Siracusa
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| Huge selection at the food market. |
Just a little cooler overnight thankfully
and very pleasantly warm at 9 when Claud took us into Ortigia (which I spelt
wrong in yesterday’s blog!) in his very nice van sign written with “Claud’s
Car! He arranged with a friend who runs a tourist booth and speaks English for
her to phone when we are ready to come home.
He dropped us off near the fresh food markets in Ortigia. What a great
place as we meandered through the street lined with every type of food stall you
could imagine. The fish stalls were amazing with so many different types of
fish available, most of which I had no idea what they were. And lots of tuna
which is caught in Sicily. Huge amounts of beautiful fruit and a huge variety
of vegetables. And the nuts, grains and spices were laid out in huge
containers. Such a great start to the day. I can imagine my foodie friends (eh
Lynda!) not wanting to leave!
Continued walking through the
little streets to the centre of the island and the Duomo surrounded by the huge
marble piazza. The Duomo has been built on the skeleton of a 5th
century BC Greek temple. The baroque façade was added in the 17th century
and is quite spectacular. I had a good look inside with its slighty faded
fresco painted ceilings.
After our long day yesterday, we
were feeling a little weary… a good excuse to stop for an Italian coffee and a croissant,
mine was filled with ricotta, superb. Refreshed we walked around the island
which ended up being much further than we expected but certainly needed the
exercise. The water around the rocky shore is vibrant blue and green and a number
of people were swimming.
It was starting to get quite warm
although the cooling breeze coming off the sea was very welcome. Made it back
to the market area and a sidewalk café under the trees with a nice breeze
blowing. Perfect to relax over an Aperol Spritzer (getting addicted to these!)
which was served with a large platter of nibbles included tuna pate. Ian opted
for a second one while I had a Caprese style salad with two large buffalo mozzarella
balls. Superb. Our hard case waiter (who spoke quite good English) turned out
to be a rugby player playing for a team in Siracusa. Carlos Spencer is his
hero! So pleasant to relax and watch the passing people. Made it back to our rendezvous
point by mid afternoon and Claud arrived to pick us up. It really is a great
service and only €2.50 return per person.
It has been such a great day,
especially enjoyable after yesterday!!
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| The lady in orange! |
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| Salted capers |
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| Great menu of the day. |
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| There were also lots of other market stalls. This lady was setting up for the day. |
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| Faded facade. |
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| Piazza del Duomu |
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| Interior ceilings of the Duomu |
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| Ian thought he could make use of one of these at the lake...what do you think Daisy, suitable for a church vehicle? |
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| Rather grand super yacht, checked it out and it was launched in 2012 at a coast of US$120 and is owned by a Russian businessman. |
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| Yummy salad |
Comments
the Tarawera Height members of the congregation
Daisy
Sherry