Day 20 - Sicily, Italy

Today we headed out fairly early for our token beach day. We were in Sicily today, which is the ball at the end of the boot, as one of our friends pointed out! The beach was sandy and hot; we enjoyed a few hours of sun, and all splashed and swam about. We also saw Mount Etna, a still active volcano. No lava was visible or anything though… Our beach outing included a drink and snack, though this was one place where English wasn’t the first or second language! It was an interesting experience trying to order our beverages. Then we decided we were hungry, so in I went to place our order. I did manage to order in my extremely broken Italian, and I even managed to get us coffees in the process! Though after obtaining said coffees, a small Italian boy ran into my arm and I proceeded to spill on of the drinks on the floor. He profusely apologized in Italian, to which I replied in English that it was ok. Then I think I was the topic of much speculation among the young boys as I am fairly certain they were all talking about me given their gesturing!

The bus trip back was one of the worst in my recent history. I started to get a migraine before boarding and then the bus was about 40 degrees and the road was very windy. I got extremely motion sick extremely fast! I was almost certain I was about to repeat my Mexico trip from so long ago. However, I did manage to make it all the way back to the ship without embarrassing myself, and into bed for a much needed rest. After resting we got ready and headed to our sommelier dinner. I have to say the people we ended up sitting with were some of the most interesting and enjoyable dinner companions I have ever encountered. They were a lovely gay couple with their daughter, who is also one of the dancers on the ship. Then we were sitting near our party planner Mary and her friend Jay. Mary is the one who introduces all the activities around the ship and makes sure people are participating and enjoying themselves. We met her during the first half, and have been visiting her since. Her friend joined us in Venice and we have been hanging out a bit with her, as she is a bit bored on occasion while Mary is working. Deb, Alexis, and their daughter Erica were great to talk to, and we had a very animated discussion all through dinner. Mary then convinced us all to take part in the Marriage game that she was hosting.

Geoff and I didn’t make the final cut, but the contestants were absolutely hilarious!! Afterwards we headed to the deck to watch the still active volcano Stromboli from the back of the ship. This was one of the coolest things I have ever seen! We could actually see the lava form the top of the volcano. I’ll never forget that scene. On our way to Pompeii to see the sights I have always wanted to see. Pompeii is on my bucket list and has been for a while.