Italy
23 December 2010- February 22 2011
23 December 2010
Enroute Naval Support Activity Naples
Parked- NSA Naples
Enroute Naval Support Activity Naples
Parked- NSA Naples
23 December 2010- 22 January 2011
Back Home in Italy
Parked- Behind Rob Rabuse's house on the base
Back Home in Italy
Parked- Behind Rob Rabuse's house on the base
12 January 2011
Still in Naples and loving it. I walk over to the food court in the morning for a cappuccino and work on the internet. I am doing research for the next leg of our trip, including contacting all of the embassies to let them know what we are doing. I know someone in most of the embassies and claim press interest in the trip to get them to take care of us. Nothing motivates like press interest. I did write an article for MotorHome magazine that I hope will become 4 articles, 1. intro 2. Design 3. Building and then an article or multiple on the places we visit, the trip itself. I posted the video of building Shachagra on youtube so anyone can get at it if they know the name, just search Shachagra. Base paper did an interview yesterday. Charles and I have been getting lots of finish work done, some of the jobs that we rushed we are doing over and it really looks good. He goes to practice in the afternoon (still crushes them all) and does SAT prep and reading. Shannon spends all her time with her boyfriend (she still claims just friends, he's been accepted to USNA as well) and is going to Rome today for 3 days by herself. She turns 18 tomorrow and this is her present. Sounds adventurous, but she's done it many times and is staying in the B&B that we always stay in, we are friendly with the owners. I still think she'll be scared, which is good for her. Grace does school work and runs with the few friends that are still here. She wrote an article for "American Girl" magazine that I will cherish forever. Brings a tear to my eyes every time I read it. I think she was influenced by my article, but its all hers. Stef runs the children around, makes great meals and does the RV housewife thing. Shannon is at a high maintenance time in her life so its great that Stef is right there to help out and advise. I spend my time either online or in the base woodshop. We all go to the movies often, its close by and cheap. I think all the packages will arrive by the 16th which will really disappoint the children as we will be moving on, we may just stay a few days longer. I think I told you but we have an Internet phone- 440 709 6131. You can call and leave a message and we retrieve it from our computers just like a message machine. Its really convenient. Time to get back to work.
Still in Naples and loving it. I walk over to the food court in the morning for a cappuccino and work on the internet. I am doing research for the next leg of our trip, including contacting all of the embassies to let them know what we are doing. I know someone in most of the embassies and claim press interest in the trip to get them to take care of us. Nothing motivates like press interest. I did write an article for MotorHome magazine that I hope will become 4 articles, 1. intro 2. Design 3. Building and then an article or multiple on the places we visit, the trip itself. I posted the video of building Shachagra on youtube so anyone can get at it if they know the name, just search Shachagra. Base paper did an interview yesterday. Charles and I have been getting lots of finish work done, some of the jobs that we rushed we are doing over and it really looks good. He goes to practice in the afternoon (still crushes them all) and does SAT prep and reading. Shannon spends all her time with her boyfriend (she still claims just friends, he's been accepted to USNA as well) and is going to Rome today for 3 days by herself. She turns 18 tomorrow and this is her present. Sounds adventurous, but she's done it many times and is staying in the B&B that we always stay in, we are friendly with the owners. I still think she'll be scared, which is good for her. Grace does school work and runs with the few friends that are still here. She wrote an article for "American Girl" magazine that I will cherish forever. Brings a tear to my eyes every time I read it. I think she was influenced by my article, but its all hers. Stef runs the children around, makes great meals and does the RV housewife thing. Shannon is at a high maintenance time in her life so its great that Stef is right there to help out and advise. I spend my time either online or in the base woodshop. We all go to the movies often, its close by and cheap. I think all the packages will arrive by the 16th which will really disappoint the children as we will be moving on, we may just stay a few days longer. I think I told you but we have an Internet phone- 440 709 6131. You can call and leave a message and we retrieve it from our computers just like a message machine. Its really convenient. Time to get back to work.
19 January 2011
We are getting ready to get back on the road with the RV in much better shape then ever and the children "socialized." Listening to Charles's new CD that sounds like gangster rap, makes me want to get going. It will be hard to leave the security of the base, but we didn't build this thing to get rent free lodging on the base. Though we live the most stress free lives I know, movies, visiting friends, bowling, there is apprehension mixed in small doses with the excitement of the upcoming portion of the trip. We are headed into the wilds. Thank G-d we have such a good eat safety net here with the military bases. We'll travel south one day before we can stop at another base! When we are in Turkey we will always be within one days drive of the Air Force base in Incirlik on the East side of the country, perfect position to stock up halfway through the toughest part of the trip. The sequence of this trip make it so much easier, trip to Montana, 3 months in "easy" countries" a month resting and making adjustments, a month in sunny Sicily before heading East into Asia. We accomplished much in the last 3 weeks -Trim around the stateroom door, curved laminates -Re-installed all the cabinets for better fit -Touched up all the paint, faired all the rough areas -Put a second fiberglass coat on the tub floor -Completely rebuilt the fireplace surround, lined with fiberboard and aluminum -Emptied and organized, mailed some stuff home we didn't need -Installed alarm and new lock on back door -Removed the bike racks (we'll leave the tandem here and store the small bikes inside) -Added reflective tape around outside Went to lots of movies, received packages (thanks Dad) wrote, downloaded, copied and generally kept busy the entire time. We await only two things- the registration and a card I ordered for my new camera. The camera is amazing! Imbedded GPS (when I download the pictures they appear on a map where they were taken) Panoramic shots, you sweep the camera across the horizon and it takes a picture of the entire panorama, HD video, and the coolest of all- when I take shots in very low light (in a church) it rapidly takes ten pictures, somehow processes them into one and you have a clear sharp picture exactly as you see it with your eyes. I used to take 20 shots and take the best one, which wouldn't compare with the one shot I take now. Great new toy. We haven't connected to an external electrical source in over a month (40 days) but have gotten into a bad habit of not checking the voltage regularly and find that we have gotten low (about 1/2) so may want to plug in before we leave. Today is a busy day. The family is touring in the rental, and I will start to wrap up here. I am installing a pump that will draw water from a non pressurized source. That way if we don't have connectors or the water source doesn't have a hose connection we can draw it into a bucket and pump it up to the tank. The original idea was to have Charles haul water in with 5 gallon cans. We did that once and it takes a long time to haul 320 gallons 5 gallons at a time. I hope to install a blower fan that draws air from the space surrounding the fireplace flue pushing it to the front of the cabin. This will distribute the heat, it gets really nice in the back while the front is still cold, but mainly it will draw heat away the ceiling above the fireplace- I would never turn the fireplace up for fear of that area getting too hot. Now we will be able to turn up the heat just as we transition to good weather. Last but not least I will change the filter on the hot tub before Shannon sees how gross it is! I'm off to work, they are walking out the door.
We are getting ready to get back on the road with the RV in much better shape then ever and the children "socialized." Listening to Charles's new CD that sounds like gangster rap, makes me want to get going. It will be hard to leave the security of the base, but we didn't build this thing to get rent free lodging on the base. Though we live the most stress free lives I know, movies, visiting friends, bowling, there is apprehension mixed in small doses with the excitement of the upcoming portion of the trip. We are headed into the wilds. Thank G-d we have such a good eat safety net here with the military bases. We'll travel south one day before we can stop at another base! When we are in Turkey we will always be within one days drive of the Air Force base in Incirlik on the East side of the country, perfect position to stock up halfway through the toughest part of the trip. The sequence of this trip make it so much easier, trip to Montana, 3 months in "easy" countries" a month resting and making adjustments, a month in sunny Sicily before heading East into Asia. We accomplished much in the last 3 weeks -Trim around the stateroom door, curved laminates -Re-installed all the cabinets for better fit -Touched up all the paint, faired all the rough areas -Put a second fiberglass coat on the tub floor -Completely rebuilt the fireplace surround, lined with fiberboard and aluminum -Emptied and organized, mailed some stuff home we didn't need -Installed alarm and new lock on back door -Removed the bike racks (we'll leave the tandem here and store the small bikes inside) -Added reflective tape around outside Went to lots of movies, received packages (thanks Dad) wrote, downloaded, copied and generally kept busy the entire time. We await only two things- the registration and a card I ordered for my new camera. The camera is amazing! Imbedded GPS (when I download the pictures they appear on a map where they were taken) Panoramic shots, you sweep the camera across the horizon and it takes a picture of the entire panorama, HD video, and the coolest of all- when I take shots in very low light (in a church) it rapidly takes ten pictures, somehow processes them into one and you have a clear sharp picture exactly as you see it with your eyes. I used to take 20 shots and take the best one, which wouldn't compare with the one shot I take now. Great new toy. We haven't connected to an external electrical source in over a month (40 days) but have gotten into a bad habit of not checking the voltage regularly and find that we have gotten low (about 1/2) so may want to plug in before we leave. Today is a busy day. The family is touring in the rental, and I will start to wrap up here. I am installing a pump that will draw water from a non pressurized source. That way if we don't have connectors or the water source doesn't have a hose connection we can draw it into a bucket and pump it up to the tank. The original idea was to have Charles haul water in with 5 gallon cans. We did that once and it takes a long time to haul 320 gallons 5 gallons at a time. I hope to install a blower fan that draws air from the space surrounding the fireplace flue pushing it to the front of the cabin. This will distribute the heat, it gets really nice in the back while the front is still cold, but mainly it will draw heat away the ceiling above the fireplace- I would never turn the fireplace up for fear of that area getting too hot. Now we will be able to turn up the heat just as we transition to good weather. Last but not least I will change the filter on the hot tub before Shannon sees how gross it is! I'm off to work, they are walking out the door.
23 January 2011
Ferry to Messina Sicily
Parked- Parking lot near Ferry Landing
Ferry to Messina Sicily
Parked- Parking lot near Ferry Landing
We are on the road finally and in Messina Sicily. We got on the road yesterday about noon feeling pretty good about the condition of the house. When we pulled into Naples 3 weeks ago we had no locks, the steps wouldn't extend and we were cold. Now the weather is great, the steps work, the locks work, we have many new presents we got in the mail and we feel more secure with a new security system. We have alarms on all the doors and large deadbolts on the cabin door. Driving down from Naples yesterday we ran into a big snowstorm in the mountains. The police closed the highway, and somehow we got back onto it a few exits down, after winding our way on mountain roads. We had the highway to ourselves, just us and the snowplows. The truck does well in snow and we were out of the bad weather once we descended. We spent the night in a rest stop. Shannon is feeling glum leaving her boyfriend in Naples, but she fells worst about felling bad when she is setting out on a great adventure. We hit the road early this morning and loaded onto a boat at about 1100 for the 20 minute transit to Sicily. It is amazing that there is no bridge, the distance across the strait of Messina is a stones throw. If Vermont was a mile offshore I'm pretty sure we would have a bridge running to it. But if there was a bridge the ferry couldn't charge us 177 Euro ($250) for the crossing. Return ticket, but still expensive. I'm sure the Mafia has something to do with lack of bridge. We planned to visit the museum in Messina and then move on today, but the museum is closed (Sunday) and we found a great place to park right along the water with a great view. We walked through the city, visited the Duomo (church) and will visit the museum tomorrow. We are heading to the museum early tomorrow. The plan is to work our way around the Island counterclockwise, stopping at the Navy base in Sigonella just before we head for Albania. Charles just finished doing his rounds. He is the RV engineer. Onboard ship they call them the Chief Engineer, Cheng. Our Cheng is a Charles Engineer. I found that as I get more confidence in the systems I check on them less and less. The first two weeks in Naples the sun was out everyday and I didn't have to worry about power. I got so used to not worrying that when the battery started to drop, it took me by surprise. At first I thought something was wrong, but realized I hadn't checked in over a week. We were parked next to the base Commanding Officer's quarters, a friend from USNA, so we just plugged into his house to charge up. Now I have Charles check all the systems everyday and record levels and condition. That way I can get one report everyday with all the info that I probably wouldn't take the time to check myself. Just like on a ship, I should make Shannon do it to get her ready for the Navy. I had Charles do a math project for me, simple request, but difficult to solve. We have a rear diesel tank that I had made a dipstick for. I needed him to mark the percentage levels of the diesel so that when he pulled the dipstick he could tell me how much fuel remained, say 60%. The difficult part is that the tank is irregularly shaped and the dipstick went into the tank at an angle. I figured out the answer and had him work it to practice his trig. His solution was different then mine, but mine was wrong! He is a smart kid.
24 January 2011
Explore Messina
Parked- Rest Stop just outside Messina
Explore Messina
Parked- Rest Stop just outside Messina
25 January 2011
Patti Sicilly, Exploring Greek and Roman Ruins
Roman Villa, Black Madonna, Greek city
Parked- Side Street with view of Andamen Sea
Patti Sicilly, Exploring Greek and Roman Ruins
Roman Villa, Black Madonna, Greek city
Parked- Side Street with view of Andamen Sea
We are parked at the end of an ugly industrial road in the city of Patti. The road is dirt, lined with ceramics factories, most abandoned, all run down, but the road ends at the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Gulf of Patti and it is beautiful. When we back into a spot all we see from the dinette area is what's behind us, in this case paradise. We look out to the Islands of Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli, where we sailed two years ago, and where the Romans fought Carthage in a great Naval battle 1268 years ago. The Greeks settled Tyndaris in 396 and by 254 (BC) it was a Roman area. The Carthaginians held the Island just offshore and were starting to use the mainland for trade. So they battled. The Carthaginians were just passing by so the Romans set out for their ships, maybe camped at the exact spot Grace studies her English, and after heavy losses, maybe right out there where the Sicilians fish, chased them off to the Aeolian Islands. The spot where Grace now studies English. Yesterday was epic, best day of the trip. Sun, warmth, good sights and no stress. We woke in a rest stop, dumped "Black Water" filled already nearly full water tanks and set off for sightseeing. I had a full day with no thought to doing any work on the RV, there is jobs to be done but they are so minor they don't bother me. In one day we saw a Greek Amphitheater, a Roman Villa, and a Pagan Temple. The Amphitheater sits up 540 feet on a cliff near the sea, and is from the original colony in the area. It had the first Greek Villas we have seen, and they look exactly Roman. The Pagan Temple was built in the 20th century within the wall of the Greek Colony by Italian Catholics to honor and house the statue of the Black Madonna. It is so Pagan as to be laughable, they don't even pretend to be Monotheistic, there is almost no notice or mention of the Father, the Son and and the Holy Spirit, which is pretty crowded already for my tastes. The culture has been comfortable with a Mother Earth Icon since they prayed to Isis and Christ must not fulfill their Pagan needs so they found their Isis, Dianna We walked up the mountain to visit the Amphitheater and Temple leaving the RV in a parking lot down the hill a bit. After lunch Grace and I took the Vespa back up to the top to take some pictures and when we returned we had two puppy friends that had followed Shannon home from a run. Grace and Charles had a blast laying around with the puppies, Shannon's fear of germs has overcome her warmth for dogs so she missed out. Mid afternoon we packed up the truck and drove to the Roman Villa, finding this perfect spot to park while we visited, and spend the night. We had planned to move to a rest stop down the highway- they really are nice, parklike settings.
26 January 2011
Cefalu Sicily
Depart Patti, Drive to Cefalu
Parked- Small pullout above the city
Cefalu Sicily
Depart Patti, Drive to Cefalu
Parked- Small pullout above the city
Parked in a pull-off overlooking the city of Cefalu, a big tourist attraction in Sicily but I am wondering why- beautiful yes, but not much to see. (That may have seem a contradiction) We are getting good at finding the great spot, stayed off any road that restricted trucks and though we started to go away from the city, we found a spot above it where tour buses park while waiting for tourists, 1.7 mies from town center. When we walked to town last night we were so happy we hadn't tried to get closer. The town was a bit disappointing, just tourist shops and a Duomo. This is a town that is best from the distance we are at, picturesque but uninteresting. We were going to drop the vespa and ride back in but have decided to move on. We have found that there are no WiFi spots available here in Sicily, plenty of Internet spots but they have computers and don't allow you to connect your computer to it. We have to change our method of E-mail. Instead of stopping at McDonald's or Starbucks with our laptops, we will have to download everything onto a USB drive to upload on the Internet computer and send that way. An Iphone with Internet would sure come in handy here. We can still message via Kindle.
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27 January 2011
Explored Cefalu, early morning pictures then on the road
Parked- Rest area near Termini Imerese
Explored Cefalu, early morning pictures then on the road
Parked- Rest area near Termini Imerese
28 January 2011
Termini Imerese/Bagheria
Civic Museum, Duomo, Ruins of Salunto, Villa Palagonia (Monster house)
Parked- Alongside a cemetery
Termini Imerese/Bagheria
Civic Museum, Duomo, Ruins of Salunto, Villa Palagonia (Monster house)
Parked- Alongside a cemetery
29 January 2011
Palermo
Norman Palace, Walking tour, Duomo, Cloister, Archeological and Art Museums
Parked-Along Via Padre Messina Giovanni
Palermo
Norman Palace, Walking tour, Duomo, Cloister, Archeological and Art Museums
Parked-Along Via Padre Messina Giovanni
30 January 2011
Palermo
Lunch at
Parked- Same spot
Palermo
Lunch at
Parked- Same spot
We are camped in a park just outside of downtown Palermo, about 1 mile from the town center. Actually if you look at a map we are about as close to center city as we can be, right on the coast. Its a great place, close, flat, beautiful, but it was really loud last night. I think that every moron with a loud car stereo and fancy lights brings his junker to that park on Saturday night to out blast each other. They were amazingly loud. There are 4 other RVs parked in the same area, but ours sure does attract a crowd. Stef hates it and pulls the shades down grumbling about the lack of courtesy those gawkers show, I just sit outside a way off and watch them. I don't think it surprising or a showing in lack of class for people to look, we're the ones who have parked a massive truck unlike anything they have seen, with weird plates from some country called Ohio. If we wanted to draw any more attention to ourselves we'd have to join the stereo blasting competition. We'd turn on our stereo and blow the little cars every which way. We toured Palermo yesterday, amazing history, Carthaginian, Roman, Moorish, Norman, Spanish, French and then Italian. No wonder they barely tolerate the law, and impose a law of their own via the mafia. This is a third world country, any place the size of Vermont that doesn't have a starbucks or mcdonalds has something seriously wrong with it trade and economy. This place is living in the 1920s with loud stereos and cars. They buy all of their food at markets, there are no supermarkets. There is something to be said for this, but also there must be a reason for it- I don't think companies want to deal with the mafia here, and there is no way around it here. It is much cleaner than Naples, and the people are far more law abiding, they seem to follow the rules, but who sets them is the question. I am in a fancy NH hotel across the street from where we are parked. It was the only place in the city I could find wireless, so I pretend I am staying here and work in the lounge. I still had to pay 18 Euro for 24 hours of Internet. Its a crime. I am downloading some episodes of the office and some guitar lessons and taking the opportunity to upload some videos we made onto youtube-
31 January 2011
Monreal/Segesta Stuck in mud
Parked- Segesta, Base of the Temple
Monreal/Segesta Stuck in mud
Parked- Segesta, Base of the Temple
1 February 2011
Segesta
Parked- Base of the Temple
Segesta
Parked- Base of the Temple
2 February 2011
Segesta
Parked- Moved to nearby mountaintop
Segesta
Parked- Moved to nearby mountaintop
3 February 2011
Segesta
Lazy rainy day
Segesta
Lazy rainy day
My boy turns 16 today. Stef says he is now her Man son, Charles Manson. He’s a lucky boy. No gifts here to give him but the TR-6 back home is his.
We are parked in the best spot yet, on a hilltop, near a resort that is closed for the winter (we think) overlooking the Greek Ruins of the temple at Segesta, It is amazing and have decided to stay another day just to hike the hills and look out the windows. It has been rainy lately but the sun is out right now and the solar panels are pumping over 100 Amps into the batteries, that's equal to a 1200W generator running for free, and in Feb! We are doing well in all things except our holding tank is pretty full, so we have to pull out tomorrow and find a dump. Shachagra Vital statistics are great, as is my blood pressure.
We are just spending the day inside waiting out the rain and reading, not a bad way to spend the day. We are still at the Greek Temple of Segesta, near the West Coast of Sicily waiting for the weather to turn so we can spend the day exploring the various ruins in descent weather. We are really lucky we have the luxury to just wait a day. As I write this the sun is starting to break through, at 1418 in the afternoon. This is beautiful country, I can see why the Greeks settled here, but can't figure out why it stayed so desolate after that, there is nothing around here but hills , an occasional farmhouse and shepherds. We didn't get much sun today but we were able to fill the watertanks with the rain that pours off the back of the RV, I'm glad I built in a drip edge along the back. It drops into the 5 gallon bucket and Charles dumps it in the tank. We didn't fill up completely but almost. In a heavy rain I could fill that tank in no time. I think I'll make a way to catch it and have it run directly into the tank- it would be easy and I'd get about 150 gallons for every inch of rain. Grace and Charles are up in the front reading in parents stateroom, they enjoy the sound of the rain on the roof you get up front, the rest of us are in the back with the fire, we lit it today, not because we needed it, but because it is so nice to read by. It has been raining lots lately, We got stuck the other day pulling off a dirt road to turn around. hard to explain how but it seemed we were sucked off the road. At first I just pulled the front off the road, but then couldn't maneuver because the truck wouldn't respond at all to steering, front tires just sliding in the deep ruts we made, not allowing me to back up because of a wall that blocked maneuvering. We did hit the wall and crunched a big chunk in the back edge (already has been fixed and filled) I finally decided the only way out was to drive over the field a short way to another dirt track- big mistake and we were stuck. Luckily some workers at the Temple saw the whole thing and came over to help, I didn't have any straps to pull us out (will get some quick) and they spent an hour tracking some down. I burrowed under into the mud to attach them to the axle, they flagged a passing truck, a huge 4 axle dump truck, and pulled us back onto the road. Even after we were on the road we had to drive very carefully as the mud was like axle grease. The Sicilians wouldn't take money or wine for payment, but I gave them all big heartfelt Italian hugs, they would have probably preferred a hug from Stef. Once again the locals have been very friendly and helpful. Grace was reading and didn't realize what had happened! Up until the point I was axle deep in mud, the day had been going very well. We stopped and toured a Cathedral in Monreale, just South of Palermo. It was pretty impressive, the entire thing was huge mosaics of bible stories. Interesting that it was a perfect example of what the Church thought acceptable in putting up images in the 8th century. Before then they were not allowed to display Icons or images in church. The second council of Nicaea, reversed this and Monreale was built shortly re-splendid with bible stories. Interesting reading the councils words from 754 that "it is proper to accord to them a fervent and reverent adoration, not, however, the veritable worship which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine Being alone." They would be interested to see the worship to the "Black madonna" we see in Italy. They have eliminated the Divine Being, and the Mother of Christ, and pray to a wooden figure that is claimed to have performed miracles. These verified by the Catholic Church! Oh me of little faith. But I did like that cathedral.
We are parked in the best spot yet, on a hilltop, near a resort that is closed for the winter (we think) overlooking the Greek Ruins of the temple at Segesta, It is amazing and have decided to stay another day just to hike the hills and look out the windows. It has been rainy lately but the sun is out right now and the solar panels are pumping over 100 Amps into the batteries, that's equal to a 1200W generator running for free, and in Feb! We are doing well in all things except our holding tank is pretty full, so we have to pull out tomorrow and find a dump. Shachagra Vital statistics are great, as is my blood pressure.
We are just spending the day inside waiting out the rain and reading, not a bad way to spend the day. We are still at the Greek Temple of Segesta, near the West Coast of Sicily waiting for the weather to turn so we can spend the day exploring the various ruins in descent weather. We are really lucky we have the luxury to just wait a day. As I write this the sun is starting to break through, at 1418 in the afternoon. This is beautiful country, I can see why the Greeks settled here, but can't figure out why it stayed so desolate after that, there is nothing around here but hills , an occasional farmhouse and shepherds. We didn't get much sun today but we were able to fill the watertanks with the rain that pours off the back of the RV, I'm glad I built in a drip edge along the back. It drops into the 5 gallon bucket and Charles dumps it in the tank. We didn't fill up completely but almost. In a heavy rain I could fill that tank in no time. I think I'll make a way to catch it and have it run directly into the tank- it would be easy and I'd get about 150 gallons for every inch of rain. Grace and Charles are up in the front reading in parents stateroom, they enjoy the sound of the rain on the roof you get up front, the rest of us are in the back with the fire, we lit it today, not because we needed it, but because it is so nice to read by. It has been raining lots lately, We got stuck the other day pulling off a dirt road to turn around. hard to explain how but it seemed we were sucked off the road. At first I just pulled the front off the road, but then couldn't maneuver because the truck wouldn't respond at all to steering, front tires just sliding in the deep ruts we made, not allowing me to back up because of a wall that blocked maneuvering. We did hit the wall and crunched a big chunk in the back edge (already has been fixed and filled) I finally decided the only way out was to drive over the field a short way to another dirt track- big mistake and we were stuck. Luckily some workers at the Temple saw the whole thing and came over to help, I didn't have any straps to pull us out (will get some quick) and they spent an hour tracking some down. I burrowed under into the mud to attach them to the axle, they flagged a passing truck, a huge 4 axle dump truck, and pulled us back onto the road. Even after we were on the road we had to drive very carefully as the mud was like axle grease. The Sicilians wouldn't take money or wine for payment, but I gave them all big heartfelt Italian hugs, they would have probably preferred a hug from Stef. Once again the locals have been very friendly and helpful. Grace was reading and didn't realize what had happened! Up until the point I was axle deep in mud, the day had been going very well. We stopped and toured a Cathedral in Monreale, just South of Palermo. It was pretty impressive, the entire thing was huge mosaics of bible stories. Interesting that it was a perfect example of what the Church thought acceptable in putting up images in the 8th century. Before then they were not allowed to display Icons or images in church. The second council of Nicaea, reversed this and Monreale was built shortly re-splendid with bible stories. Interesting reading the councils words from 754 that "it is proper to accord to them a fervent and reverent adoration, not, however, the veritable worship which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine Being alone." They would be interested to see the worship to the "Black madonna" we see in Italy. They have eliminated the Divine Being, and the Mother of Christ, and pray to a wooden figure that is claimed to have performed miracles. These verified by the Catholic Church! Oh me of little faith. But I did like that cathedral.
4 -5 February 2011
Kamini Camp
Kamini Camp
6-9 February 2011
Secca Grande
Secca Grande
We have 4 new dogs at our latest spot on the beach. They just hang around, follow us everywhere and lay in the sun with the girls. Loyalty at the cost of a belly scratch. They aren't hungry and look healthy so I wonder where they eat. We also have new German neighbors from Dresdan, and two RVs of retired Italians. Yesterday about 1100 in the span of 1/2 hour the beach filled up with RVs. They are interesting people, the Germans, Gabby and Jonsig, are about our age and on a year sabbatical from work as a mechanic, and bank clerk touring Europe. They have been on the road since May, 9 month. We haven't discussed where they have gone but we did visit with the Italians last night to discuss their RV trip through Turkey. They showed us a very very long video he (Paulo) made while we followed along with a map. They claim it was very easy, the people extremely hospitable and we saw from the pictures how beautiful it was. The parking was easy and they claim WiFi is everywhere and free. They went nearly as far as we did, and in a normal little RV. They are on their way to Jordan via Turkey and Syria next. Pretty cool. It was really good to get hints from them and it makes the trip seem so much easier, more a vacation than an adventure. We have been doing nothing the last 3 days, a daily Vespa run into town to buy food, then back for reading. Today may be our last here, we will return to the RV park to fill up, a shame as we;re still at 80% and to use Internet. I will work the tips we got last night into our trip planning today and get back on the road soon.
10 February 2011
Kamini Camp
Kamini Camp
11 February 2011
Agrigento
Temple of Concord, Valley of the Temples, Archeological Museum, Casa Museo di Luigi Pirandello, Night fair
Parked- Roadside just outside of city
Agrigento
Temple of Concord, Valley of the Temples, Archeological Museum, Casa Museo di Luigi Pirandello, Night fair
Parked- Roadside just outside of city
12-14 February 2011
Villa Romana de Casale in Piazza Armerina (closed) Drive to Sig
Sigonella Naval Station
Parked- Next to baseball field
Villa Romana de Casale in Piazza Armerina (closed) Drive to Sig
Sigonella Naval Station
Parked- Next to baseball field
15 February 2011
Siracusa
Parked-
Siracusa
Parked-
16 February 2011
Siracusa
Siracusa
17-18 February 2011
Sigonella Naval Station
Sigonella Naval Station
19 February
Taormina/Drive to Messina
Taormina, Greek Theater,
Rest Stop North Messina
Taormina/Drive to Messina
Taormina, Greek Theater,
Rest Stop North Messina
20 February 2011
Ferry/Drive out of Italy
Parked-Along road at Taranto Bay
Ferry/Drive out of Italy
Parked-Along road at Taranto Bay
21 February 2011
Castel Del Monte
Parked- Castel Del Monte
Castel Del Monte
Parked- Castel Del Monte
22 February 2011
Bari
Parked- Ferry to Albania
Bari
Parked- Ferry to Albania
Walking around the dock I can already see the orient. Truck drivers who are on their way to Turkey listen to oriental music and eat from little picnic boxes they have attached to the trucks, complete with stove for a really good smelling hot meal. We are parked in Bari Italy waiting for the ferry to Albania. I was attempting to talk with 3 Iranian Truck Drivers, they were trying to tell me that "washington and Tehran" smacking their fists together, Washington and Iran fight, but "America and Iran Amigos" the people are friends. They were really enthusiastically nice, I don't think they speak with Americans very often. We arrived about 12 hours early after spending the night at a nearby 13th century castle, Castel Del Monte, a one time seat of the Holy Roman Empire and now off in the boondocks. We are going to walk around the city of Bari before we have to line up to load the boat at 1930 tonight. The ship gets underway at 2300, and pulls in tomorrow at 0700. We just go to bed in the RV, wake up, get our passports stamped and be on our way. It is important for us to go to Albania and get our passport stamped because we are only allowed to stay for 90 days in "Schengen" countries. These are mainly EU countries that have dropped borders altogether and do not require you to enter officially. It makes travel easy except for that 90 day limit. UK isn't part of the Schengen agreement, and neither is Albania, since we left UK 3 Dec, we have until 3 Mar to get to Albania to stop the 90 days. You can turn right back around and reenter the Schengen country, but we'll press on to Turkey, I have a friend who lives in Naples with his family, wife works for the DOD schools, and as he isn't "sponsored" by the military, he's officially only visiting his family, he has to fly to London every 90 days for his stay in Italy to remain legal. We'll be legal the entire time, but we can't enter the next Schengen country on our route (except a week or so in Greece) which is Hungary until May 10 and shouldn't be a problem.
