Here are a few glimpses from my pre-summer vacation. Because photos take awhile to load, I'm posting them in three groups. The first group of photos is from Taormina.
I'm always fascinated by the ingenuity of artists. I took this photo of an acrylic and bronze peacock through a store window. Slices of blood oranges were set in acrylic to make up the feathers of the peacock.
Amazing, huh?
While in Taormina, we took a day tour to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, location of an archeological site with a well-preserved Greek temple, Tempio della Concordia. Seeing the temples was great, but getting there was just as fascinating. They took us through the Sicilian countryside and showed us wheat fields, vineyards, old farms, etc. The landscape looks a lot like California--beautiful countryside.
This is a photo of the Teatro Greco (Greek Theatre) in Taormina. The theatre was built in the Hellenistic age, then was almost completely rebuilt in the Roman period when it became an arena for gladiatorial combat. In the background is Giardini-Naxos, the first Greek colony in Siciliy, and to the right you can see the faint outline of Mt. Etna. The theatre is still used for concerts and other live performances. Great back-drop, huh?
This is a photo of the famous Wunderbar bar (it's the one just to the right of the clock tower). This is where we watched the bridal parties posing for their pictures at sunset. It's also where we paid $26 for two martinis! I think they call it Wunderbar because afterwards you're "wundering" where all your money went!
This is one of the many multi-level streets branching off of Corso Umberto (main street in Taormina); to the left is the street leading to the Teatro Greco.
This is a photo of the Porto Catania (named for the principal city south of Taormina), which is the southern gate to the pedestrian street, Corso Umberto. Porta Messina, named for the principal city to the north of Taormina, is located at the other end of Corso Umberto. One morning we had breakfast at the "bar" in the foreground (bars are open all day and can serve alcohol, coffee, breakfast, and lunch, as well as snacks).
Here's a view from Piazza 9 Aprile; as you can see the town is located quite high above the sea.
This was one of the glorious sunrises we witnessed from the terrazza of our hotel room in Taormina. When I look at this photo, I can hear the songbirds (and the occasional rooster!). I have this photo on my desktop and when I logon I just get a very warm and calm feeling...
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