Anyways, it arrived and we went to our sleeper cars, which was fantastic. It was so nice to travel and be able to lay in a bed. We got situated and met the girls in the car next to us, chatted for a while then tried to settle in for the night.
We woke up the next morning to the train getting on a ferry. Yes, you read correctly, the train drove right onto the boat. How crazy? After the train arrived in Taromina, we jumped off and hopped on the a double-decker pink and black tour bus, it was perfect! We drove into the town, parked and walked to the center of town where the Duomo (the cities biggest/central church) is located. Stopping on the way for the best cannolis in the world! It was at this first stop we realized the rich history that is Sicily.
For a while it was the center of the world, when the "world" was Rome. It played a huge part in trading. It was ruled by many different civilization, including the Greek, Arabs and Romans, which you can see in differences in architecture. I was awestruck at the idea that one country could be influenced by so many different cultures, religions and people.
After that a short history lesson with a great view, we headed to the beach. We had a chance to swim in the Mediterranean while looking at the Volcano that made Sicily. After we grab a bite to eat--we had really great pizza--we jumped back on our ostentatious bus and headed to Syracuse. We drove for 2 hours and then arrived at our hotel, which was right across the street from an amazing church.
We had a chance to shower and nap a little then we had a fantastic dinner--three courses, including shish kabobs, with meat I didn't know, but it was delicious. Then we treked to a bar, forty minutes away and had drinks. I thought I was ordering a vodka and sprite, so when they came out with just a shot, I was a little taken aback. But I just explained to my friends my ordering difficulties--they made me shoot it on principle. After that, we made started our journey home, where we fell asleep very quickly after a long few days.
The next day was where we had the chance to learn the most about the history and culture of Sicily. We toured around Syracuse. We visited catacombs, an ancient Greek theater (which looks like a coliseum), the Duomo and took a boat ride on the Mediterranean. It was a really great day. We had a great lunch in a little fish cafe--I am 95% sure they had just made the pasta by hand.
That night we had the typical Sicilian fish dinner, my favorite! They mixed tuna in with pasta and red sauce, a combination worth trying. A few of us went out to grab dessert and since we were in Sicily we had to have cannolis, but then someone mentioned how gelato is made differently depending on which region of Italy we were in and that we had to try it. So, I didn't bother stressing about which to have, I ate both!
The bus left early the next morning heading for Noto. Here there was a bike racing going on! We were able to see the Palace and an old school theater, gold paneling, red curtain and a fresco on the ceiling. The details in the theater we so perfect, it was my favorite stop of the whole trip. The square with the palace and theater was gorgeous, it was all white and perfectly clean-with great landscape. We had the afternoon free and stopped at a beach. It was a little cold so a few of us went to have a long lunch. I, being an adept orderer now, asked for fish and chips--perfect for Sicily. I ate the freshest fish I have ever had and had a HUGE plate of French fries...perfect.
We had one more stop before we reached the train station, the Cyclops coast. It gets is name from Greek mythology. We were standing in the place where some of the myths actually took place. This was an overwhelming thought. Being from such a young country it was hard to comprehend all the history and years of people who lived in this very city. We were able to climb up the castle to get a better view. A castle, a great view of the ocean, a mythological story and of course gelato, the trip could not have ended any better.
After that a short history lesson with a great view, we headed to the beach. We had a chance to swim in the Mediterranean while looking at the Volcano that made Sicily. After we grab a bite to eat--we had really great pizza--we jumped back on our ostentatious bus and headed to Syracuse. We drove for 2 hours and then arrived at our hotel, which was right across the street from an amazing church.
We had a chance to shower and nap a little then we had a fantastic dinner--three courses, including shish kabobs, with meat I didn't know, but it was delicious. Then we treked to a bar, forty minutes away and had drinks. I thought I was ordering a vodka and sprite, so when they came out with just a shot, I was a little taken aback. But I just explained to my friends my ordering difficulties--they made me shoot it on principle. After that, we made started our journey home, where we fell asleep very quickly after a long few days.
The next day was where we had the chance to learn the most about the history and culture of Sicily. We toured around Syracuse. We visited catacombs, an ancient Greek theater (which looks like a coliseum), the Duomo and took a boat ride on the Mediterranean. It was a really great day. We had a great lunch in a little fish cafe--I am 95% sure they had just made the pasta by hand.
That night we had the typical Sicilian fish dinner, my favorite! They mixed tuna in with pasta and red sauce, a combination worth trying. A few of us went out to grab dessert and since we were in Sicily we had to have cannolis, but then someone mentioned how gelato is made differently depending on which region of Italy we were in and that we had to try it. So, I didn't bother stressing about which to have, I ate both!
The bus left early the next morning heading for Noto. Here there was a bike racing going on! We were able to see the Palace and an old school theater, gold paneling, red curtain and a fresco on the ceiling. The details in the theater we so perfect, it was my favorite stop of the whole trip. The square with the palace and theater was gorgeous, it was all white and perfectly clean-with great landscape. We had the afternoon free and stopped at a beach. It was a little cold so a few of us went to have a long lunch. I, being an adept orderer now, asked for fish and chips--perfect for Sicily. I ate the freshest fish I have ever had and had a HUGE plate of French fries...perfect.
We had one more stop before we reached the train station, the Cyclops coast. It gets is name from Greek mythology. We were standing in the place where some of the myths actually took place. This was an overwhelming thought. Being from such a young country it was hard to comprehend all the history and years of people who lived in this very city. We were able to climb up the castle to get a better view. A castle, a great view of the ocean, a mythological story and of course gelato, the trip could not have ended any better.
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