Tunnels and Tenders and a crowded lift

 3 of the things Diva is most afraid of were part of the excursion to Taormina. She thought it was too choppy for safe tender transfer but the Captain disagreed and she was at the front of the queue before she realised that her first tender transfer this cruise would not be easy. The journey to Taormina involved 3 long road tunnels and a lift. On both the up and down lift journeys she managed to stand by the door so that she could be the first out.

Taormina itself is a pleasant town with many shops and restaurants. The Greek theatre is very atmospheric and both TSH and Diva got the classic picture of Etna between the theatre columns. Etna has quite deep snow on the top at the moment but it is not erupting.

The tours and bus system was very confusing. Multiple tours and buses (from different ships) with the same identification number. The bus park was designed for cars and the excellent driver had to drive (sometimes in reverse) between several metal support pillars which only just had space for the bus and its mirrors.

How do the Silver Moon seamen transfer all the guests safely between a bouncy tender and the ship and still have the energy and charm to say to each one ‘Welcome back to the ship’?

Volcanic ventures

Herculaneum, destroyed in the Vesuvius eruption of 79AD along with Pompeii, was a small but very prosperous town. It is a much smaller site than Pompeii and more of the buildings, along with some of their decoration, are still standing. An excellent guide really helped the visitors to understand what life was like. The visit is much easier than Pompeii because of the smaller size and the greater number of recognisable houses.

The Silver Spirit then anchored off Taormina in Sicily, providing excellent views of an erupting Etna. Intrepid TSH took the tender ashore to visit the volcano at close quarters, whilst Diva stayed on board. The tender ride was notable for being smooth.


He went to the Silvestri craters which are at 5,700 feet above sea level. The highest point of Etna is at nearly 11,000 feet but to progress any further up required a cable car ride and a further road trip which could not be completed in the time available. During the bus drive, he saw ash and lava  from many eruptions, including some this century. The walk round the extinct craters was interesting and provided views over a number of other craters and lava fields.


One enterprising “shepherd” was sitting by the path with a goat, posing for photographs – he appeared to be making quite a bit of money.


The drive up and down Etna was also interesting as a study of the behaviour of Italian drivers. The  road was very narrow in parts and one town was very busy because there was a festival.  At one stage the bus driver needed to ask a policeman for directions because of road closures. TSH learnt that rude gestures are universal.


Surprisingly, TSH saw at least one ladybird high up on Etna.

Magnificent sunset over Etna before an Indochine dinner.