With the gorgeous weather we’ve been having, we had one goal in mind for today: to take the train to Taormina, the town perched in the mountains overlooking the Central Sicilian coast. We had been there with friends Paul and Marlene in December two years ago, but our time then was limited and the weather was understandably colder. Today we were determined to be off the ship as soon as it was cleared by the local authorities.
Panaroma view of Messina, Sicily
(touch to open and scroll on an iPad, Mom)
To that end, we were in the Windows dining room for breakfast when it opened at 7am. As soon as the Norwegian Spirit was at its berth, we raced back to our cabin to get our usual things for a day in port. The announcement was made that we could go ashore…and for the first time this cruise, the elevators were completely bogged down. It appeared that everyone else had the same idea, to immediately go ashore. Instead we took the stairs down to Deck 4 and were off the ship at 8:20am. The next train from the Messina Centrale station to Taormina was scheduled to leave at 8:48am.
We had a general idea of the route to the train station; after all, we had walked it just two years ago, but it was a little further than I recalled. We arrived at the station just a few minutes before 8:48am, quickly bought our tickets from an agent (€4.30 each way) and went to Platform 7…where we were told that particular train was a sleeper car train and we couldn’t ride it. Instead we were directed to Platform 5 for a train that would leave at 9:18am.
Luckily, announcements are made on Italian trains and in stations in English after they are made in Italian, and I caught the end of an announcement mentioning Taormina and Platform 3. That sent us (and 16 or so of our fellow cruisers who were going to the same place) back down the steps, through the tunnel under the tracks and up the steps to Platform 3. Finally, we had it right.
On the train to Taormina
The train to Taormina runs south along the coast of Sicily, at times right next to the water and sometimes separated from it by a few blocks of apartments and homes. Either way, it’s a pretty scenic trip, and a great view into everyday life in coastal Sicily. We arrived at the pretty little Taormina Giardini station in just under an hour. From there, it’s necessary to either take a local bus or a taxi up the mountain to Taormina above. The bus is about €2, and it only goes as far as the Taormina bus station, which is a 10-15 minute uphill walk from the walled old town. Instead, we filled a taxi with six people and for €25 were deposited right at the gate to the old town.
Taormina gate
Our primary goal for the day was to see the Greek amphitheater that dates from 300BC. We didn’t have enough time to visit it two years ago, and it was a must do today. We walked directly to it, paid the €10 admission fee and spent well over an hour exploring the ruins of what was certainly an impressive venue when it was built. And the views from the top, of the coast, the still steaming Mt. Etna (the volcano was quite active this year), and the surrounding mountains with small towns clinging to their peaks were breathtaking.
Castle at Castlemola
Greek amphitheater
A steaming Mt. Etna
It must be a scenic view!
Castlemola
At the very top of the amphitheater was a book store that also housed a small museum. There we saw several Roman mosaics that have been unearthed from the Taormina area, much like we saw in Rhodes, and, two years ago in Risan, Montenegro.
Eventually we made our way back down to a kind of visitors center near the entrance. One of the exhibits was a video showing the amphitheater in its current condition and then as it would have appeared over 2000 years ago. That was really impressive; I see these significant ruins all over this part of Europe, but it’s nearly impossible to imagine them as they were built. This video did it for me. This was an extraordinary amphitheater, constructed to take advantage of the beautiful view of the coast and Mt. Etna (autocorrect keeps wanting to change that to Aetna). ;-)
We were getting hungry by then and returned to the same café at which we had eaten when we were here two years ago. We shared a pizza and a cannoli (both delish) while sitting at an outdoor table and people-watching. Taormina was busy today, though not nearly as crowded as it likely is during the summer months.
We met our taxi driver, Carmelo, outside the city gate at 2:15pm, and, once at the Taormina Giardini station, waited for the 2:48pm train to Messina. It was delayed nearly 10 minutes. When I wondered why a train going in the opposite direction, south to Catania, was waiting at the station that whole time, G pointed out to me that it was likely because there was only a single track along the coast, and the only place for trains to pass was at the stations. Sure enough, our train had to wait the same way on its journey north to Messina. It’s hard to believe I have lived my life to this point without ever before encountering that situation, but I’m not a frequent passenger on trains.
We arrived at the Messina Centrale station just after 4pm; it was nearly 4:30pm when we re-boarded the Norwegian Spirit. Despite the fact that we were a bit wiped out, there was no rest for the weary. Clothes were peeled off and hand laundered and hung up to dry while the other person showered (thankfully, the bathroom is large enough for two people). By 5:30pm the laundry was done and we were sitting in the Windows dining room placing our orders. G commented, as he always does, that his favorite part of every day is returning to the ship. We are quite spoiled.
The entertainment tonight was a production show called Elements. It combined the illusions by the magician from a few nights ago with an aerial duo and the entire production cast. It was…very cutting edge. I couldn’t wait to hear G’s take on it afterward. “Weird”, he said. I wasn’t surprised he felt that way. We are simple people. A production show with songs we recognize and nice costumes and choreography is always a winner with us. I did enjoy the aerialists and the part of the show where it snowed on stage.
After the show ended (standing O, proving that our fellow guests are far more sophisticated than we are), Cruise Director Dave brought up on stage crew members from the various departments and the senior officers giving the audience the chance to show their appreciation (another standing O). I like when cruise lines do that. Celebrity used to do it, too. I know some people say it’s just an added responsibility for the crew member who still has to get their work done for the day, but I think it’s a good thing. I cannot recall one time in my adult life where I’ve been applauded for doing my job, and I imagine the world would be a better place if more people were given the recognition they deserve.
And then we collapsed into bed. It’s been a busy day, and tomorrow, in Naples, we cleared the waitlist for an excursion we wanted to take. It will be another very long day, followed by packing up our cabin in the evening and then a very early wake up on disembarkation day in Civitavecchia. At dinner tonight, I was almost afraid to look at the itinerary for the Pacific Princess cruise. I knew there were ports right off the bat, but didn’t remember how many port days there were before a sea day. Well, a quick check of my phone showed that there are two ports before that first sea day. That’s just four days away.
I can do this. I’ve got this. Go me! (Just a little self-talk as encouragement.)
;-)