Etna with Mom!

Wednesday, October 17th

Evidently Erin would like me to continue to blog.  For the next two days, we both will contribute to the blog, each both contributing our expertise.  So here it goes.... Exploring Etna was incredible, awesome, amazing and just plain fun!!!  There is my expertise!

Ok - I will add a little more to it.  On Wednesday, it was just Erin and I.   We left around 8:30 in the morning; Etna ended up not being too far away. It was a nice sunny day and had some clouds around Etna but over all good.  Boris, in giving us directions said go up, then keep going up.  That basically describes it. We just kept climbing and climbing.  As a side note that there were many people were parked along the roadside and they were collecting chestnuts and mushrooms, both very popular here on the island.  On this day, we took one of the switchbacks and we popped out of the clouds and it was totally sunny and clear!  The clouds, fluffy and white, below us.  It was an incredible view from the car. I'm used to seeing from a plane but not in the car!

There is this little tourist village at the base: restaurants and shops plus the cable car.  We purchase our tickets not only for the cable car but for the all-terrain vehicles up on top.  This is the 4th cable car built on this location: all the others being destroyed by lava. Each cable car lasted only 10 years or so before being destroyed.  This cable car is in its 8th year. Ummmm... Makes you wonder. So as we go up, you see where the old lava flows were.  Volcanic ash covers everything but then there are areas like rivers where you see the old lava flows.  The lava is the thick and chunky kind.  It moved very slowly.  So the cable cars bring us very high on the mountain and ends.  There is a shop and restaurant there.

So, what mom means when she says the lava is the thick and chunky kind is that it was aa lava. This kind of lava is gas rich and very viscous, or sticky, so it does, as she says, move very slowly. This type of lava is very typical of Etna, at least as of the past 100 years. You see, Etna has been changing in its activity style for the past 100 years or so. While it was once very similar to Kilauea on Hawaii, it is now much more explosive, and each of its eruptions does something new, to surprise the volcanologists working on it.

From there, we take the all-terrain vehicle up the switch-backs still getting closer to the top.  But we are prevented by law to go to the top as it is not safe.  It can change from day to day.  They gather us and show us this partial building that was covered with lava except for this partial side. You can witness steam escaping out one of the windows.  Then we headed to one do the lower craters and it too had steam escaping.  The guide explained that this was once active but now the lava tube is now sealed off so it will never erupt from this site again. 

It’s the conduit that is sealed off. Not the tube. Silly mom. Anyway, this is true of all of the flank cones, or cones on the sides (flanks), on Etna, of which there are over 300! Each of them had a conduit, or something to connect them to the magma chamber, which was active while they were erupting, but which became extinct after the cones eruption finished. So, none of the flank cones on Etna will ever erupt again.

Erin was very interested in all that he said.  He had a new best friend for the next 20 minutes.   He was very gracious to her and truly appreciated her interest.  He also told us that we could walk to the March 4, 2012 lava flow, as long as we stayed on the path.  So we were off exploring, looking at the various coloration of stones and what the lava flow looked like. 

I loved going up to the March 4^th flow! It was fantastic! I’ve never seen a lava flow that young! This flow was part of the series of very violent and short eruptions, or paroxysms, that formed the new southeast crater. This flow, if I remember correctly, was formed from a fissure opening along the base of the new southeast crater. I’ve seen videos…and it looks SO COOL!!! I wish I had been there!

Then it was back down to the cable car area. We grabbed a quick bite for lunch and then down we went to the bottom.  It was sad to leave Etna, not knowing if I would be back.  We did a little souvenir shopping and then it was back home.  It was a completely awesome day and was so happy to have shared the experience with Erin.  Be watching for our Christmas card as no doubt, you will see an Etna picture on it!

Later that night, Erin heard from Boris that he and a coworker were planning on going to the top of Etna the next day and we could ride along.  Where and how far up would depend on how safe it was and we would have to wear hard hats.  The next day we were to meet them at 10:00 at the tourist village. 

Thursday, October 18th

You could have put a bet on the fact that Erin and would be on time!  It was a sure thing!  We hopped in their car and off we went to Mama Etna, as Boris calls her.  Each volcano has a personality and Etna has one plus she creates many baby craters.  From high above the world, you can see the many, many craters over the flanks of Etna, indicating where the fissure cracks are. 

Well mom, that’s not what the flank craters mean. Just because there’s a crater, it doesn’t mean there’s a fissure, as a fissure is a crack in the surface of the Earth, that penetrates much deeper. A fissure eruption doesn’t usually form a cone, it just lets lava seep out. These cones are places that the magma from the magma chamber of Etna (or one of them, not really sure how that works) find a conduit, or a path, to the surface. After finding this conduit, the lava then usually begins to erupt violently until it forms these cones. The lava usually bursts through, and cools rapidly in the air, becoming rocks (usually) before it hits the ground. These rocks are called volcanic bombs!

So once in the car, we climb and climb, passing the cable station and going beyond...to the all-terrain area and then beyond.  It was rugged and beautiful and fascinating!  We made it to the other side and Boris pulled off.  This is where we would begin our hike. And let me tell you it was all uphill!  It was long and hard for me but eventually we made it to the crater and there was vapor/steam all around.  There were many fumaroles at the top as well.  It was an incredible site! But then we heard Mama Etna speak. She hadn't been heard for a time so Boris decided that they must go further up to the new southeast crater but we could not come, as they did not know what they would find.  So Erin and I took pictures and made ourselves comfortable but soon Mama was talking quite a bit.   To us it appeared that the output of vapor increased, but we do not know Mama Etna.  Boris soon arrived back and he was going to walk more towards the other side of this crater to try to determine who was speaking but the gases got bad and we stopped.  There may be new activity here and it is most exciting! Time will tell! 

Most of what we heard that day was just gas emission sounds. But I will swear to it that we heard one weak Strombolian eruption, as Boris later informed me that there were some weak eruptions that night in the Bocca Nuova.

We were incredibly lucky to get to go where we did, as we could see 2 of the summit craters from their bases. Well, from one of their bases, and the top of the other. The summit cone whose base we were at was the northeast crater, which is the oldest of the technically four summit craters and the tallest! The crater that we were at the top of was the Voragine, or the big mouth! This one is technically the second oldest of the four currently there, and has been quiet since 1999,when it blew and gave off a HUGE paroxysm, that was kilometers taller than the northeast crater! Though, apparently the Voragine may be waking up, as it seemed that some of the noises we heard were coming from the Voragine, and other mountain guides thought they’d heard some activity of some kind within it.

From our location while Boris and Antonio (Volcanologist-on-Duty and Volcanologist Aide) continued their exploration, we could also see just a teeny bit of the third crater, and the backside of the fourth. The third crater is the Buocca Nuova. It is now nearly entirely connected to the Voragine, as the 1999 eruption of the Voragine blew out the Diaframma (Diaphragm in English), which was the rock wall that separated the two craters. Part of the Diaframma remains intact, and is now a really cool spiny rock wall that ends mid-way through the width of the Voragine. The fourth crater is the southeast crater. This is the youngest of the four. It is where most of the activity has been for the past 10 years or more. It is also growing and changing still, though no longer as what is called the southeast crater.

The Diaframma

The Southeast Crater

The new southeast crater is my favorite! It is the fastest growing cone ever recorded! It grew within the past year or so, in a series of 25 paroxysms that all together lasted only 48 hours! It began forming on the base of the southeast crater and began, as each of the summit craters did, as a small collapse pit. Now, to make it even cooler than it already is, it has a small collapse pit on its rim, which may be the beginning of a new cone, or maybe just part of the cone, preparing to form!

The Southeast Crater on the Left and the New Southeast Crater on the Right!

It now as I must catch my plane and there is no more to do, we depart.  We move fast down through the ash.  My old arthritic knees do their best to keep up.  And soon we are having a beer at the bottom and some pizza to go with it and saying good bye to new friends.

I drop Erin off at her place and it was straight to the airport.  I actually made it all by myself!  Navigated and drove and I didn't get lost once! The airport area was a little scary but soon I recognized the rental car area.  I returned the car without problems and found the airport and where I was to check in.  But the catch is, you can only check in two hours in advance so I was a little early so I had to stand around until the person arrived. Once checked in, I could go back to the gate area.  

My flight was slightly late but soon I was in Naples and finally get the 4 Seasons, the same B & B that Erin stayed at.  I am sure glad that Erin explained on week nights the big door would not be opened so I had to use the intercom and come through the small door.  So imagine this....  Behind this big, big set of doors is a court yard area with small businesses, apartments and this B&B.  In the big, big door (semi-truck big) there is a tiny door maybe 5 feet tall that once buzzed in or if you have a key you can enter.  But on the weekend, there is a security guard and the big, big door stays open. So this is Thursday, so I get buzzed through the door and there is this guy, he gives me 3 keys. They still use the old fashion big keys! A key for the small door in the big, big door, a B&B door key and my room door key.  This key also works on the bathroom door.  The bathroom door remains locked.  Not really sure why it is kept locked but that is what I think the guy said.  Then he left.  It wasn't until the following afternoon when I got home from exploring that there was a new guy there and he mentioned Erin and collected money.  It was surprising how at home I felt and comfortable I was there.  I am now at the Ramada Inn and it appears to be in a not so good part of town, nothing around, and employees who are just doing their job and not much more.  I miss the 4 Seasons!

Sicily: Earthquakes, Science, Politics, and Law

This post is from the email blog of my professor, Dennis Cooper, about his 2 day site visit here in Trecastagni

Francesco Palmitessa awoke in his bed to the shaking of the earth and the collapsing of his house around him. His wife and daughter lay in bed beside him. When the terrible onslaught of falling walls and ceilings subsided, he discovered to that he was the only one left alive.

Three hundred and nine people died that morning in L'Aquila, Italy, in the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck in 2009, mainly from being crushed by collapsing buildings. A physician, Dr. Palmitessa and his family had evacuated his house the night before, because they feared that an earthquake was imminent. Civil defense authorities, however, tried to reassure townspeople that, despite the warnings issued by scientists and the tremors beneath their feet, the risk of an actual earthquake at that time and place was low. People were told to go into their homes, have a glass of wine, and sleep in their beds.

After the disaster, survivors like Dr. Palmitessa and, indeed, much of the public angrily demanded that those who failed to give adequate warning to victims be held responsible. Subsequently, charges were leveled, a trial was held, and on Monday, Oct. 22, the verdict was announced: seven Italian geologists and disaster experts were convicted of manslaughter and each sentenced to six years in prison.

On Tuesday morning, Oct. 23, I arrived in Catania, Sicily, and was met at the airport by my student, Erin Peterson, and her mentor, Dr. Boris Behncke. I did not know it yet, but I soon learned I had landed at the epicenter of the international headlines shaking the geological and scientific world in the wake of Monday's verdict. For Dr. Behncke is a geologist at the Catania branch of the INGV, the National Institute for Geology and Volcanoes in Italy. One of his colleagues was among the seven convicted scientists.

Dr. Behncke's job is to study and monitor the activity of Sicily's Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world and one that has erupted many times in the past, claiming many victims from the well-populated slopes, valleys, and plains below, including the city of Catania and Trecastagni, where Boris and his wife Catherine live with their 7-year old daughter, Ida.

Dr. Boris Behncke, his wife Catherine, and his daughter, Ida

Ida and Erin playing tic-tac-toe, to the amusement of Catherine

Dr. Boris Behncke

Dr. Behncke greeted me cordially and bought me a coffee at the airport. He was obviously agitated and he came right to the point: I had arrived in the middle of a crisis at his institute, which he described to me in detail, including the story of Dr. Palmitessa (not his real name). He did not excuse the convicted scientists of downplaying the probability of the disaster, but he added that they had done so under pressure from political authorities and administrators who did not want to alarm the public of something that might not happen, or might not happen when and where it did. He agreed with my suggestion that the convicted scientists had been scapegoats.

We discussed the whole problem of prediction of natural disaster prediction, which is based on probabilities and risk, rather than certainties. The next time Mount Vesuvius of Pompeii fame erupts (and it will), geologists will know something is happening, but they won't know exactly when or where. What happens in the meantime - evacuate everyone from the Bay of Naples? When? To where? For how long? What if Vesuvius threatens to erupt for months? Hundreds of thousands of people will be temporarily housed elsewhere in Italy, in tents or camps, waiting, waiting?

And even if that all works out perfectly, and Vesuvius erupts on schedule and destroys Naples, what do people come back to? Rubble from houses that were not built to withstand coinciding earthquakes? Houses that were built in the possible path of erupted lava, rocks, gas, etc.?

The moral of the story is that prevention is much better than prediction. There is currently no good way to respond effectively to predictions of earthquakes and volcanoes. What we can do is prevent the consequences of these disasters from being so terrible. For example. we can build houses that are "quake-resistant". If Dr. Palmitessa's house had been built so, his wife and daughter might still be alive today. 

Incidentally, there is a column in the International Herald Tribune/New York Times today (Oct. 26) by Juliette Kayyem in which the significance of the convictions of the seven scientists is discussed. Interesting stuff, but I don't agree with much of what she writes. 

My student, Erin, is a majoring in Geology at UW-River Falls. She is spending two months studying volcanoes in Italy, including about one month with Dr. Behncke and his colleagues at the INGV. She is doing so in the Semester Abroad: Europe program (SAE) at UWRF. Although her subject is volcanoes, Erin is getting a much bigger and better education than she ever dreamed of. She is getting this education the only way possible - by being here (and doing a great job under the tutelage of her UWRF adviser, Dr. Ian Williams).

 

Erin and an INGV scientist checking gas emissions from Etna

Dennis Cooper, Erin, and an INGV scientist in Zafferana, Sicily

This is one example of the tremendous experiences students can have when living and studying abroad.

See you soon,

Dennis  

On the Island Vulcan...o

Uncle David, this one’s for you…

Captain’s log: Stardate: 66217.6. My position: approaching a mysterious island that appears to be releasing steam. I am beaming to the island’s surface. My mission: to explore this strange island, and discover the source of the steam.

The day was Monday, and I arrived at the port of Stromboli, around 10, hoping to catch the 11 o’clock boat to Vulcano. As I talked to the people within the ticket office, it became clear to me that this voyage would be difficult, once again. The boat had left early, due to high winds, if I understood the alien language. This meant that I would need to wait until around 3 for a boat to Vulcano. I proceeded to wait near the ticket office and fix the music playlists on my computer’s iTunes. I bought my ticket when the office opened, and went to the dock to wait. From that point on, the boat ride actually went as it was meant to, and so was surprisingly smooth. In passing near their systems, I saw many other strange and intriguing islands.

Europe: My current frontier. These are the voyages of the explorer: Erin. My three-month mission: to explore strange, new volcanoes, to seek out new knowledge and new wisdom, to boldly go where no UWRF student has gone before.

Captain’s log: Additional entry. Since my boat ride went smoothly, I beamed to the island without worry. I was totally unaware that I was about to run into more rough travels.

The location I was planning on residing for my four nights on this strange island, was booked through the website: airbnb.com, where I was told I would be staying in a guest home on Antonio’s property. He told me to call him when I got to the port, so I did. Upon doing so, one of those lovely little automated messages informed me that the customer I was trying to reach was not available. Mom called me in response to my frantic texts, and she emailed Antonio, telling him that I was waiting at the port and trying to reach him, but without success. I tried communication with him via text also, with no avail. Then I waited, trying to call again from time to time. After around an hour, I was beginning to feel fear again, especially since the place I was staying at was simply called “An Aeolian Villa”, so it definitely wasn’t a normal hotel…and I tried asking people if they had heard of it, or of Antonio, and no one had. So, I began wandering, and found a tourist office. I asked again if they knew of the person or place, and they didn’t…I was near tears, and the guy at the desk could tell. So he offered to let me use internet, and I took advantage of the offer. I looked up the phone number and resort page for myself, and saw the number on the screen…which had a + in front of it…Then it dawned on me, in this strange and foreign place, I was supposed to dial the +…so I tried calling Antonio again, and it worked. Of all the stupid things, I didn’t have the + in the number, and so couldn’t call. Gah!

Captain’s log: Continuing. After wandering the area I beamed to, it was clear to me that these beings speak only their own language, with very few of them understanding me when I speak to them.

Antonio called his uncle, Tanino, and instructed him to pick me up, as he, Antonio, was stuck on a different island. Tanino brought me to his home, and showed me the guest house that was reserved for my residence. In his foreign language, he instructed me that dinner was at 9, and I was to join him. During this meal, which consisted of strangely familiar pasta and tomato sauce, we had a conversation. How we managed to actually communicate with each other is unclear to me, as I could only understand a very little of his foreign language, and he could not understand mine. The only thing about that conversation that is clear to me is that we did successfully communicate. This man told me of his friend, who wrote a book about the minerals of Vulcano. I was very interested and excited to learn more, so he told me we’d go meet his friend that night. We left around 10 for the restaurant his friend owns, where I spent the entire time goggling at the book, like a silly little school girl. The book was entirely in Italian, other than mineral names in both Italian and English, at the back of the book. I also tried my first Italian coffee at this restaurant. I opted for decaffeinated, as adrenaline was already coursing through my veins, giving me enough energy to continue. Tanino also brought me to a bar, where he bought me a glass of liquor from the island.  This liquor was very smooth and very tasty. It was a new experience and a long night full of adventure. But it was time for me to retire until the sun rose again.

Captain’s log: Stardate 66223.3. My position: in the town at the sea port of the island Vulcano.

I spent the first two full days rejuvenating and trying to organize my plans, memories, and pictures and performing important maintenance tasks like cleaning clothes. On my third day on this foreign island, I finally explored more of this region. I found a pharmacy, where I bought bug spray (which was a true necessity in this land), the INGV office, which was inoperational, and I climbed to the source of the steam.  The source was more than 10 fumaroles, located on, next to, and inside of a large crater. On my first trip to this crater, I only did a little exploring and investigating, getting as close to the larger fumaroles as was allowed, and walking around the near side of the crater, before returning to home base. I also collected some samples on this trip, as I was fascinated by the mineral shapes, mostly botryoidal on a VERY small scale.

Captain's log: Stardate  66226.1. My position: atop the crater releasing all of the gas on the island of Vulcano.

I returned to the summit of this crater today, and spent much more time there, walking the entire perimeter of the crater. I was enthralled with the fumaroles and the rocks I saw, as I was unused to rocks with this texture. I got as close to the fumaroles as was allowed. It was fascinating to walk around the rim of the crater, though I wish I could have gone all the way up to the fumaroles. That would have been a much more educational experience for me, I think. However, there was a risk of asphyxiation, so I wasn't allowed farther. It was still an excellent experience for me, though.

Overall, this was a very exciting adventure, full of new experiences for me. But, my mission was complete. I had found the fumaroles: the source of the islands gas emissions. It was time for me to move to my next location to begin the next adventure.

Syracuse Factoids

Today's adventure is a trip to Syracuse which is further south on the island along the coast.  We aimed our little Smart car to the Archaeological Park and soon we arrived.  In this small area are the Greek and Roman Theaters. 

Erin at the top of the Greek Amphitheater - Overlooking the Archaeological Park

Syracuse was founded 733 BC by Corinthian settlers; Syracuse became one of the first Greek colonies on the island.  It quickly attained wealth and power and eventually became the strongest city in the Mediterranean.

This is just the base of a huge altar...they guess at least 50 bulls were sacrificed here at a time!

The Greek theater was huge and very impressive.  The theater would have seated 15,000 spectators.   Along the top edge of the theater in caves carved out of the rock.  These were used for tombs.  One of these was fed with water from the aqueduct and is known as the Nymphaeum.

Erin in front of the Nymphaeum

The Greek Theater

Looking down on Erin and the Greek Theater

Looking up at Erin and the Greek Theater - From where the "stage" was

The Roman Amphitheater is much older and is from the 3rd century.  It is one of the largest of its kind.  Again the area had many catacombs surrounding it that are tombs. It was really quite elaborate with many openings some for spectators and some for the contestants.  There were tunnels and passages leading up to the actual amphitheaters.  It was very interesting.

The Roman Amphitheater

In back of this area is actually a huge quarry, Latomia del Paradiso. The rock was used for the construction of Syracuse. Inside the quarry is a tall cave called Orecchio of Dioniso (Ear of Dionysius).  It was just a small cave that is really tall (and I mean really tall!) but it was fun to see and enter. 

The opening of the Orecchio of Dioniso

We enjoyed our day and had a little gelato and headed back to Trecastagni.  Tonight we will be headed toward Taormina to listen to a presentation that Boris was giving to a group of American tourist.  It was very interesting with lots of information on Etna, lots of pictures and all incorporated with music.  He is a very charismatic and dramatic speaker.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Erin is very fortunate, and lucky, to have Boris as a mentor.

Driving in Sicily has become easier but I am still convinced that it still takes both Erin and I to get to any given location!

Getting Ruined Out

On Sunday, Erin and I begin our two day journey of the island: The Great Adventure!  We head west towards Palermo.  My speedometer reads 125.... Wow! Until you remember that it is kilometers per hour... I'm only averaging 70-75 mph.  Some on my fellow drivers are going much (much, much) faster!    As we go along the motorway, we see in the distance this town on top of a tall mountain: looks cool.  So we go for the adventure and turn off the motorway.  The views are spectacular and it is amazing all the buildings they can fit into such a tiny space.  Let me tell you that there is little room left for roads!  At the far end of the mountain top, there is an old fort.  We park and we go exploring.  It turns out that this fort was key to holding Sicily from the impending invaders.  It was certainly worth the detour!

The Enna Fortress

The town of Enna, from the fortress

So now to Palermo... We entered the city and the traffic was terrifying!  After much circling, we finally find a spot to park the car.  We actually take pictures to help us find the car later... just in case.  We arrive later than expected plus it is Sunday so we don’t know what is open or really how to get to the various sites.  Then Erin spots A City Sights Sightseeing bus and 20 minutes later, we are on the bus.  What a fantastic tour that was considering we had really no idea what we were going to do and how we were going to do it! It was an unplanned surprise but those are usually the best kinds.  We loved the tour as we saw so much and learned a lot about Palermo too.  We jumped off at the Cathedral and took some pictures and walked further down to see a Piazza for a better view and pictures.  But we were hearing thunder and it was getting darker so we decided we better boogie out of there and back to the car.  We didn't make it! We quickly purchased an umbrella from a small tourist store as we left ours in the car as it was sunny and bright when we had left the car. But fortunately, we don't melt when we get wet so all was good.  We found the car, the people doubled-parked in the back of our car came back relatively quickly and it was off to the next destination!

The Cathedral from the bus

Erin and I on the bus tour

Tomorrow morning’s destination is Selinunte, Greek ruins. So we find a place about 10 miles from there and spend the night.  This hotel looks nice and is nice but like no one is there.  It is virtually empty.  I felt like I was in a Hitchcock movie.  It was weird but ended up being very nice.

The next day, we were up in time to get to Selinunte shortly after opening.  Was it ever impressive!  It had three different locations so we opted for the tram service to save time and to save our feet.  The first location was inland and was an example of temples.  Just beautiful!  Loved it!  But there is our tram driver waving at us when we emerge from the ruins.  We hop on board and we are off to the sea!  Again very awesome but now it has started raining.  But again this is just part of the adventure!  But we weren't to stay there.  We had the full package so were off to the third location, just Erin, me and the driver. He was an excellent driver and treated us very well, showing us many things. But then it was back to the sea to see that location until we saw all we wanted.  Both Erin and I were very impressed and happy that we made time to see this area of Sicily. 

The First Temple at Selinunte

Erin and another part of Selinunte

Next stop:  Agrigento: more ruins.  It was so funny… Erin and I were discussing that according to the GPS, we should be getting there soon and I look up and up on the hill are temples. You don’t see that every day in America!  And “Yeah! We were nearly there!”  But between there and me is a 5 exit round-about... Not fun and after two attempts, and much horn honking on my part (Erin is very proud of me as that is how Italians drive), I finally navigate to the parking lot.  Quite impressive ruins but I think we are tired and “ruined” out, we go through these quite fast, enjoying them but not lingering.  Then it was off to Trecastagni and her place.  What an adventure it had been and we and the car survived! 

The Round-About from Hell

The Ruins of a Temple at Agrigento

The Most Complete Temple at Agrigento

Train, Vini, and Getting Lost...Mom's First Day in Sicily!

Hello All!

I've decided to take over this blog and give Erin a break.  A big shout out to all my family, friends and coworkers following Erin's adventures!  I'm in Italy, actually found Erin and having a wonderful time!

My last text from Erin before leaving for Europe!

My Italian adventure began at 2:00 PM (US) when I arrived at the airport.  26 hours later, I drove up Erin's street and found her waiting for me on the street, literally.  She was sitting Indian style on the street on her computer waiting.  My trip was quite the adventure especially being alone and not speaking any Italian.  My flight left from Minneapolis and landed in Paris and then made the connection to Naples.  So far everything went great...long but on-time and good.  But now I have to take the train to Sicily and I know there is this bus you can take from the airport to the train station.  The challenge is to find it and after a dozen people or so later and much walking in circles looking around where people were pointing, I finally make the bus, standing room only but I am on the bus.  And thanks to a English speaking German who told me that this stop is the train station and pointed a block down the street and said that is it.  So I am in the ticket office and get told to pull a number and wait for the number to be called.  I'm basically #17 and they were on 4.  I'm looking at the time and I know there is a train at 1:55 and it is basically 1:45 now (the bus taking much longer than I anticipated). After standing and watching for a few minutes, I realized that it would take much longer than I had. So when I see this helper guy and I asked him if I was even in the right place as I was trying to take the high speed train to Sicily and he finished by saying "which is due to leave at 1:55 which is 5 minutes".  He says "Come" and rushed me to a machine and starts punching buttons, I pull out my credit card and do my part of it by swiping it when he points and now I have a ticket but now I have less than five minutes.  He says "wait here" and he rushes off.  He reappears in a minute saying in broken English. " You lucky, train not at platform".   What???  It finally hits... The train is late and has not yet arrived.  He points and say to stand and watch this large monitor for my platform.  Within a few minutes, the train is there and I am on it and seated.  Later, I was to learn I was not in the correct seat but everyone was very kind about that!  After a taxi ride from the Catania train station to the car rental place at the Catonia airport, I now have a Smart car with instructions to lock the door as soon as I get in (ummm... Now if that doesn't frighten a person!) and armed with a GPS, I am ready to go.   It is now dark and after 10:00 PM but actually glad as the streets are relatively empty.  I find my way up the mountain to the place Erin is staying and much relieved to park the car and find a bed waiting after all I have now been up for 32 hous with just short naps on the plane.  But of course, Erin and I talk for a couple of hours before going to bed!

My Smart car

Mimi, the tiny kitten at the resort that Erin is in love with

Our first picture together in Sicily!

The next day Erin shows me around the place, we do a little internet, then we decide to head south, Syracuse to see the sights.  Half way to Catania, Erin realizes that her phone is out of money so we stop to fill it but now she has to reboot.  The password is back at her place.  So back to her place.  Get back in the car, start to drive, and Boris, the professor that is working with Erin, calls.  Erin had told him that we want to do wine tasting and he was arranging it for that day.  So we re-programmed the GPS and off we went!  We stopped at a little town for lunch and to look around: beautiful church and good food and off we went.  We saw the old lava flows, awesome countryside and then we arrived at the Vini Gambino and the place was absolutely gorgeous!   And they treated us with such hospitality and the wine was awesome.  In fact, Erin and I popped the cork on one of the bottles tonight.  My many thanks to Boris for that wonderful treat!  Then with just a couple of hours of daylight left, we headed for Taormina.  What a beautiful drive but also a great adventure!  Driving with the Italians on their tiny little roads in their cities is very adventurous.  Whenever we make it out alive and without a dent, we feel victorious!  But their cities are full of history and culture!    At one point in our journey, we suddenly take a turn and there is the ocean and a beach.  The beach had huge bolders so we pull over (not as easy to do in Italian cities as it sounds!).  The bolder is a conglomerate and Erin is silly happy over it!  We make it to Taormina and make three attempts to find our destination and on the 3rd attempt we realize the street has been blocked off.  But that is fine as it is now getting dark and I am tiring.  But what a glorious day it had been. 

Erin and I at Vini Gambini

Erin and her giant conglomerate!

On the way home, we passed a McDonalds and we pulled in. It was busy and they are really expensive.  They were very busy. And last night in another city in eastern Sicily, I had never seen a McDonalds so busy!  It had a large parking lot and it was full every time we passed it.  And it was a Sunday night after 7:00 PM.   The Italians must love their McDonalds! 

That ends my first full day of vacation!  Next, Erin and I spend two full days exploring western Sicily.  I will blog about that next.  Good night all...

Walking in a Rocky Wonderland

Sorry it’s been a while again, I’ve been having long days this past week, and whenever I’ve gotten back to my Sicilian home, I’ve been pretty much playing dead in front of my computer, pretending I’m going to do something productive, while really just staring at the screen. Except for Friday, when I meant to type up a post, but I was so excited to see mom, that nothing else was in my mind, and concentrating on typing, just wasn’t working.

So, I last posted on Tuesday, when I went to INGV for the first time, and experienced my first day of an eternal, or at least month-long, Christmas. Then, Wednesday, I got to go play in the “snow” of Etna. I got to go to the mountain for the first time! I didn’t go all the way to the summit, but I didn’t care, because I got to go to the mountain! Boris was giving an interview for a German news company, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of a large eruption. While he did that, I played in the “snow” or the sharp little scoriaceous rocks that build the cones. I had so much fun! Investigating red and white patches within the overall black mounds was interesting, and exciting, for me. I also enjoyed just wandering around and looking and seeing the clouds intruding on the mountain, before they wisped away. It was a great day, and I made a snowman while playing in the “snow”, which was great!

Me and my snowman!

Boris giving his interview in front of Etna!

That afternoon, Boris stopped at my hotel, and talked to the owners for me about my kitchen issues…now that I had unpacked, it’s time for me to be given a new apartment, with a working oven. The issue seems to be with the oven, not the overall electricity. So on Tuesday, I move rooms. Then, we went back to his office to get our stuff, and then went to meet his wife and daughter, Cathleen (I believe) and Ida. Ida was just getting out of her first ever fencing lesson. And now, that little girl is CRAZY smart! She’s already fluent in French and Italian, and is now working on learning German and English. When I said “hey”, she looked up at her parents and asked, “che lingua?” or what language? They responded English, and asked her about learning English in school, so she looked back at me and said “Hello” perfectly. I was so impressed with her. And she already knows the Beatles, and she loves the song “Hey Bulldog” and knows all the words, though she doesn't know what exactly what they mean. After picking Ida up, Boris dropped me off. And I went and collapsed in front of my computer.

Thursday, the German students and I met again, this time in the field, where we joined some of Boris’ colleagues at some mud volcanoes. We were told all about them, and some of the impact they had on the area, while one of Boris’ colleagues took some thermal images of the area. One of my favorite facts about the area, is that the water in the mud is more salty than the ocean, and is around the saltiness of the Dead Sea.

Mud volcano's cone...with the scientist taking pictures on top!

Mud vulcano

Salt crystals near the mud

While in the field, I finally talked to some of the German students. I mostly talked to the college student in the group. She’s working on her thesis, but not on this trip. She was offered a job as a geology teacher at a school in Hamburg, Germany, the school all the students are from, which is the only school in the country that has a geology class. So, she was helping chaperone the trip. It was really fun, and interesting, talking to a geology major from a different country. She was really impressed by the fact that I was abroad doing this project, while only having petrology and mineralogy under my belt.

That afternoon was spent at INGV in the office, and I worked on uploading pictures, which goes better at some times than at others. Boris talked to the German news people a little bit in the control room again. Then he had a meeting to attend, during which I waited in his office. Then it was time for home!

With all the stress at the office, and Ida’s school being on strike, so her being with him on Friday, I stayed home, slept in (thank goodness!) and cleaned my room, did dishes and did laundry, in preparation for mom’s arrival that night. After finishing my chores, around 8:30, I went to internet to wait…tried to have patience, and failed. I ended up going out into the street to wait, after running back and forth for a little while and running my leg into one of the gates, scraping it and bruising it. I sat in the street waiting for mom probably from 10:45 or so, until 11:30, when the car turning onto the street, actually began slowing to a stop in front of me, and I heard mom yell, “Hey kiddo!” from the open window. We stayed up til 1:30 talking. It was really nice to have her there, and still is!

But, I’m going to leave it at that for now. There’ll be other posts up soon, possibly at the same time. And mom’s typing some posts up too, so the adventures she had and our adventures from her point of view will be up soon too!

Ciao!