Hi everybody!
Just wanted to let you know about the little vacay that Jordan and I recently took. We called it a mini moon which is essentially a tiny honeymoon! We borrowed Eric's scooter for the trip (because he's in America coaching a football camp right now) and started out early Wednesday morning. We scooted up to Malazzo - a 2 1/2 hour drive . . . on the autostrada . . . on the scooter. Not one of the best experiences I've ever had but it was worth it to take the scooter instead of the car. Since we were on the scooter, we had to pack light - tank tops, shorts, swim suits, and flip flops is about all we could bring! There's only so much room on the little scoot scoot! When we got to Malazzo, we bought our ferry tickets, hopped on the ferry, and headed for our destination - the Aoleian Island of Lipari! The ferry is pretty crazy because it's not like any ferry I've ever been on. It only opens up to let cars in on one side- sounds perfectly normal . . . until it has to dock . . . and it has to back in. Pretty intense. This also means that when cars/trucks get on the ferry, they also have to back in. Thankfully we were on a scooter so we drove right in and turned around and parked. Easy peasy! The ferry ride lasted about 2 hours and it was really nice. We had cappucinos and ringos and we sat up top in the sunshine! The water was perfectly blue and it was neat to see the islands (there are 7 islands total) getting bigger as we got closer!
Their version of lifeboats . . . The Titanic should have had these!
When we finally arrived in Lipari, we rode off the ferry, stopped to get gas, and asked the attendant if he could point us in the direction of our hotel - Hotel Carasco. He gave us excellent directions and we followed the signs until we were there. Let me just say that our hotel was INCREDIBLE! To get up to the actual hotel you have to drive up a steep road on the very edge of the water, and when you get to the top, it's one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see! Ivy/moss/vines cover the bottom part of the hotel, the pool is humongous and gorgeous, and you can walk right down to the water and swim in it's crystal clear goodness!
After we checked in, we scooted into town (which is adorable!), had lunch, stopped by the store to pick up some snacks and drinks, and headed back to the hotel. We laid out by the pool and then headed down to the rocks to jump in the water and cool off. The water was so see through and so beautiful and soo cool! The only problem with it was that it was infested with little purple jellyfish! How rude of them to invade our space on our mini moon! Luckily we brought our acquasocks and goggles so we could see them and avoid them.
For dinner that night we decided to head to one of the restaurants in the guidebook; Filippino - the most famous restaurant on the island according to the book. It's an elegantly quaint restaurant situated on a covered terrace with wrought iron lamps and white tablecloths. Jordan and I shared a pasta to start and then we each ordered our own 'meal'. I chose fried shrimp . . . a typical choice for a typical southern Texan. Boy was I surprised when it came out! TINY shrimp that had been fried with the shell on. Seriously?! After peeling half of my shrimp, the waiter finally came over and told us that we were supposed to eat the whole shrimp, shell and all. I tried to explain to him that where we come from, we peel our shrimp but he didn't seem to understand. Haha I think he felt embarassed for us but we just kept on peeling :) We enjoyed some delicious Italian wine with our dinner and when we were finally finished, we headed back to the hotel.
Side note: The pictures from the restaurant are dark because the flash on my camera is broken :(
And so concludes part 1 of our adventure
