I woke to the sound of the engine & quickly got up & dressed for the sailaway. Once on deck I found that the engine was the generator for brekkers.
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| Rahul does some housework |
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| I zoomed in case this was her name |
In the interim, I had seen a 2-master anchored further out & zoomed in with the Lumix to see what her name was: No luck.
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| She was British |
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| A ship docked at the port, bringing water for the dry island |
On the way to the quay I saw a large tanker which Rahul said brought water to the island! Gosh.
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| 4 types of ship! |
We were all dropped off & told to be back for 1145.
Most of the others went off to partake of the mud bathing on offer, but I'd done that (& wrecked a bikini) in 2006, so went exploring instead.
I took a few quite interesting pics from & near the quay, waved at the others who were already
slapping on the mud & lounging in the warm pool, had a quick paddle in the warm bit of the eastern beach (the bubbles tell you were the fumaroles are), then headed off across the isthmus to the beach with the black sand on the west.
The gardens
I also went hunting for nice volcanic rocks as souvenirs, & between the walk to the north end & the
return back to the south end I picked up black, grey, purple, brown & pinky bits of sea-washed lava.
Interestingly, they were all differently dense, with some feeling heavier than their size suggested & some much lighter.
I took a Scenic Route back to the quay as well, & my return via various back streets & the Via Lentia turned up some gloriously gorgeous gardens, & some awesome & extremely impressive eucalyptus trees.
Pietra Menalda & Pietra Lunga.
I bagged the spot on the bowsprit & got some decent pics.
Pepe steered us around the stacks & along the striated shore, before dropping anchor at 1230 in a smallish bay on the south of Lipari called Spaggia Praia di Vinci.
Anchor dropped, we all went over the side for a swim, but after yesterday's slight fright swimming back to the Pallas from the Punta dell'Asino, I did not repeat my ship to shore swim & just swam round the boat for a bit.
We sailed up the east coast of Lipari, passing evidence of
the extensive pumice mining on the island in the past.
By 1630, Pepe had us moored stern-in at the Porto Salvo, & then we all set off on foot when Nic took us up to the castle & cathedral which were on a rocky promentary in the middle of the bay.
There was also a small amphitheatre & a friendly cat.
From the height of the gardens, I could see where the Star Clipper had been anchored in 2006.
It was very touristy, but I marked a couple of places I might try the next morning, & left the others shopping while I
went back to the Pallas to wash & change for dinner.
When I got back to the boat there was a party going on in another gulet moored nearby & Pepe, Radu & Roberto were going to go.
I cleaned up & dressed for dinner in the nice brown silk skirt I'd got from an Edinburgh charity shop when I was up for the rugby, & a
I told you I was the poor relation of the other cruisers!
On my way back that afternoon I had gone to the Piazza Guiseppe Mazzini & booked a table for one in the Ristorante da Filippino
Emanuele via the back streets & came across a small wine shop. Inside - after a chat with the bloke, I got a bottle of Sicilian Zibibbo.
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| I've been unable to find out her name |
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| Striated rock at the other side of the harbour wall |
I took a few quite interesting pics from & near the quay, waved at the others who were already
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| Note the colours |
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| Ditto |
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| Colourful vegetation & rock |
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| The posts were slowly rotting . . . |
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| & falling over |
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| The sea was also heated at this beach & it's known as the Spiaggia delle Acque Calde |
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| Suzanne & Jenny (with muddy shoulders) taking the waters . . . |
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| Hi ho muddy waters (with apologies to the Jeff Beck Group!) |
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| This one is all but Lorella |
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| The mud's supposed to be good for skin & bones?!? |
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| I think this is down the Via Riccardo Conti |
To get there I went the 'scenic route', zig-zagging through the sleepy streets & passing a load of nice villas.
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| Ditto |
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| The Spiaggia Sabbie Nere AKA Black Sands Beach |
The gardens
were lovely as well & gardeners were already at work.
The beach was already quite full of sunbathers, & I left my bits & pieces with a lady while I went for a swim.
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| I think the peak on the right is Filicudi & the one between the rocks is Alicudi. Um? |
Then I retrieved the bumbag & Lumix & walked north along the waterline to the north end, & snapped a few pics.
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| Salina peaks & Lipari beyond the northern headland |
I also went hunting for nice volcanic rocks as souvenirs, & between the walk to the north end & the
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| I think those are Salina's cones? |
return back to the south end I picked up black, grey, purple, brown & pinky bits of sea-washed lava.
Interestingly, they were all differently dense, with some feeling heavier than their size suggested & some much lighter.
It reminded me of the pounamu in NZ which is denser & heavier than ordinary river & sea rocks, & that way collectors can tell whether or not they've found any by comparing the weight with rocks of a similar size.
Anyway, here are my Vulcano treasures :-)
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| My colourful volcanic stones from the Spiaggia Sabbie Nere. The bit on the far left is a small bit of pumice with a smiley face on it! |
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| Somewhere to the SE of the beach |
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| Awesome bark |
I took a Scenic Route back to the quay as well, & my return via various back streets & the Via Lentia turned up some gloriously gorgeous gardens, & some awesome & extremely impressive eucalyptus trees.
Go on Gmaps street view & see them for yourself ;-)
I just did!
I ended up back near Antonio's ice-cream parlour, so got a melon choc fondant & English rum double cone.
Yer, yer, nearly lunchtime, but as I said yesterday, I wuz on mee ollydiz ;-))
Radu was more prompt today, & we were all back aboard before midday.
Sailaway happened at 1205, & we were bound for a jolly on the strait between Vulcano & Lipari where there were some interesting rock stacks known as
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| Even more awesome bark! |
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| Back to the Pallas |
I ended up back near Antonio's ice-cream parlour, so got a melon choc fondant & English rum double cone.
Yer, yer, nearly lunchtime, but as I said yesterday, I wuz on mee ollydiz ;-))
Radu was more prompt today, & we were all back aboard before midday.
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| I think (between the stacks) is Filicudi under cloud ~ & not erupting , & not Stromboli, which is |
Sailaway happened at 1205, & we were bound for a jolly on the strait between Vulcano & Lipari where there were some interesting rock stacks known as
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| Basiluzzo & Stromboli |
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| The Faraglione di Lipari ~ Pietra Menalda & Pietra Lunga |
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| We approach Lipari |
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| Looking aft at my fellow cruisers |
I bagged the spot on the bowsprit & got some decent pics.
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| Um - Pietra Lunga? |
Pepe steered us around the stacks & along the striated shore, before dropping anchor at 1230 in a smallish bay on the south of Lipari called Spaggia Praia di Vinci.
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| I can't find a name on Gmaps for this one |
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| Err - Pietra Lunga? |
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| The hole known as Punta della Crepazza |
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| Ditto with coloured clifs behind |
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| We anchor for lunch in a bay ~ Spaggia Praia di Vinci |
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| So do 2 other boats |
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| Aforementioned lunch in Spaggia Praia di Vinci |
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| Pic showing Lipari's pumice mining |
During our tour of the coast & stacks, Roberto had been busy in the galley preparing lunch.
We had this anchored in the bay at 1/2 past 1, then most of us fell asleep in the sun until it was time to set off for Lipari port at 1530.
We sailed up the east coast of Lipari, passing evidence of
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| I think the white stuff's pumice deposits? |
the extensive pumice mining on the island in the past.
Here's a bit more info about Lipari:
Lipari is the largest of a chain of islands in a volcanic archipelago situated in between Vesuvius and Etna. The island has a surface area of 37.6 square kilometres (14.5 sq mi) and is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Sicily. Besides the main town, most of the year-round population resides in one of the four main villages: Pianoconte
is almost due west across the
island, Quattropani in the northwest, Acquacalda along the northern coast, whereas Canneto is on the eastern shore north of Lipari town. The highest point on the island is Monte Chirica at 602 m (1975 ft).
inhabitants of Lipari and they exported all over the world. In 2000 the Aeolian Islands were designated a World Heritage site and the mines were closed in 2000 under pressure from UNESCO, although the Pumex Society had their mine confiscated in 2007 after they were found to still be illegally mining.(Ref.: Kook on Urban Exploration website)
Lipari is the largest of a chain of islands in a volcanic archipelago situated in between Vesuvius and Etna. The island has a surface area of 37.6 square kilometres (14.5 sq mi) and is 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Sicily. Besides the main town, most of the year-round population resides in one of the four main villages: Pianoconte
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| Pepe in silhouette with pumice hill on left |
is almost due west across the
island, Quattropani in the northwest, Acquacalda along the northern coast, whereas Canneto is on the eastern shore north of Lipari town. The highest point on the island is Monte Chirica at 602 m (1975 ft).
Geologists agree on the fact that Lipari was created by a succession of four volcanic movements, the most important of which was the third one, presumably lasting from 20,000 BC to 13,000 BC. A further
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| Lipari & my left foot - with apologies to Daniel Day-Lewis ;-p |
important phenomenon should have happened around 9000 BC. The last recorded eruptions occurred in the fifth century CE when airborne pumice, together with volcanic ash, covered the
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| The approach to Lipari town |
Roman villages of the island. The volcanoes are considered active, and steaming fumaroles and hydrothermal activity may still be seen.
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| Up to the castle |
As a result of its volcanic origin, the island is covered with pumice and obsidian. Pumice mining has become a large industry on Lipari, and the pale pumice from Lipari is shipped worldwide.
I also found this info from someone's blog:
Due to the volcanic origins of the islands there is a lot of pumice and obsidian around. The mining of these was a lucrative business, so much so that the pirate Barbossa (Redbeard) plundered the castle to get his hands on some. The mines were an important industry for the
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| The castle was built on & around rock |
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| Difficult to storm with such a small entrance |
By 1630, Pepe had us moored stern-in at the Porto Salvo, & then we all set off on foot when Nic took us up to the castle & cathedral which were on a rocky promentary in the middle of the bay.
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| Arch looking down towards where I was to have dinner later |
It was a great place for a fortification
The walk from the Pallas was about a kilometre to the castle up on the rock.
Then, with Nic giving us occasional bits of info, we all had a wander around the castle precincts & the cathedral.
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| The cathedral bell tower from the Via Castello |
Then, with Nic giving us occasional bits of info, we all had a wander around the castle precincts & the cathedral.
I have no notes for this next bit, but have gleaned extra bits from Google for the pics, so let them be tell the tale for a bit.
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| Lipari Cathedral ceiling frescos |
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| Window in the cathedral |
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| Francoise & the central nave |
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| Bronze cathedral doors: Note my silhouette ;-p |
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| Beautiful eucalyptus bark |
At the southern end of Via Castello there was a small garden with some great conifers & eucalyptus providing shade.
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| Aeolian puss hoping for a cuddle . . . |
There was also a small amphitheatre & a friendly cat.
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| & getting one! |
It was lovely & peaceful up there in the afternoon sunshine.
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| Lovely pine esplanade looking over the southern port area |
From the height of the gardens, I could see where the Star Clipper had been anchored in 2006.
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| Elizabeth photographing the cathedral from the Via Castello |
She had been in the southern part of Lipari port, so I had an idea where I'd had lunch that day we had visited Lipari.
I decided I would go exploring in the morning & see if I could find the restaurant.
Culture over for the day, we all walked down the steep Via Castello to the Via Guiseppe Garibaldi & headed to the shopping area.
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| Another Aeolian moggy |
It was very touristy, but I marked a couple of places I might try the next morning, & left the others shopping while I
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| Dress made of paper |
When I got back to the boat there was a party going on in another gulet moored nearby & Pepe, Radu & Roberto were going to go.
I cleaned up & dressed for dinner in the nice brown silk skirt I'd got from an Edinburgh charity shop when I was up for the rugby, & a
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| The Piazza Mazzini |
cream top from the TKMaxx sale rail.
I told you I was the poor relation of the other cruisers!
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| Lipari castle |
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| My bottleof Catta??? |
The hieroglyphs say I had Scorpion fish with an Aeolian salad, & vanilla ice cream served with sultanas soaked in Malvasia :-q
They also say I ordered a "full bottle" of Catta??? something or other & drank >1/2.
I have managed to decipher that the vino was a blend of grillo &
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| Looking out towards the bay from my table |
viognier grapes.
It was yummy ;-p
The Filippino was quite posh, & I had two waiters and two tables.
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| My food was prepared on a separate table before being brought to me |
Both waiters were lovely & very helpful, even taking the fish off the bone & keeping my glass topped up ~ not that I was incapable, but the Maitre-D (AKA Boss-man) was very officious.
One of the tables was where they put the food they'd brought from the kitchen & got it ready to serve.
The other was the one I ate at.
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| The Boss-man |
It was relatively empty when I got there, but gradually filled with other diners.
As it got busier, so did the Boss-man.
He wandered around ordering the waiters to jump to it & he was a miserable-looking geezer.
Almost as miserable as Philippe ;-p
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| My scorpion fish, prepared for consumption on its table |
tbh, I could've done with more fish, but the salad & vegetables that came with it filled up some of the holes!
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| You can see there wasn't much meat on the fish :-( It was tasty though :-q |
The pic on the left shows how little fish there was left on my plate after I'd had only 1 mouthful to taste it.
Boo
:-((
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| It got a bit busier later on. Note Boss-man on the left |
To paraphrase Paul Daniels ~ "Not A Lot"
If you don't get that joke, look him up on google
;-p
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| The monogrammed pudding plate |
I had a glass of Malvasia to go with the ice cream & soaked sultanas**, & all 3 were awesome
:-q
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| I had dessert wine as well! |
** While writing this blog, I decided to soak some sultanas in some Mavrodaphne** I had opened at the weekend. Time will tell if it worked.
Watch this space ;-)
** sweet red wine made from grape of same name
After my delicious pudding (I could easily
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| Italian chocolates, Italian gelato & Italian Malvasia |
have eaten several more helpings ;-p ), I got a doppio espresso to finish me off.
Then I had to pay the bil :-(
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| Not a very good pic of my two lovely waiters |
At 81 Euros "it wuzza a dear do" as we say in Lancashire.
For other Lancs sayings, check out this link for a larf
Bill paid, I wandered back to the Corsa Vittorio
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| The bloke at the wine shop & my Zibibbo |
It was 24 Euros, so significantly more than I'd usually pay for a bottle at home (unless it was a malt), & I saved it for when I was back on the mainland & giving myself a treat. With carry-on, I couldn't take a bottle home, no matter how amazing it was :-/
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| Street music, Lipari style |
Walking north along Corsa Vittorio Emanuele, I came across this old guy & his mates playing for the diners at a cafe at the corner of the Via Amendola.
So I stood for a bit & listened before carrying on back to the Porto Salvo.
By this time I had taken my (hi-heel) shoes off. My feet hurt!
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| The Pallas was docked at this marina |
At the Pallas I washed the muck off my feet with the hose, then went online for a bit, before Serge, Francoise & Elizabeth came back.
They said they'd had decent food but poor views of the (large) ferry at the port.
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| The castle & port from the Pallas just before bed |
You can see the ferry's blue lights on the right.
General chat about Philippe's rudeness happened, then everyone went to bed just before midnight.
The party on the gulet next door was still in full swing, & my notes show Lorella slept on deck again.
I hope she had earplugs ;-p
Tomorrow was to see us go to the archaeological museum, then sail to Salina.
OAO
