The pattern is continuing - another bright sunny day with a maximum temperature of 19C. Currently it is 13C.
Breakfast was in the hotel restaurant on the ground level. People in the other building came across the laneway and entered via a side door directly into the restaurant.
There was a limited choice especially for fruit. However, bowls of fruit arrived later. We ordered coffee but it took ages to arrive. At least this hotel offered a range of items from a menu including eggs and omelettes. Just like yesterday morning, I wasn't feeling well and so I didn't order anything.
The departure time for this morning's outing was 8:30am. Luca had arranged taxis to take us from the hotel to an archaeological site on "main island" in Syracuse. Here we were greeted by a local guide to show us around the site.
When the tour started just before 9am, we were one of the first groups to visit the site for the morning which is probably why Luca was keen to get away early - to beat the rush.
The site dates back to the Ancient Greeks - about the 8th century BC. The Romans came later after the birth of Christ (3rd century AD).
The most dominant feature on the site is a large semi-circular amphitheatre (5th century BC) that had a capacity of thousands. It was built in the third century BC. There was a lot of construction activity in the amphitheatre because it is being prepared for a concert in less than two weeks. They are covering the original stone seating with plastic protection and then timber benches.
Later the guide took us down the hill and through a garden to see a huge cave that they'd built into the cliff face. It must have been more than 25m high, 10m wide and 60m deep.
The acoustics were excellent and just to prove it, Luca sang one of his operatic pieces. Our guide joined in to make it a duo.
She took us past some tombs that were used by rich people and then showed us the small amphitheatre that same built by the Romans in the 1st century AD.
Before leaving the site, we stopped as usual at the cafe for a coffee and a comfort stop. Surprisingly there were womens toilets but the men's toilet was closed.
At the top of the hill, we caught taxis to the waterfront on Ortigia Island which is where we saw the sunset on the first night. Here the guide joined us again to start a walking tour through Syracusa. Some of the places she took us were similar to those that Luca had shown us.
She took us inside a church that contains a famous religious painting. We weren't allowed to take photos in this church. Next she took us inside the cathedral in the main plaza. This time we were allowed to take photos except in one small chapel.
She then guided us through various streets and laneways down streets to a plaza that contains another Greek temple ruins. This is where her guided tour ended.
Luca then took us through the nearby markets to a cafe where we were to have lunch. By this time it was about noon. The schedule described it as street food and it consisted of tastings of cheese and other food. They provided carafes of red and white wine.
At about 1:15pm, we started a boat trip around Ortigia Island. At the start of the cruise, we all had to duck down in a yoga-like pose so we could fit under the stone arch bridge.
It was a great day to be doing this cruise - warm and sunny with a clear blue sky and blue water.
At the end of the cruise at about 2pm, we had free time for the rest of the afternoon. Suzy went shopping and I went back to hotel. After she got back, we both had an afternoon nap - although Suzy had trouble getting comfortable because she had a sore lower back.
At about 5:45pm, we decided to go for a walk to nearby waterfront fortress. The weather forecast for tomorrow was for rain and so we wanted to take advantage of the sunshine while we could.
Back in our room, we opened one of the small bottles of almond liqueur that Suzy had bought a few days ago. We sat in the sun on the balcony overlooking the sea.
We met our group in the hotel foyer at 7:30pm and walked to a local restaurant, Peperosa, for dinner.
On the way back to the hotel someone had placed candles along the edges of the laneway and when we got back to the hotel, the hotel facade was lit up.
We were in bed at about 10:15pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment