Giardini Naxos, Sicily

We arrived in Sicily yesterday afternoon, flying in from the north over the Tyrrhenian Sea,  Palermo and then east to Catania.  The view of the Aeolian Islands and Mt. Etna was spectacular and the mountain certainly dominates all aspect of the local landscape.  It was even billowing a little bit of smoke.  We are staying about 1/2 hour north of Catania, in Giardini Naxos, a seaside resort near what was the first Greek colony in Sicily, founded in 735 BC .  We visited the museum and archaeological park where excavations have been conducted since the 1950s.  Some of the more important archaeological finds have been the remains of the city walls and houses as well as stones from a temple possibly dedicated to Aphrodite.  The museum has a nice exhibit of Greek pottery and bronze artifacts from the site.  We had lunch at a seaside cafe and then made the long walk back to the hotel, enduring the high humidity of the afternoon despite being so close to the sea. Greg says the two beers he had after were "heaven sent". Tomorrow we are planning to visit Taormina and may even catch-up with Rachel who will be on tour in Sicily with her schoolmates.  Also tomorrow is the Euro 2016 Italy vs. Sweden soccer game, so we'll be back at the hotel in time to watch that on the big screen TV. Watching soccer is certainly more enjoyable when surrounded by Italian soccer fans! Forza Azzurri!!