Catania

After Pompei, we rushed back to Sorrento to grab our luggage and take the train back to Naples where we caught the overnight ferry to Catania, Sicily. We thought we had a couple more hours before the ferry, but I read the time wrong (stupid military time) and we got to the dock 15 minutes before our ferry left. After we got our tickets, we wen running towards the boat, which of course was at the farthest point from the ticket booth. I made it to the boat before Gavin, since he had the heavier luggage, but was so out of breath by time I got there, I couldn't talk to the staff. I just kind of pointed at Gavin. The guys laughed and said something in Italian and Americans. :)

Here's our room for the night. We were in the very front of the boat, with the window over looking the bow of the ship. It wasn't that bad sleeping on the boat. I thought I would have a hard time, but I found the rocking of it really relaxing. We had the most beautiful view of the stars when we went to bed. Living in a big city on the east coast, we don't get to see a lot of stars.

This is the back of the ship, where the car get on and are stored for the trip. Since it was during the low season, it wasn't that full. We were told that it is usually jammed packed.
We ate dinner on the boat, which was alright. This is a giant bowl of Parmesan cheese. I found it hilarious that in the states, restaurants are so stingy with Parmesan cheese while in Italy, they give you a giant bowl with each meal.

We arrived in Catania early the next morning.

The view of Mount Etna, the volcano near Catania.

The ferry we took.
We had to catch the ferry to Sicily. There wasn't another one for us to take. We also had to catch another ferry that night to Malta, which was the only one we could take before our flights back to the U.K. We couldn't find the office for the ferry we needed that night. We asked a few people, wandered around the dock for about an hour and were starting to panic. Finally, we asked the dock police to help and we finally found it. They weren't open yet, so we waited.
After purchasing our tickets for the evening ferry and getting all of the important stuff out of the way, we went into Catania to explore the city. We went to the Piazzo Duomo, which is the main square of the city. We got some breakfast at this little cafe. We were told what we got was traditional Sicilian food. I got a fried rice ball with cheese in it.
The Amenano Fountain, near the Piazzo Duomo.
The open air fish market.

The Catania Cathedral. This is where Bellini is buried.

In the Piazzo Duomo, there were several elderly men gathered, talking with each other. You could tell that they showed up every morning to chat with others.

The Elephant Fountain in the Piazzo Duomo.

We took a bus tour around Catania. It had just started up and wasn't that great. However, we were able to see more of the city. The tour basically told us that there was an earthquake, then the city was rebuilt. I'm sure there is much more to the city's history than that. :)

The Ursino Castle, which was built in the 13th Century.

The fountain of Neptune at the central train station.

Some Roman ruins in the middle of the city.

The Bellini Statue.

The statue of Ferdinand I.

After the bus tour, we walked a little around the city and came across this crazy market. You could buy anything and everything there, including illegal DVDs. I got some fabulous boots. There was a food section, which people from the country side brought their food to sale. There was some of the biggest lemons we have ever seen. Some were seriously the size of our heads.

After wandering the city, we went back to the port to catch our other ferry to Malta. The company had a bus that took us a couple of hours away to another port where we got on the ferry to Malta. This ferry only took a couple of hours long to get there and seemed much bigger than the other ferry.

As with every other place, we wished we had more time to explore Sicily. We hardly got to see anything there. While riding the bus to the next port, the countryside looked beautiful.