Overnight we traveled from Argostoli, Greece to Messina, Sicily, a brief jaunt across the Ionian Sea. It was a calm passage.
Messina is charming and welcoming, with a nice harbor. It’s the closest city on Sicily to the Italian mainland, and there is a lot of history. People here identify as Sicilian, not Italian, and draw the distinction.
The strait of Messina is 3km across, almost a stone’s throw, and bridge the Ionian and Tyranean Seas; it can be the scene of rough wind and current whirlpools. It is also, if legend is to be believed, the historical location of Scylla and Charybdis, the monsters who troubled Odysseus as recounted by Homer. We were not troubled at all and experienced a friendly welcome.
After a brief jaunt on the seafront we took a bus to visit the nearby ancient city of Taormina.
Later we had a nice dinner in our stateroom, while watching the sun set.
And then walking the decks, I enjoyed the pool light show 🙂
How did I get here 