On top of the world

…..or at least on top of the Aeolians. The Aeolians are a string of 7 islands north of Sicily, and 6 of them are volcanos, very active volcanos! We hiked up the island we were anchored at, Vulcano, which was a pretty steep hike and the little girls did great, we slowed the pace and they were able to hike the whole thing (it was the ‘grownups’ who were whining!) Miles caught a ride on dad’s back the whole way up and back, so no complaints from him.

At the top the crater is hissing and smoldering, with a thick cloud of sulphur which blocks the path on one side. There are signs everywhere about being careful not to breathe the fumes. It was an absolutely spectacular view of the surrounding islands and of the island of Vulcano below. Mehari is a small boat anyway, but from up there, it was a spec!

It was a great hike and we relaxed at the top for a bit, snacking, before being in a big hurry to get back to the boat to swim. It was HOT! It was hot enough being near the volcano, but also in mid-August, the heat was in the low 100’s, a lot like our home state of Arizona. Another downside to mid-August, is it ‘the month’ that all of Italy shuts down for holiday and it was CROWDED! This was probably the most crowded anchorage we’d ever been at and there were boats coming and going all day, making plenty of wakes that kept us bobbing until later at night when it finally calmed down. Not a big complaint I know, like shoveling snow or anything, but thought I’d let you know some of the woes of the sailing/cruising life. I think we were spoiled in Greece ;)

The swim felt great and we spent the rest of the day hanging on the boat, enjoying the slight breeze.

Hems!