Day 10: Catania
In Rick Steves' itinerary he calls this day colorful Catania and I can't think about of a better way to describe the day! Day 10 in Catania also marks the last full day of our Best in Sicily tour.
We left Taormina in the morning and drove to Catania which was an hour drive. When we arrived in Catania we were set free to explore the center of town which has a vibrant market with plenty of fresh fish and oysters; seafood like you have never seen it before! All of us would have loved to stay longer in Catania to buy fresh seafood and cook our own dishes using these local products.
As you can see from the colorful picture the market has umbrellas of every color overhanging the streets to provide some shade and it also makes for a fun ambiance.
After we took in all of the sites and smells of the market, the J's (Jeff, Julia, & Jonathan) and I went to grab a sandwich and a coffee at a cafe that was in the heart of the town square. As we played euchre and did people watching again, it slowly started to set in that a trip of a lifetime was coming to an end.
After we finished our lunch, we congregated back as a group and went to the Museo dello Sbarco, a World War II museum.
Historical Museum of the Landing in Sicily
The World War II museum is important to visit so that we can better understand history and are able to recount Sicily's liberation from the Nazi regime. For me personally, this museum experience was emotional. At the beginning of the museum is a simulator of what it was like to be in a bunker when bombings were occurring. I can not even begin to wrap my mind on what it must have been like to experience that first-hand.
I didn't take many pictures while I was here just because it was such an emotional experience. The museum is quite thorough and has a wide display of all the different army uniforms looked like for different countries during different periods of time.
Farewell Dinner
As much as we were sad the trip was over, the stories and the pictures we have from this trip continue to bring us joy. The group dinner in Catania some tour members got up and shared their favorite memories and are thankful for the friendships formed on the trip. We all were appreciative of our guide Nancy for her patience and ensuring the trip was above and beyond for everyone.
