This is the view from our balcony, the sun is shining!
Breakfast is a nice buffet, but they will also prepare off a menu for you.
We are seated at the window, not on the terrace again because they aren't sure of the weather and more rain is in the forecast, but this is the view.
When we arrived yesterday we got to choose flowers we wanted to be delivered to our room in an arrangement...this is what we got :)
This is the name of the hotel we're staying in, the grounds are beautiful. Jay found out when he was in the business session that we can use the 75Eu folio credit we have for lunch today at either our hotel or the sister hotel Sant Andrea, which is down on the beach with a free shuttle every half hour. So we decided we would go down there to have our lunch today.
This is the bar area where we sat because the restaurant doesn't actually open until 1pm. But we have to take the 1pm shuttle back up to the Timeo because we are meeting in the lobby for our helicopter tour at 1:45pm.
I ordered what was called 3 small bites. I knew it was going to be small so I had a small side mixed salad too...I didn't know it would be so beige. It was 2 mini calzone's with ham and cheese, something in the middle (like a flat pizza but out of layered phyllo with carmelized onions) and then fried chick pea, like a polenta - I took the bun off and just ate the middle of that one..overall not super impressed. Jay's club sandwich was amazing he said and his fries were good too.
We had enough time that we took the 12:30pm shuttle back to the hotel and grabbed a drink in the hospitality suite downstairs, because Manulife rented the whole building they have this available self-serve whenever you want it.
When it was time to go to the lobby for our tour we found out it was running about 45 minutes behind schedule so we took a little walk around the area outside of the hotel.
This is the same theatre we went to last night which was nice because it was actually closed so we were the only people there. Its very busy here, I can't even imagine coming in high season.
As I was going through my photos and deleting them I said to Jay "Why would I even take this picture, I don't even remember this"
Until I got to the next picture of Anthony! Its where they had lunch today and for some reason my WhatsApp will save every photo that is shared in a group chat automatically to my photos.
Jay is looking at a map, of sorts, that tells you what you're looking at in this square.
And where you can see Mt Etna in the background of the square behind the red building, but its so cloud covered you can't see it today.
There are some vendors in the streets, like in Paris, where everything they are selling is being displayed on a white sheet so they can pick up and go if needed. This guy saw something he didn't like and got going in a hurry.
And as soon as one goes they all go like dominos.
More of Sarah and Anthony's lunch. lol, its almost like we're still with them.
Sarah sent this asking if I wanted to try some..Anthony said its not fishy! haha.
We're back at the hotel now for 2:30pm and wait with Rick and Laurie, the other two passengers on our trip. The helicopter tours have been leaving all day in small groups, we are the last for today.
We have about a 20 minute drive, but there was an accident at the mouth of one of the tunnels. It had just happened recently and was a single van, sadly it didn't look like the driver made it, the ambulance hadn't arrived yet but there was a police officer there, but no one was attending to the person in the car.
On the drive Rick had asked if we're looking forward to the helicopter, I said "I am, Jay is doing it for me. He's not a fan of flying death traps". We couldn’t do Mt Etna today because of the weather so went down the coast.
This traffic on the bridge is because of the accident.
This is our hotel from the air, just in front of the theatre we were at last night.
This is where we had lunch today, the restaurant was just a little left of centre.
Safety first! lol
Jay stuck his hand out and immediately I thought "Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times"
Flying over the water made me realize how futile an open water search from the air might be, you couldn't see much. There was a boat a little ways out, not far, and there is no way I would have been able to tell if they were in distress unless they had a flare, you couldn't see the people on the boat at all.
There are sheep in this photo, lots of them right next to a residential area.
The landing strip and pad aren't very big but our pilot dropped it down very accurately and gently, exactly how you want your helicopter pilot to land!
Another nice photo of Anthony enjoying a coffee :)
On the way back it was very crowded on the street (which is pedestrian!) and Laurie said "We can just walk, if its easier" and the driver replied "No, No, I like to feel like Moses"
Now its just after 4pm and Jay is dying to go back to the room and watch The Ozarks, he was upset I made him walk around earlier when our tour got delayed by 45 minutes I'm sure, so he's up watching that and I'm just writing the blog - we have to be down in the lobby for the Gala dinner tonight at 6pm. Supposedly we're taking a Coach but I have no idea how a bus would ever drive here. The Gala is semi-formal tonight, I took that to mean Lulu tights would be appropriate so hope they are! Pretty much anything goes at these things.
Because of the accident we saw earlier the highway is closed, so our 30 min drive to the estate we are going to for the Gala takes an hour and a half as the traffic is diverted. It’s raining when we arrive and you can’t see but the staff is lining the walk way with umbrellas and all have white gloves on and as you walk up they all move their hands down and towards the door to welcome you, it was pretty cool.
They had kept the door closed on the dining room during the cocktail reception and so when we entered the scent of roses was beautiful (but what a waste).
As we were eating the first coarse Opera singers came out.
As we were eating they gave you a tiny bit of wine and if you had a little bit they gave you a tiny bit more. I turned to Steve, beside me, and said “I think there’s something wrong with their bottles”. After this course they removed the glasses and gave us new ones - “ah, they’re pairing”. That makes sense.
At the end of this course a girl down the table said “ok, drink quick, they’re coming to take our wine!”
With the next course the singers arrive again.
After the lamb Jay sent Peter an email saying “We’re having dinner prepared by a 2 Michelin Star chef and your dinner was better”. Lol.
Anthony and Sarah’s dessert.
I said “we had something similar”.
After the Opera they sang some more current songs, ‘Skyfall’ was spectacular.
Then my phone died. We, as always, were on the first car back to the hotel. When we got back we FaceTimed the girls and then went to sleep a little after midnight.
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