December 5, 2016 -- Messin' Around in Messina

Note: I still don't have the photo problem solved. I think I have exceeded my limit for photo uploads, but I am not sure who imposed the limit or what to do about it You'll just have to wait until I get home to see more photos.   We arrived in Messina, Sicily, with no specific touring plan. I know that anyone who knows me will find this shocking and hard to believe, but it is true. Messina is one of those wonderful ports where you just walk off the ship, cross the street, and you are in the middle of town. (It is also one of those places where a lot of good things are closed on Mondays - in this case, shopping.) Messina is very pretty. The mountains form a small bowl and the city is nestled in the bowl and up the sides of a lower ridge just inside the mountains. On the other side is the 3-mile-wide Strait of Messina, the narrowest part of the water between Sicily and mainland Italy. This strategic location means Messina has attracted inhabitants since at least the 8th century BCE. Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing takes place here. There are a couple of prominent churches that dominate the skyline. The apartment buildings and commercial buildings do not generally exceed 6 or 8 stories, perhaps because this region is earthquake prone. There was a big one in 1908 that destroyed 80% of the city and killed 60,000 people. Say what, Anchorage?  We walked to Cathedral Square (the Duomo) where we bought tickets for a tour with Discover Messina. The first part of the tour was a ride on a pretend train. (Photo eventually) For 45 minutes we tootled through the the town and up into the hills, stopping at one point to take photos. It was hard to hear the tape explaining the tour because the people sitting around us were like kids on a field trip and they would not shut up. But it was such a nice day that the open-air ride was enjoyable even without hearing everything. Our ride ended at the Duomo and we had a little time to peek inside the Cathedral and photograph the pre-Baroque Orion's Fountain. The Cathedral was built in the 1100's, damaged in the 1908 earthquake, and damaged in WWII. It still has the massive style typical of pre-Gothic churches.  The real highlight of the Duomo was the 180-foot tower housing the world's largest astronomical clock. This one beats the one in Prague by a mile, though it is much more recent, having been completed in the 1930's. We were there at noon to see the spectacle, as was every other tourist n town, and two or three busloads of school children. Our tour continued with a guide explaining the clock tower just before it struck noon. First two mythical women struck the bell 12 times. (You really have to see the photos.) Then the lion reared up, moved his tail, turned his head and roared very loudly - 3 times. Then the rooster flapped it's wings and crowed - 3 times. Then the Dove of Peace flew around a mountain while a church grew out of the mountain. Then Christ and the Apostles raised their arms and another dove flew around. Finally, a parade of people passed the Virgin Mary, gave her a letter, and then took it back at the end. It lasted almost 15 minutes. And that does not include all the astronomical parts that move too slowly to be noticeable but show the day of the week, the phase of the moon, the sign of the zodiac, and the day, month and year. Phew! Next came the tasting portion of the tour. We walked to a bakery and everyone got a cannoli. Mmmmm. Finally, we saw another church which was very Moorish and older and smaller than the Cathedral. This was really quite a nice tour. Being a Monday, the shopping district was closed, We wandered around a bit and then decided to try out some street food. No, the cannoli were not lunch. We walked up to an area that seemed to be next to a university and found a one-step-above-a-hole-in-the-wall establishment selling local goodies. It was called Rosticceria Famulari, in case you ever go.  We decided to try the "arrancine rustici".  It was a cone-shaped fried ball of rice. This particular type had tomatoes, cheese and meat in it. It was really a treat. We strolled back to the ship, hoping to find some open shops, but they take their Mondays seriously. However, the custom of closing on Mondays does not apply to food, and we passed several open bakeries until we finally broke down and stopped for some cookies and an apple pastry. It's so much fun to buy things at an Italian bakery. You just point and you are never sure exactly what you are going to get, but it's always good. They wrap everything up so beautifully, you feel like you are opening a present. Goodbye, Messina. Despite all the damage suffered due to earthquakes and war - or maybe because the damage allowed for modernization - Messina seems to be a fairly livable city. At 250,00o it is not too crowded. It is not as dirty, not as graffitied over, just a pretty, understated place. Back on board we relaxed a bit before dinner and basked in the sunshine. Our after-dinner show featured a comedian, Tony Daro. He was pretty funny - he is a good observer of human foibles.