Christmasies!

I more of less spontaneously decided to do a advents-calender for Vincent, since I had heard so much from friends making them for someone else. So in little less than a week I found all the presents, paper etc. and send him away from the house while I was wrapping and hanging.

I might be more exited about this than he actually is :).

Colder times!

One great thing about winter is that colder times calls for warmer food. This broccoli soup is really amazing, thanks to Instagram that quickly became a new favorite recipe. If you want to try yourself, you can find it here.

Toarmina!

Taormina was a much more vibrant city doing the daytime than Syracuse. Mainly because of the large amount of tourist staying at the many resorts surrounding the city. Believe it or not it was quite difficult to take pictures without people in them.

I was glad that we visited, but also happy not to have stayed there during the whole time in Sicily. Even if Taormina could seem like a vacation paradise, I found Syracuse to be much more exiting and charming.

Hiking Up The Mountain Side!

Taormina is a city closely located to Etna. We took the train one day north to explore a bit. Taormina is also located quite high, at least from where the station is, so we took a very warm hike up the side of the mountain doing midday sun to get there.

I never saw the cactus fruits growing, but remember seeing them at the local grocer in Germany. The trip to Sicily really made me want to taste them. Every time we passed them on the hillside I was tempted to take one, but in the end we bought one at the market, trying to avoid hazard of getting little spikes into our hands. Didn't manage that completely.

Old Siracuse!

It is lucky the old Syracuse is located on a very small island. Because when walking down the narrow tortuous streets, you ask yourself if you will ever find the way of of this maze. It is a surprise what awaits you around every corner. If you have already been there or not. So it is nice to know that the edge is not too far away, in case you feel lost.
However it is also a great way to hide out doing the midday sun.

Market Time!

One of the things I had been looking much forward to when going to Sicily, was to go to the local food market each morning and get all sorts of delicious things and local delicacies. After spending time in France last year it is one of the things, I miss most.

One day we went there and got cold-cut specialties, cheese, bread, fruit and spreads to make a real feast in the evening. A very nice break from eating out.

I love the vibe of such markets, the shouting vendors, the smell of all the food and the buzz of people trying to find the best offer or most ripe tomatoes.