25 May to 4 June
Sicily
The campsite in Cefalu was a real find. It was great to be able to see so much sea and sky from our pitch and we made full use of the swimming pools which we often had to ourselves. The small swimming pool was fabulous for the children, both of whom were confident enough to jump in from the sides without being caught.
Cefalu itself, just a ten minute drive down the coast, it's an enchanting town. Perched beneath a enormous rock face, its buildings and streets spill down from the spectacular Duomo directly onto the harbour and shore. The long, sandy beach was fantastic. Lined, in the Italian way, with row upon row of sun loungers and a few very relaxing beach bars. It was a lovely place to meander about and with the sea so close it was perfect for the children to go for a big run when window shopping got a bit too boring!
On our second day in Cefalu Louis turned two. He didn't really take much notice of his birthday until after his afternoon nap when he demanded "presents", "cake" and "candles". We had promised to take him to a toy shop to choose a present and then go in search of some cake so we set off into Cefalu. We found an amazing little toy shop and went in search of something small enough that we could pack away into the van. Louis, however, had some very grand designs in mind and as for Zach you can imagine his delight and the hours he could have lost in this small shop. Zach was unsurprisingly very sure of what Louis would like however we managed to settle for some animals and a tree house in a bizarre scene with these environment rescuers equipped with a variety of cameras, a first aid kit and bandages for the Orang-utan!! It's obviously very popular in Italy as there was shelves and shelves devoted to various scenes from this programme. We then found a lovely little restaurant overlooking the harbour to have a bowl of spaghetti to celebrate.
Sunset from the restaurant on Louis's Birthday
We ended the evening in a bar by the beach where we ordered a chocolate cake that turned out to have marmalade stuffed inside, we put candles in and sang "happy birthday." Louis was delighted and we had to re-light the candles several times. The cake turned out to be as disgusting as it sounded but Louis was certainly impressed.
Happy Birthday Louis!
The day after Louis's birthday we met up with Andrew who had arrived for a holiday. It was so great to see him and the boys loved having him around. Our days and evenings here were very different as Andrew had joined us, or we had joined him, and his encouragement to explore the local restaurants was something we could not refuse.
Uncle Andrew
We had a stunning meal at the foot of the Duomo where we ordered a "big fish" as the waiter described it. We waited hours for it to be cooked by which time the children had fallen asleep and missed dinner. When it arrived the waiter could hardly carry the platter. He dissected it for us and dished up huge pieces of fresh fish. It was really delicious and we had a lovely evening. We were however shocked when the bill arrived to see that the fish alone cost about a week's camping bill!
Cefalu Duomo
As the time progressed the weather turned more and more unpredictable culminating in stormy, wild, wet and windy conditions. There were incredible storms at night where we could see the lightening strike out over the sea and then the thunder would shake the campervan. During the day on the beach the lifeguards screeched their whistles at anyone who ventured more than three metres into the sea. Fortunately we could enjoy the swimming pool and we did go to the beach where Zach managed to get some fun out of the body board again.
The beach at the campsite
Campsite life was a bit more family orientated here as many Germans schools were on holiday, which meant Zach and Louis had lots of playmates. They became part of a gang of boys who would all zoom about the site on their bikes and scooters or sharing their stash of toys with parents keeping a watchful eye. Every so often it would be someone's mealtime or bedtime and parents would be chasing about trying to reclaim their unwilling children who would be happy to play all night. As people came and left the campsite we would often end up with different children popping up and joining us with their toys, a proper travelling playgroup. What was most impressive as we watched Zach and Louis was the way they chatted to each other children oblivious that they spoke a different language and remarkably they all seemed to understand each other.
The campsite playgroup!
Steve and Zach managed a very windy cycle ride into Cefalu. Red flags again adorned every part of the beach and in tandem they battled their way along the shore line and of course rewarded themselves with yet more ice creams on arrival. Unfortunately most of the ice cream was lost to the floor as the sun melted them quicker than you could lick and the wind blew what was left straight off the cones.
From Cefalu we travelled across Sicily to Toamina on the East coast to spend yet more time on another superb pitch, virtually on the beach. We did have to laugh at the name of the site however - Paradise International! We enjoyed a few days on the beach in the sun before the storms set in again. The rain finally encouraged us to take a trip into town. Taomina is stunning, perched within the cliffs all traffic is banned so it is the perfect place to take a wander. Despite the rain we had a lovely meander through the town and a fabulous meal although occasional drips of rain escaped through our shield of sun umbrellas.
We also took a nose at Andrew's posh hotel which was something out of a 60's James Bond movie, complete with underground cavernous walkways both to the pool and the beach. The slumleys certainly saw what they had been missing, not to mention the satellite TV, mini bar, en suite bedroom with walk in wardrobe and clean sheets!!! What a room, still decorated in 60's style and space enough for four campervans, luxury!! The boys had their first bath in weeks which they loved and thought it was hilarious to chase around the room naked except for bubbles.
The name's blonde!
The weather really began to deteriorate and the prospect of a sunny day seemed further and further away, it was the daily campsite chat with our neighbours and we had to postpone any thoughts of a trip to the top of mount Etna at some 3000 metres for a another holiday. We instead went of Syracuse, which was where we spent our first ever holiday together in 1989 the year we became, "Kate and Steve"!!! The old town was about all we could remember and it was lovely to see the harbour and enjoy lunch along the terrace with the boys.
Syracuse harbour
On our return from Syracuse we were met by some sunshine and Andrew waiting for us on the campsite beach in a speedboat he had hired for the afternoon. We spent a fabulous evening zooming up and down the coast. The kids thought is was brilliant and at the end of the evening Louis didn't want us to give the boat back to the rental man! Actually I don't think any of us really wanted to give it back! Kayaking just won't be the same again!!
Zach driving the speedboat
Sicily Top Three
Big Fish
Little Brother
Speedboats and the jet set lifestyle, just a taste!!
Stats:
Total miles travelled 2,004 time spent on the road, so chilled out now we are this far South it doesn't seem that important besides Louis has been getting his paws on the steering wheel and cleared the vehicles computer.
Strangest experience
Having lunch in Syracuse, 18 years on, with two little boys, what a journeys we've had together and to be sharing them now with Zach and Louis!!
Other pictures we liked this week
The stormy sea at Cefalu
Stormy weather
Louis
Zach
Louis
Andrew and the boys on the beach at Cefalu
Andrew and Louis aboard the speedboat
Coming into the harbour
