Sicily

Cruise Crew

Our Wait Staff, Dexter and Denville.  Felt like family by the end of the cruise!

This is the dinner crew we ate with almost nightly.  They made dining an experience.  What fun.
Left to right: Melanie, Jeanette (Quebec), Roger and me, Claire and Peter (Newcastle), Carrie, Kayla, Megan (Toronto)

Enjoying the green on board the ship!

First sunrise on the boat!

An active volcano in the middle of the sea

First sight of Sicily

Messina

Messina, Sicily

Pretty fountain in the middle of the square where we originally disembarked

A portion of the stairs we climbed to get to one of the churches we saw as we were coming into port.

Tempio Votivo di Cristo Re (I think)
We are walking there next!

Messina Strait, view from church pictured below.

Pope John Paul statue

Happy and blessed!

Some views of the city

In the background you can see the pretty church where we visited the Pope (Statue!)

Beautiful Garden spot near center of town.

This was our first shore adventure from the cruise.  It was a lot of fun walking around and venturing through the city.  Did not meet any of the Corleone family, though.  :)
I really meant to keep the map so I could confidently describe the two churches we saw, but alas, when every article I pack counts, some things have to be sacrificed. :(

We are so fortunate, and never forget how blessed we are to be able to do this, health wise and practically.  To know we have family and friends to share this with makes it all the better.