[black rock volcano beach on Stromboli]
Lipari became the next stop on the Calabrian adventure. I’m not sure how or why this came about but the choice was made. And it really doesn’t matter because it’s done and I’m there (the best part of the drift). After a short boat ride from Tropea, it stopped at an island… not Lipari and not expected. I don’t always catch every piece of Italian being thrown my way. So Stromboli it was, the first stop – volcano island. That’s pretty much the whole thing – volcano rock going right into the sea. The beach is black rock, very hot, and at times you can see smoke coming from the core. Pretty cool really.
[the view from my room in Acuacalda]
Eventually, the ferry pulled into the marina in Lipari. This place is a little throw back piece of Italy. Nobody speaks English, a good thing most of the time, with a small town feel. It’s laid back and peaceful. At any time you can see old timers shootin the bull on the corners, fishermen catching their dinners, and little old ladies wandering the skinny corridors. The night before I booked a B&B that looked pretty decent. It was 10 km from town. I didn’t know that at the time and wasn’t happy when I found out. There are pros and cons to booking a joint before hand – that’s a discussion for another time. This time I thought it was a con but turned out to be a great thing. A taxi offered to take me there for 30 euros. I don’t think so. Much too high for my taste. Next option: scooter. A mere 50 euros for 3 days. Done. They wanted 60 but I talked them down. I’m not traveling as light as usual but I was forced to (work obligations made me do it). I have an enormous Ogio bag and my pretty good sized camera backpack. Jokingly, I asked them if it was ok to load up my new ride, the HD 125cc Evo, with all my gear and the rental guys complied. Before I knew it my giant bag was balancing precariously on back with my backpack strapped to the front of me. No sweat. Once I got the 125cc’s rollin’ I couldn’t help but laugh for the next 10 km until I found the my new home.
[just another amazing sunset]