Happy Halloween! Today’s rain and fog made for a spooky Halloween in Taormina, Sicily.

Miles walked yesterday and today: 10.8

Today our thoughts and prayers are with Uncle Matt – we are wishing you strength and quick recovery. We love you so much.

Today we walked around Palermo where we saw cathedrals, markets, fountains, gardens, piazzas and architecture. And of course more good food.

Miles walked today: 10.8

Started the day with a long walk along Bari’s harbor where we watched the local fisherman clean and tenderize their morning catch of octopus. Tenderizing involves beating the octopus with a wooden paddle or slapping it against the rocks 40-50 times. This gives the harbor a very unique sound in the morning…

We then had one more flight to catch to get us to Sicily. Our flight was delayed 4 hours so we spent most of the day at the airport, playing against each other in bejeweled. We are looking forward to exploring Sicily tomorrow.

Miles walked today: 8.6

A little ballet and stretching on our balcony in Bari:

We arrived in Bari, Italy (east coast, in the heel) yesterday by ferry. We didn’t waste any time digging into the delicious flavors of Italy!

Miles walked today: 7.1

We’ve been tied up making our way from the small Greek Islands back to mainland Greece and by tomorrow morning we will be in Italy. We are making our way by ferry, which has given us time to reflect on our recent travel and compose our top travel tips. We found it funny so we thought we would share:

1. Always upgrade CCs on moped when riding double on hilly islands

2. Take off your sunglasses when passing through customs

3. Never pass up an opportunity to use the restroom, and always carry your own toilet paper

4. Confirm the currency in which you are ordering

5. Don’t let restaurant staff catch you feeding the stray dogs or cats

AND …. Enjoy the differences between cultures and countries

Talk to you next from Italy…

Today we had more WWII history – we visited the War Tunnel Museum and learned about the Battle of Leros. Our rented scooter was sufficient to get us around the Island even though we felt like we were on a scene from on Dumb and Dumber. Tonight we take the overnight ferry back to Athens.

Miles walked today: 5.7

Arrived to the sleepy town of Leros this afternoon. We are enjoying learning the differences between each of these islands. Although sleepy now, Leros was important in WWII and the war cemetery and museum are on our agenda.

Miles walked today: 5.8

Island of Leros:

Windmills:

A moment of silence at WWII War Cemetery:

A sunset run to the top of the castle:

We arrived to the Greek island Kalymnos by ferry late last night. We are staying in Portia, the harbor and capital city, but rented a car this morning and spent the day exploring. Our first stop was a rural town of about 10 people where a local invited us along with some climbers for coffee (this island is renowned for rock climbing). We learned about sponge diving and how the road to the tiny town was built only 18 months ago with the purpose to bring water to the area.

The rock climbers inspired us to go find a famous climbing cave on the northeast side of the island. The 45 min walk was beautiful. There were plenty of goats to keep us company and the wild oregano, sage and thyme that cover the rocky terrain smelled delicious! We enjoyed eating lunch by the cave where we could watch the rock climbers.

After the day of circling the island, we worked our way to the Church of Agios Savvas. Perched high up on the mountain that over looks the harbor, the view is amazing.

Miles walked yesterday and today: 15.8

Many goats on this island:

The wild sage, oregano and thyme smell so good:

Stacked rocks mark the path:

Entrance to the Sikati Cave, where we admired the rock climbers:

As it turns out this area (Ölüdeniz, Turkey) is consistently rated a top 10 destination for paragliding, so we gave it a try! Also, today we started the journey back thru Greece. We have been very impressed with the hospitality of the Turkish people and are leaving with great memories.

Miles walked today: 9.4