A Scenic Sea Day

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Our first two days on the ship were sea days.

While we much prefer port days, having a couple of days at sea gives us a chance to catch our breath, especially on an itinerary as busy as this one. Yesterday, I think we all welcomed the slower pace, but probably none more than our jet-lagged couple.

I’m usually an early riser, but when I opened my eyes yesterday morning, it was already past 9:00 a.m. Apparently, I needed the catch-up too.

There was no rush to get anywhere, no sightseeing plans to keep up with and no alarm telling us it was time to get moving. It was a good day to settle into ship life and enjoy the fact that we had nowhere else to be.

But there was one thing I had been looking forward to all day.

Later in the afternoon, we would be sailing through the Strait of Messina, the narrow passage that separates mainland Italy from Sicily. It lies between Calabria, the toe of Italy’s boot, and Sicily, and has been an important waterway for thousands of years. At its narrowest point, the strait is only about three kilometres wide.

As we approached, we also passed Stromboli, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Stromboli is one of the Aeolian Islands, and its almost continuous volcanic activity has earned it the nickname “the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean.” We had hoped to catch a glimpse of some volcanic activity, but from the ship we weren’t that lucky.



By the time we entered the Strait of Messina, it was around 4:30 or 5:00 in the afternoon. The sun was already getting low, casting a beautiful light over the water and the hillsides on either side of us.

The scenery was beautiful, and we spent quite a bit of time outside watching the coastline slowly slip past.





What we were really hoping to see, though, was Mount Etna.

Mount Etna is Europe’s largest active volcano and rises more than 3,300 metres above eastern Sicily. It is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world, so we were hoping we might get lucky and see a little smoke or even some volcanic activity.

Unfortunately, as the light faded, so did our chances of seeing much of Etna. We could make out the mountain, but it was getting too dark to see whether it was doing anything interesting.



Still, there was something special about sitting on a ship and watching Sicily pass by as the sun disappeared.

We ended the day with a nice dinner together and then headed to the theatre for Epic Rock, the evening production show. It was a good show and a great way to finish a very relaxing day at sea.


Comments

  1. TamaraOctober 4, 2026 at 5:10 AM

    One of my classmates' family originally immigrated from Sicily to Switzerland, and when my friend was 15, his dad got a job offer back home, so they packed up and left. "Back home" was in Linguaglossa, which lies right at the foot of the Etna volcano. I never made it there, so I'm glad you were at least getting close. He lives in Rome now and from time to time makes it to our class reunions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gill - That British WomanOctober 4, 2026 at 8:39 AM

    beautiful scenes you photographed. The one of the town by the sea spoke to me the most, just wonderful

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShwetaOctober 4, 2026 at 9:39 AM

    I learnt something new today - that stromboli is not always something you eat! 😄 Such a cool name for a volcano..great picture..I was already imagining the boot and the beautiful places within..it is my dream to visit the boot some day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JeanieOctober 4, 2026 at 10:50 AM

    Sometimes we need a slower day when traveling and this sounds like a great way to get one -- gorgeous scenery, but a space to rest and relax and not constantly be on the go. It's really beautiful, Barbara. What a grand trip you are having.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alice GerardOctober 4, 2026 at 12:48 PM

    Very beautiful. It's nice to be able to relax and to watch the world pass you by. I have mad love for the water, and it's wonderful to see the ocean and the coastlines. Your pictures are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your adventure with me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lynn and PreciousOctober 4, 2026 at 1:38 PM

    Amazing sights to see! The volcano is impressive. And you get a bit of a rest.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jeanine ByersOctober 4, 2026 at 2:52 PM

    Beautiful scenery!! I can see why a day on the ship would be a good way to see everyone without having to expend too much energy. You can save up for the next big day out. :)

    ReplyDelete

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Red Flags have corresponding blog posts. White Flags mean I still have yet to write about it